How family structure has changed since the 1960's
The twentieth century has gradually witnessed vast transformation in the U.S. family structure in many ways like divorce and marriage rates, childbearing, cohabitation, increase in the rate of working women and sexual conduct. The 1960’s witnessed the concept of ideal marriage which gradually changed with the change in the aspirations and ambitions of people. The then paternalistic society viewed male dominion and suppressed and oppressed the female by limiting them to function the roles to manage the home and the family. The society gradually changed by moving over to egalitarian relationships, independence and aspirations. The financially independent women has paved the way for an inclusive society and this has led to increase in marital stress which arises mainly due to conflict in accomplishing individual goals as compared with familial welfare. The main problem is that both partners have grown to be more ambitions and the “generativity” or looking after the welfare of family members or accomplishing familial requirements is slowly eroding (Castelloe).
Several changes like technological breakthrough, social trends and the economic life of the people have mainly driven the changes in the family structure. Some recent trends that suggest change in the family structure is the evolvement of blended families, children born out of wedlock and the increase in the divorce rate. Especially the living arrangement between family and non-family members have significantly increased. The past ten years have witnessed a huge increase in single parents. Around 6 out of 10 children in America lived with a single parent during the 1980s and this figure has ever since increased. From this figure, it may also be analysed that many children live with a stepparent. This is mainly due to the high divorce rate in America. With the increase in the life expectancy rates, there have been significant increase in the rate of old people especially widows and widowers (Wetzel, 7).
Children out of wedlock and the change in the family structure
The decoding of the conventional societal and family structure as a result of advancement in thoughts, globalization and technological breakthrough has led to the rise of several instances of cohabitation and other non-marital relationship forms. This has led to the emergence of children out of wedlock in America. Scholars have determined that children out of wedlock may be born due to cohabitation, no romantic association and visiting.
A revision in the family structure has cropped up with a burgeoning number of people having the desire to remain single. Such people may enter into a short term relationship which does not involve the angle of love and romance in the relationship. However, children born out of wedlock in such partners may often end up staying with the mother. At least 41 percent of women have children out of wedlock despite the fall in the fertility rate and the rate of marriage as compared to the 1970s.
Most children born out of wedlock does not benefit from the subsequent marriage of their parents. However, there has been a growing instance of children born out of wedlock to be alienated at least by one parent, which is most often the father leading to changes in the conventional family structure. Scholars have also determined that children out of wedlock living with one set of parent and one or both grandparent have to adjust to a new family.
The familial structure often changes if the cohabitation is broken a few months after child birth. The family structure may also undergo significant transformation if one parent decides to get married. Children may often be alienated or be a part of a new family and this may lead to several adjustment problems including conflicts that all members of the new family experience. In many instances, unwed mother cohabits with a partner who is not the biological father of the child.
Divorce and change in the family structure
The significant increase in divorce and the single parent relationship has also led to rapid changes in the family structures. According to the 2004 census figures in America, at least forty percent of marriages are abolished and at least one million children have to undergo the stress and tensions after the divorce of their parents (Uphold-Carrier & Utz, 247). Especially in families which have high marital tension, a divorce may bring solace to the children of that particular family. However, marriages having low stress levels and conflicts, children may suffer in school and interacting with other people as an immediate impact of the dissolution of marriage.
Adults bring in burgeoning relationships of extra marital affairs and/or cohabitation which may lead to emerging conflicts in romance and parenting. Academic scholar, Ken Fuschman quotes that the America "is accumulating a deep psychological national deficit" (Castelloe) for the oncoming generations as a result of the ongoing structural shifts in the family. This is mainly because such turbulent relationships of divorce or end of cohabitation or remarriage takes a toll on the impacted family members including both parents and children leading to emotional turbulence which gives rise to the feelings of mourning, rage and loss.
The increasing rate of divorce and single parent – child relationships have led to parents and children spending more time of social media websites. Divorced partners and impacted children tend to devote time to technology and social media as a medium to vent out their emotions and often engage in video phones, cell phones and social networking (Castelloe).
Academic scholars have observed that children hailing from divorced families find complexities in adjusting to the new environment. This situation may worsen if the child has to stay with a parent who is currently cohabiting. Children from divorced marriages often experience emotional upheavals and in some instances the development of mental ailments (Malone, 420).
Parental divorce does have lasting impact in their children – both adult children as well as young children and this may negatively impact the wellbeing and health of impacted children. The problems of adjustment with the new family or conflicts in single parent – child relationship may further aggravate family structures with children to move into foster homes. Adult children from divorce often choose to move away from parental house and stay apart. Academic scholars have also observed that children having divorced parents also tend to dissolve their marriage as they usually experience adjustment problems (Uphold-Carrier & Utz, 248 – 249). The loss of family relationships as an aftermath of divorce makes impacted children and parents to suffer from lack of emotional and social support. Divorce leads to the emergence of high levels of conflict coupled with low contact levels. Another consequence of divorce is that of the commencement of cohabitation and or blended family.
Blended families and shift in the conventional family structure
One of the significant shifts in the conventional family structure is that of blended families. The high rate of divorce has also spurred individuals to remarry. The social structures of marriage, divorce and remarriage has led many people to have children out of previous wedlock and this has led to the emergence of blended family structures. Especially people marrying again have to face the challenge to blend between two different families from former weddings. Remarriage also means that individuals may be natural and stepparent to children from the next spouse. Sometimes, one spouse may have children and the other may not have children. These complex configurations in the family structures often makes the impacted children and parents to face challenges. Death of a partner may also lead to remarriage and this means that both married partners as well as their children have to adjust into the new family structure.
The ideal American family has slowly transformed to take the shape of multilayers and provide a bundle of surprises. Academic scholars devoted to the task of researching the evolution and structure of the quintessential American family has been astonished at the rapid changes in the American family structure over the past century. Andrew J. Cherlin maintains that “This churning, this turnover in our intimate partnerships is creating complex families on a scale we’ve not seen before” (Angier). The professor of public policy, Andrew J. Cherlin maintains that the American society is increasingly dealing with the complexities of blended families and this does not end the change in the family structure.
Blended is a Hollywood film which describes the aspect of blended families. The plot is based on two young people who go on a bad blind date and then end up in a resort meant for families. They are surrounded by their own children and as their relationships become easier they find that their children would benefit from this marriage (imdb.com). Although the movie does not discuss the complexities of blended family it does depict a typical blended family structure in which both parents have to live with their children and stepchildren after remarriage.
A critical study conducted by academic scholars on blended marriages have observed the manner in which family members adapt with each other and successfully enact family and societal rituals and norms. They have also observed that rituals and practices conducted in blended families help in developing significant communication systems and processes that help family members to encourage and live with the new members while valuing the rituals and practices that were conducted in the erstwhile family. The manner in which blended family members adapted to new rituals also displayed the manner in which individuals adjusted to coping up with the loss of the former family and live in the blended or an absolutely new family. One of the important societal and familial norms that academic scholars have observed is the manner in which the members of the blended family successfully pays tribute to both the new as well as the former family (Braithwaite, Baxter & Harper, 101).
Conclusion
Education, change in the societal norms and the advent of globalization and liberalization has significantly influenced change in the family structure. America today has more women who may be better educated and better placed in their jobs as compared with their spouses. This leads to conflicts between partners leading to a divorce or separation. There has been a growing number of adults who gets remarried by their late twenties as well as those who prefer to remain unmarried. The emergence of blended families, cohabitation, divorce and single mothers have further helped in changing the family structure.
Works cited:
Angier, Natalie. "The Changing American Family." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
Blended. Dir. Frank Coraci. Perf. Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore and Kevin Nealon. Warner Brothers, 2014. Film.
Braithwaite, D.O., Baxter, L. A. & Harper, A. M. “The role of rituals in the management of the dialectical tension of “old” and “new” in blended families”. Communication Studies, 49.2(1998): 101 – 120. Print.
Castello, Molly S. "Changes in American Family." Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness, Find a Therapist. N.p., 27 Apr. 2011. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
Uphold-Carrier, Holly & Utz, Rebecca. “Parental divorce among young and adult children: a long-term quantitative analysis of mental health and family solidarity”. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 53.4(2012): 247 – 266. Print.
Wetzel, J. R. “American families: 75 years of change”. Monthly Labor Review, (1990): 4 – 13. Print.
