Introduction
Research undertaken for this paper looked at a number of views on this topic. The objective was to determine if the American family unit is at risk, and if it is – why that is happening.
The Research
1. “Family Decline: The Findings of Social Science”
Vitz (1999) published this paper based on research which he claims highlights “the serious family decline of the last few decades.” Although his paper examines a number of factors contributing to that perceived decline, his opening remarks place the largest portion of blame on the shoulders of fathers – men who have “abandoned their role in the family.” Vitz then continues by examining and discussing the following separate contributory causal factors:
1.1 Illegitimacy, Divorces, Unmarried Couples
Vitz reports that the illegitimacy rate – unmarried women giving birth (especially young women between 15 and 19) – rose by over 300 percent between 1950 and 1990. Those increased unmarried birth rates were accompanied by more cases of sexually transmitted diseases, now the highest of all developed countries. Divorces have also increased; Vitz refers to a million children a year being caught up in a divorce. He comments that although these trends could have other causes, evidence suggests the decline and collapse of the family is the major cause.
1.2 Poverty
Vitz cites poverty as a particular problem for single-parent families, where the sole parent is obliged to either stay home and exist on benefits, or to work and pay for expensive child care. He claims the numbers of such children in poverty rose by 200 percent between 1959 and 1991, due to the earlier-mentioned rises in illegitimacy and divorce rates. He says that a divorce “breaks up an economically efficient family unit into two inefficient and competing halves”.
1.3 Marriage and Health
Studies have shown that in general, married couples enjoyed better health than single or divorced people. Other studies showed that for almost all causes of death, mortality rates are higher for unmarried individuals than for those in a good marriage.
1.4 Divorce and Health
Research has shown that marriage breakup and divorce is one of the most stressful events that can be experienced in one’s life, and can lead to both emotional and physical health problems, and to even lower levels of immunity to illness. According to Vitz it has also been found that children living with a single parent experience poorer general health. Also, disturbingly, research has shown that the effects on children of a divorce may last for the rest of their own lives, such as those children being at risk of dying sooner.
1.5 Abuse
Vitz cites this as a particular problem for children in a single-parent family environment, especially where that parent is the father living on a low income. Also, he notes that single mothers are more likely to suffer abuse at the hands of live-in partners. The paper also reports higher risks to children with step-parents. One statistic quoted is that children under two years old are between 60-70 times more at risk of being killed by a step-parent than a biological parent.
1.6 Psychological Benefits of Marriage
Studies have shown that being a single-parent or divorcing makes “the likelihood of experiencing psychological distress” much greater. It has also been found that children of single parents or with step-parents experience more behavioural problems at school and suffer from more emotional distress than the children from families with both birth parents present. It has been noted, according to Vitz, that because the long-term negative effects on the children involved in a parental divorce have become more widely known in recent times, psychotherapists and other professionals are very much against divorce, regarding it as something to be avoided if at all possible. This attitude is in contrast to the pro-divorce views that prevailed in the 1970’s. However, in another section of his paper, Vitz reports that children of what he calls “high-conflict” families suffered the most from behavioural problems during and long after the divorce.
1.7 Links Between Divorce and Suicide
Vitz reports that various studies and research undertaken indicate a strong link between suicide rates and divorce, plus more suicides of single people than those who are married.
1.8 Importance of the Father
According to Vitz, the major importance of the father figure to his children in a multitude of ways is very well documented, also noting that the importance is even greater with respect to sons; rather less so with daughters. He also added that children from broken homes are much more likely to become involved in juvenile crime, even more so where the family environment lacks a strict code of discipline. Vitz concludes his paper by reiterating that absence of a father figure in the family unit is the single biggest factor in the causes of family decline.
2. “The Changing Face of the American Family”
Capelli (2008) notes that whereas fifty years ago the average American family comprised two married parents – usually of common ethnic origin – and children, she comments that today’s U.S. households exhibit a much greater variety, including multi-racial marriages and single-parent families existing as a result of more divorces. She also mentions the more frequent occurrence of unmarried parents. Another family structure Capelli mentions is the one where grandparents bring up the children in cases where – for whatever reason – the parents cannot. Capelli regards this arrangement as causing difficulties, partly because of the age difference. Same-sex marriages are mentioned, too. Capelli sees those as maybe needing new legislation. She concludes by stating that the “traditional American family is becoming a thing of the past.”
3. “Dwindling percentage of intact families poses grave threat to children's futures”
Collins (2011) reported that less than 46 percent of children aged 17 years are living in what the article calls “intact married families.” Consequences of this high rate of marriage breakups include the children living in poverty and later having their own children outside of marriage. In contrast, those children remaining in secure married home environments are more likely to achieve higher graduation scores and therefore better futures. The article actually suggests that the family unit is more important in that regard than more government spending on education. Collins reported that studies had shown that a stable, married family background was equally important among the various ethnic groups, not just in white families.
4. “Study reports Americans are optimistic about the family unit”
Askar (2010) – a reporter for Deseret News – offers a contrasting opinion in regard to the future of the American family unit. Unlike some of the other research cited, he suggests there is “prevalent optimism” for the traditional family structure, even though some Americans are deterred from marrying due to the current economic situation. He quotes a study that found 67 percent of Americans questioned were optimistic about the future of marriage and the family.
5. “Strained life of the nonstop American family”
This NBC News article describes the hectic life of the Zeiss family – one of 32 Los Angeles families studied by UCLA scientists who were seeking to determine how typical American families get through a busy daily schedule. The study also looked at the changing dynamics of the typical family, noting that children and parents often see very little of each other during the week, a situation seen as eroding the family structure. In general, they found that most people pack in so much organized activity that there is little or no room for “unstructured time”. Out of all 32 families studied, it was found that in only one case did the father make an effort to take his two children on a regular evening stroll, for example.
Conclusions
Only one paper researched – that by Askar (2010) – cast a positive vote, claiming that 67 percent of those interviewed were optimistic about the institutions of family and marriage.
On balance, it has to be said that a majority view is that family unit is in decline, partly due to divorce rates, etc, but also because of fundamental changes of lifestyle today.
Works Cited:
Askar, Jamshid, Ghazi. “Study reports Americans are optimistic about the family unit”. (Nov 2010). Deseret News. Web. 13 October 2012.
Capelli, Scarlett. “The Changing Face of the American Family”. (2008). Articlesbase. Web. 13 October 2012.
Collins, Lois, M. “Dwindling percentage of intact families poses grave threat to children's futures”. (November 2011). Deseret News. Web. 13 October 2012.
“Strained life of the nonstop American family.” NBC News. (n.d.). Mental Health: NBC News. Web. 13 October 2012.
Vitz, Paul, C. “Family Decline: The Findings of Social Science.” (1999). Society of Catholic Social Scientists. Web. 11 October 2012.
