The Nuclear Family

There are several possible reasons for the decrease in the number of nuclear families, particularly in the past forty years. This includes rising cohabitation, higher divorce rates, secularisation, rising same sex relationships, more career seekers and the rise in feminism.

Examining the View that the Traditional Nuclear Family is in Decline When evaluating the view that the traditional nuclear family (of two opposite sex married parents living in a household that contains only them and their own dependant children), is in decline, I will be taking various pieces of research and evidence from Sociologists, Journalists and other sources, into consideration in order to try to determine how true this view is. The nuclear family would appear to be found internationally and would be described as ‘universal’ by Murdock, varying in popularity from country to country, however I will be concentrating mainly in the UK. The idea that the ‘traditional’ nuclear family is in

Divorce is common in the United States; remarriage is just as common. As a result many marriages result in a blended family. A family in which both of the parents have children from previous marriages. Often the blended family shares a permanent residence. Clair Cartwright and Kerry Gibson state in their 2013 report, The effects of co-parenting relationships with ex-spouses on couples in step-families, that in the United States in 2008, around 9% of households and around 12% of cohabiting households were blended families ( Teachman & Tedrow, 2008). A blended family is an excellent place to observe symbolic interaction theory.

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The family dynamics in Max Apple’s “Stepdaughters” and Amy Tan’s “A Pair of Tickets” displays some of the issues that parents, stepparents and teenagers may or may not experience. A mother’s relationship with her children has a very unique connection, especially when it comes our daughters. Being a mother or stepmother is a problematical and rewarding experience: nevertheless, a mother’s love is unconditional. How do you except someone for his or her choices on being different? Is it easier for a step-parent to see things more clearly that the biological parent? Every family has its issues. When it’s a blended family with mothers, fathers, stepchildren and other family member, those issues can become more complex to understand.

All of these potential effects could have repercussions for the quality of the relationship between the parents and it can divide the family.

The word family has changed so much in the past century. A family back in the 1950’s was probably considered a husband, wife, and one or more children. Times have changed and families have become much different. The Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others book defines family as a, “Unit made up of any number of persons who live in relationship with one another over time in a common living space who are usually, but not always, united by marriage and kinship” (Beebe, Beebe & Redmond, 243). Families can be broken up into five different types. The first is the traditional family, which includes a mother, father, and their biological children. Next, is the blended family which includes

Browne (2008) tells us that whilst Marriage is the usual type of relationship between Men and Women, Marriages where it’s the first time for both partners, is on a high scale decline, numbers have at least halved since 1970. This means that there are now more Reconstituted Families (families where at least one spouse will have children from a previous relationship), also knows as Step-Families. This is the fastest growing family type as now nearly half of Marriages involve a second marriage for at least one of the partners, reflecting an increase in Divorce Rates.

What is a family? The meaning of family has changed throughout history. It means something different to many people. According to the U.S. Census Bureau: “A family includes a householder and one or more people living in the same household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. All people in a household who are related to the householder are regarded as members of his or her family. A family household may contain people not related to the householder, but those people are not included as part of the householder’s family. Thus, the number of family households is equal to the number of families, but family households may include more members than do families. Not all households

The ‘new family’ of the 1970s grew up as children with no father figure, did not remember wartime hardships and saw family life depicted through American movies. Civil law changed the system to nuclear family through the exposure of Western influence that was seen as the ideal for the Japanese family. The concept of nuclear family has influenced the increase in “singles, martial couples and single-parent units” which by Nonoyama (2000) sees this as a disorganization of the framework of nuclear structure. Imamura (1990) discusses that love marriages were encouraged with the influence of the western culture, where young people saw to reconsider the ways of courtship before marriage, which decreased numbers of traditional arranged marriages. This

Assess the view that the nuclear family functions to benefit all its members and society as a whole.

Although blended families will probably never be considered “traditional”, they are becoming more common every year. Some common myths about stepfamilies are that children of divorce are considered damaged. Some children do have problems adjusting to a new family. They may feel resentment for new

Times have changed; the nuclear family is no longer the American ideal because family needs have changed since the 1950's. This American convention of a mother and father and their two children, were a template of films and early television as a depiction of the American family life. Now seen as archaic and cliché by today’s standards, but the idea is common throughout many of the first world nations in the world. This ideal was a vast departure from the past agrarian and pre industrial families, and was modeled and structured as the ‘American dream’ father working, mother maintaining the household and children molded to be simulacra of the parents. This portrayal was not the standard; many communities throughout America had a different

In a sociological perspective, family is interpreted as a social group whose members are bound by legal, biological, or emotional ties or a combination of all three. The sociological theories the connect to this concept are functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionalism. First, functionalism states that the family socializes children, it provides emotional and practical support for its members, and it provides its members with a social identity. Secondly, conflict theory states that members create disagreements, and create emotional support and comfort. Finally, symbolic interactionism claims family members and intimate couples interact on a daily basis. "Families are defined as a relationship by blood, marriage, or affection" (Seccombe 5).

. One day Sharon showed up on Laura’s doorstep with information that ripped the nuclear family apart. Laura, hurt and disappointed, responded with vicious revenge. She tried to obtain full control of all their present and future assets. Anger is too simpler word to describe the emotions and actions Laura displayed. She didn’t hide her husband’s infidelity, she told the world. Calling every family member and friend who would listen, she reported all the details told to her by Sharon. She wanted Robert’s integrity and reputation to be dirt.