Family Structure And Its Impact On Society

Murray Bowen, an American psychiatrist, began developing what would become known as the family systems theory during the mid-20th century. He believed that the family was an emotional unit and that it could be best understood by looking not just at current family interactions but the interactions of prior generations as well (Helm, 2009). His focus was on using theory, not therapy, to treat the patient and the cornerstone of that theory is that human behavior is based on a person being able to “maintain intimacy with loved ones while differentiating themselves sufficiently as individuals so as not to be swept up by what is transpiring within the family” (p. 205).

but, It is not the most preferred: Monogamy is the ideal and preferred form of marriage in only 81 cultures out of a sample 400cultures.

Systems theory is a lens with which to view human behavior in relation to interactions with different systems, such as family, school, work, and community (Rogers, 2016). Assessing how families function through a systems theory lens allows social workers to examine and understand the different systems that affect the family and the individual. It is a necessary tool in identifying how a family functions in relation to the systems in which it exists as well as identifying what influences are affecting the family. Recognizing these many influences will allow the social worker to understand strengths, weaknesses, and issues of the individual members of the family, as well as the family system as a whole (Thomlison, 2010).

A total of five families will be participants in this relocation to Ripon Wisconsin and will be under my care for ninety days. Based on traditional family structures is has been deduced that each family will have on average five people, however we will not exclude families that have more than five members. I may come across this if the families want to bring with them extended family members such as grandparents or aunts and uncles. The families that I choose to bring do not necessarily have to be from Rwanda. During the genocide, there were Hutus who left the country because at the time it was not a good place to live and they fled to the surrounding countries. Some of these refugees stayed in those countries, while others went back to Rwanda only to face suspicion and scrutiny due to the genocide (Fisiy 1998). Due to this, I will be considering families in both circumstances, but I predict there will be more families wanting to leave Rwanda due to tensions still in the country. I plan on moving the families to Ripon at the beginning of August so they have a whole month of summer before having to adjust to cold Wisconsin temperatures. Along with letting the families adjust to the temperatures, I have picked August so if any of them want to attend any sort of school they can start with the rest of the state avoiding having to start at an awkward time.

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).

Often time’s couples marry only to find out that they have a difference of opinion or one spouse has caused serious marital strain on the other. Since the Iroquois couples lived matrilineally, this makes it easier for the woman to dissolve the marriage, keep her children and continue to live at home with her family. “If a woman no longer desired to be married to her husband, all she had to do was pack up her husband’s belongings and leave them on the steps of the longhouse. When he came home, the husband would find them, realize his wife had terminated the marriage, and return to his home village and his own patrilineage.” (Nowak, B. & Laird, P. 2010 chapter 4.5 Divorce) In the American culture it is more difficult to obtain a divorce.

Relationships can either be monogamous or non-monogamous in nature and its definitions and functions can vary. A monogamous relationship is traditionally characterised by two individuals who have dependent children or also as a ‘nuclear family.’ Monogamy is a hetero-normative practice that involves two individuals in a relationship; the couple is not engaged in extramarital intimacy. Nuclear families also fall under this practice. Polyamory is a non-monogamous practice that refers to multiple intimate partners and experiences. However, some scholars argue that if, or when one individual engages in infidelity, Polyamory is a viable option to sustain the relationship. Academic research positions Polyamory as an option that may successfully

Thirdly, the sexual revolution has cracked the nuclear family ideology. Because the “erotic” is now the foundation of "personal well-being" and "fulfillment" in marital relationship with some people rather than the “romantic love” foundation of the traditional nuclear family. That saw too many teenagers becoming unmarried females in the United States at the early age. Because the ways society has valued sexual ideology, people and things are

The positive effects of a family system during development versus the adverse effects of not having a family system during development.

The Decline of Traditional Family Being Detrimental to Society Some people believe that the decline of the traditional family (Nuclear family) is detrimental to society because a lot of people are not socialising. This is one of the basic roles that a traditional family performs for individuals to meet the expectations of society. Only through a family can a person play a full part in society.

In this paper I will discuss gender role and its impact on inequality. I will discuss gender inequality and its impact on creating as well demolishing families. I will mention different family structures and how gender roles have changed throughout time. I will explain how feminism has given opportunities to women and in effect transformed the family structure.

In her book The Unfinished Revolution, Kathleen Gerson argues that today, family pathways are more important than family structure. In this context, family structure refers to the organization of a family, and the way that it has been changing as a result of the gender revolution. For example, some nontraditional family structures that are explored in the book include double parent families with both parents earning, single parent families (mostly single mothers), and families with same-sex parents. Gerson argues that while family structures are not negligible, it is family pathways that are more important for the children of the gender revolution. That is to say, the children value the dynamics of their family more than the structure. They are more concerned about how well their parents are able to provide them with the necessary emotional and financial support than they are about how well their families follow a norm. For them, it is more about feeling like they’re part of a family rather than just physically being in one. Gerson emphasizes this when she explains that the people she interviewed “focused on the long-term consequences of parental choices, not on the specific form or type of home these choices produced at any one moment in time.” One important implication of this argument is the way in which the children of the gender revolution imagine their own romantic relationships unfolding. Even there, they prioritize a feeling rather than a format. For example, one

As family structure has changed in the UK, so child care arrangements have become more diverse and complex. What are the implications of these changes for children?

The Effects of Industrialisation on the Structure of the Family The Industrial Revolution was from 1750's - 1850's, which had four main effects. One was the Economic system becoming industrial from agriculture, the second was Mechanisation meaning production in factories becoming more efficient, the third was Urbanisation and the fourth was population explosion - low mobility rate and higher birth rate. Tallcott Parsons (1950's) believed that the extended family in pre Industrial Britain was the most beneficial as they were a unit of production and they were able to maintain a subsistence level of existence with very little reliance on non-family members. Parsons believed that post

The family structure determines where you derive from and provides a sense of who you are. The typical family structure is perceived as a father and a mother, two children, one boy and one girl, and a pet. The typical family description described above is still promoted and expected to be the “dream family.” Author Meyerhoff, “While the nuclear family with Dad, Mom, and offspring happily coexisting beneath one roof-remains the ideal, variations in family structure are plentiful and often successful” (Meyerhoff). Meaning that a lot of families are remarried spouses with prior children and more common in the last decade same sex marriages. So, do these nontraditional families have the same qualities? Personally, I would think so. After