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Chapter 12: The Family |
Chapter twelve examines the role of family in today's society.
Families respond to both individual and collective human needs,
and the structure families take to fulfill these needs varies
from culture to culture. Societies also have norms—some
more formalized than others—regarding whom, when, and how
a person should marry. The trend of a rising rate of divorce
in the United States can be attributed to several fundamental
societal changes—including more lenient divorce laws and
the number of women who have entered the labor force.
The "ideal" of a traditional nuclear family is far from a
reality in American society. Many variations of the ideal
have emerged: dual-career families, blended families, small
families, and single-parent families. The family unit in the
U.S. has other challenges facing it as well. The high rate
of teenage pregnancy and parenthood is a major concern, as
is the issue of violence in the family, which can take the
form of child abuse, spousal abuse, and elder abuse. These
issues, along with learning to accommodate new family structures,
will be challenges for society in the twenty-first century.
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