Changes in the Modern Family Structure
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Changes in the Modern Family Structure
The modern family has changed from the traditional family. These changes are mainly in the family structure, including the decline in the conventional family, the emergence of single-parent households, cohabitation, same-sex unions, and childfree couples. There are also changes in the marriage structure and marriage rate and marriage trends. Taking a local state in the United States as the point of reference, there is an increase in one-parent households, cohabitation, same-sex families, and voluntary couples who live without children. These are a move from the traditional family structure and practices. There is an increase in single parents, especially single mothers in the United States. Most of the women have settled on not getting married as a choice of adulthood life. The prevalence of intimate relationships without legal or religious sanction has also increased. Most of the young adults and the youths engage in cohabitation practices, and they live together as though they were married. Apart from that, there are cases of homosexuality and same-sex marriages in the United States, one of the most recent phenomena in the marriage structure. This is a deviation from the traditional family practices where homosexuality was highly discouraged. There are also voluntary couples setting and not intending to have children. This is mostly experienced among women of childbearing age who decide not to get pregnant and give birth. Some prefer using surrogate mothers to bear children. Most of these changes have been contributed to by technological advances. Social media platforms act as a ground for spreading these practices, bringing forth negative or zero interaction between the parents and the siblings (Meezan et al., 2005).
Media depictions of the family have also changed tremendously over time. Media seems to support most of these family practices. For example, single parenthood is negative and positive in media, but the positive side outweighs the negative side. Single parents are depicted as hardworking, caring for the children, committed, responsible, good communicators, and problem solvers. Most of these practices are spread through media platforms, encouraging more people to join in the practices. Therefore, such approaches have changed from the traditional family structure and practices into the modern family structure, which is influenced more by technology advances and media.
Reference
Meezan, William, and Rauch, Jonathan, 2005. Gay Marriage, Same-sex Parenting, and America’s Children. The Future of Children Vol. 15 No. 2 Marriage and Child Wellbeing. p. 102.