In the past decades, individuals used to view family as a group of individuals connected directly by blood or marriage. Ever changing technological trends and societal norms have influenced the way people see and perceive marriage and family in general. From the writer's upbringing, it is true to confirm that the nature of family she was raised in considered heterosexuality to be an acceptable way for one to identify with members of opposite sex. It was seen as an absurd and obscene act for one to show sexual attraction to a member of the same sex. Though her mother was married and got pregnant at a tender age of sixteen years, she tried to persevere in her abusive marriage until it was unbearable for her and her three children. The writer’s mother decided to become a single parent and raised her children alone with the help of her Master Bridal Consultant business.
In the twenty-first century, family roles have changed a great deal. Child issues and daycare were considered to be roles for stay-at-home mums as men just took an active role as the sole breadwinner of the family. With women enlightenment and independence, roles have switched as men are now taking an active part of their children's lives as they can now attend to their daycare issues when the wife is away at work.
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There has been a change and lessening of stringent religious rules on the way the society view marriage in general. Cohabitation has become a growing trend and acceptable in the society. It is common to see young unmarried couples staying together and get married in later years. Cohabitation was previously unheard and shunned of, and a couple could only stay together as a family after marriage. Declining societal stigma against the practice and tough economic times have made individuals cohabit so has to save money on living costs. United States Census Bureau approximates that about 28 percent women and men in America cohabit before deciding whether to marry or not to marry.
Marriage, even though faced with many challenges and issues such as divorce and sometimes spouse abuse and children abuse, it can be seen as an active function in the society. The writer was brought up in a family where the father was abusive and a drug addict. Such parental behavior can have a negative influence on the way children view marriage. A girl child brought up in such a family may have an adverse perception of men in general and consider them as violent and abusive beings ( Geffner et al., 2014). The child might opt to stay single because she has developed the fear of the unknown towards marriage despite societal pressure to get married. Living single has become normalcy, and according to United States of America census figures, 20 percent of women and 14 percent of men by the age of 40 will not have married.
Reference
Geffner, R., Igelman, R. S., & Zellner, J. (Eds.). (2014). The effects of intimate partner violence on children . Routledge.