Several social changes that occurred over the twentieth century have impacted on every part of society throughout the globe. Examples of these social forces include law, government, religion, economy, and educational systems that impact on individual families. Family is a social construction that are changed over time by these social forces. These factors that cause social change have influence our life in major ways. For instance, educational systems have altered the gender roles in society. Women have outdone men in attainment of education and have significantly increased their level of engagement in the workforce. This means women have a likelihood of being in workforce and thus be less available to provide care for the family unlike in the past (Hareven, 2018). Therefore, the changing gender roles have altered marital relationships because women are becoming more empowered and able to manage the family economy and thus more likely to become less dependent on husbands.
Additionally, economic transformation has generated incredible change in the living standard of the individual families. For instance, in the past, older people lived with an older adult child. However, currently, many older people live alone or are in nursing homes. Economic changes resulted in the spread of social security, lifetime savings, and pensions that makes it possible for older people to be independent and thus be less dependent on their children for economic support compared to the past times (Hareven, 2018). Therefore, the increasing independence in living arrangements have caused family relationships to be based on emotional and social bonds than ‘intimacy relationships’.
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Individual families adapt to social changes in different ways. Most people make choices to adapt to these social changes based on their individual life goals or internal pressures. Many people adapt to these changes by embracing positivity and being optimistic that the changes will generate better outcomes, rewriting the rules so as to improve things in cases where the changes are negative and be willing to build a new kind of life based on these changes by taking responsibility (Hareven, 2018).
Reference
Hareven, T. K. (2018). Families, history and social change: Life course and cross-cultural perspectives . Routledge.
