The family structure has experienced drastic transformation over the past years as characterized by the shift from extended to nuclear families, smaller sized-households, increasing divorce rates, decreasing nuptiality, the emergence of new forms of unions such as cohabitation, the changing gender dimension and integration relationships, and the significant decrease in fertility (Anderson, 2016). The social changes that the family unit has been witnessing in the past 50 years have been accelerated by economic, technological as well as cultural factors. Also, the race has had a significant effect on the family, especially in the US as a country that is made up of many races. These transformations have resulted in the fear that the family unit is under the threat of extinction, becoming the subject of study by various researchers. However, all is not lost since society, and specifically, the government can put in place measures including policies that help to reduce the social pressures on many modern families.
Social Trends Affecting Families in the last 50-100 Years
According to Anderson (2016), the modern culture has evolved through various perspectives, and its existence has forced more and more families to change from what they used to be in the past. There are several actors which contributed to the transformation of culture including the tremendous economic development that was witnessed after the World War II, technological advancements in many areas that had a direct or indirect impact on the family structure, the oil-boom, women’s emancipation, changes in the cultural values regarding individualization and secularization among other factors. All these elements have combined synergistically to contribute significantly to what has become of the family institution. Of great focus, however, is the technological and scientific developments, the emergence of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, globalization, and immigration.
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Technological advancements have significantly led to transformations in the family unit regarding television, the internet, efficient transport systems which have resulted to the expansion of people’s physical and mental horizons, leading to changes in their attitudes and expectations particularly towards the family perspectives. Technology has also enabled the innovation of modern contraceptives as well as safe medical abortion options, offering the woman the upper hand in deciding on the size of the family. Previously, the woman was concerned about when to stop having children, but now the issue is on when to start having them. Such conveniences have not only enabled women to plan their births but their views towards parenthood as well. This has contributed significantly to the decrease in fertility. The HIV/AIDS scourge has dramatically affected the family structure regarding people's sexual behaviors in their reproductive years (Anderson, 2016).
Anderson (2016) explains that families affected by the disease suffer because of the decrease in their income due to the high cost of treatment or even sickness which forces the victims to stop working. Eventually when a partner dies, the other is lefts widowed and if they both pass away, the children become orphaned leading to a disintegrated family structure. In the recent past, there has been increased mobility enabling people to freely move from one place to the other within and across international borders leading to increased immigration. This phenomenon has changed both the size and composition of populations, directly affecting the family unit as some spouses have to move and leave the rest of the family behind. Globalization has also impacted the family structure. It has increased modernization which has changed people’s views and behaviors on many issues including the family structure as well as dynamics. Advancement in technology in one region is spread across borders to other parts of the world and information is shared all over across the globe, which transforms how people and behave, providing them with several decision options at their disposal.
How Race affects the Family Structure
Racism involves the systematic subordination of one race (Gallagher & Lippard, 2014). In the U.S. for instance, White racism has had a devastating impact on minority races such as Blacks and Latinos. The families of such minority groups suffer a great deal in ways that impact their future generations. Racism goes way back to the time of slavery, and its vestiges are still present. The American society built institutional structures that created the culture and norms that uphold racism. Long after the end of slavery, the problem is still there. The Whites are the majority population, and they control the institutions which establish and enforce cultural norms and values in America. Such institutions include the government, union, business, industry, education, religion among other important sectors in the society.
When racial prejudices determine how these institutions are run, the race that is discriminated against will suffer, starting from the family as a building block of the society. One of the most significant areas where racism has led to negative impacts on such families is unemployment. Blacks and Latinos need jobs critically to support their families’ basic needs. Unemployment has a direct impact on the family as it determines the families’ affordability to remain intact. When jobs are not forthcoming, the family institution risks disintegration for the reason that the parents cannot afford to maintain the structure. Lack of employment or meager income is a big problem that concerns the stability of families in these groups as the institution becomes too expensive to maintain. Young African-American and Mexican-American men who are unemployed, lack prospects for better financial status and will not want to burden themselves with starting families that they know they cannot support. They thus resort to entering into exploitative relationships and do not care about their children, fearing the commitment that comes with such responsibility. The result is single-parenthood and irresponsible fathers, which destroys the family union. The other issue revolves around the justice system as characterized by police profiling, especially of the Blacks. This leads to injustices such as unwarranted imprisonments and even death by the police, which results in disintegrated families (Gallagher & Lippard, 2014).
What the Government can do to Strengthen Families
The government can play a significant role in the strengthening of families by coming up with favorable initiatives that support the family union. For example, it should reduce the tax burden on families and do away with the marriage penalty in the tax code to make life more affordable for the union. With less tax to pay, a spouse can even afford to leave employment to take good care of the children, reinforcing the family institution. Otherwise, both parents have to work to pay the high tax and may end up having a lot of stress and neglect their roles as parents and spouses, and the result is the disintegration of the family union (Brown, 2010). The government can also support the family structure by doing away with laws that put the two-parent families at a disadvantage.
For instance, in the U.S., there is the 100-hour rule which prevents intact couples from working more than 100 hours per month. Such a rule denies intact families from getting welfare benefits and could even encourage couples to resort to separation to get the benefits. The government should desist from such rules to promote the existence of two-parent families. The high rate of divorce in America is partly due to the ease with which couples can secure it. Particularly, the no-fault divorce makes divorce so easy. One partner can simply file for divorce without fault from the other partner. The government should turn back such provisions to make divorce difficult, to discourage those partners that decide to divorce on a whim, without seriously considering alternative options before deciding on such a serious issue. Both partners should agree before they seek to divorce. The other government initiative is to stop welfare programs that encourage single-parent families and instead go for those that support the two-parent families. This will discourage disintegrated families due to the lack of incentives (Brown, 2010).
Conclusion
For the past several decades, the family unit has undergone drastic transformations, from the extended to nuclear to other disintegrated forms. It is no longer given the importance that it previously received. This is mainly due to social factors that have been brought about by advanced technology, globalization, immigration and the emergence of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Racism is one of the social inequalities that have negative impacts on affected families. The government can strengthen the family unit by establishing policies that uphold the institution, and do away with those laws that encourage family disintegration.
References
Anderson, K. (2016). Technology and Social Trends: A Biblical Point of View (6 th ed.). Christian
Publishing House
Brown S. L. (2010). Marriage and Child Well-Being: Research and Policy Perspectives. Journal
of marriage and the family , 72 (5), 1059-1077. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00750.x
Gallagher, C. A., & Lippard, C. D. (2014). Race and racism in the United States: An
encyclopedia of the American mosaic (6 th ed.). Greenwood
