Nuclear Family - 2092 Words

Title Page In Hist. Perspective Traditional Family Modern Family New Family Models The Modern Nuclear Family THE MODERN NUCLEAR FAMILY The nuclear, isolated, or restricted family is not a recent phenomenon, but has existed in many cultures throughout human history. Indeed, the extended family of several generations is found mostly in relatively advanced, stable, and affluent, but not yet industrialized societies. Very primitive and very sophisticated societies seem to prefer the nuclear family model. However, nuclear families can vary in the degree of their isolation and restrictedness. For example, before the Industrial Revolution the Western nuclear family was often embedded in a larger social†¦show more content†¦In an extended family these freedoms are always restricted, because a wrong choice would affect too many relatives. Thus, people who want to take full advantage of the new possibilities normally marry late and keep their families small. However, this rule also has its exceptions. Sometimes large families are more useful, because they can serve as a back-up unit by providing shelter and aid at crucial moments. This may be especially important for lower-class individuals who try to move up, although the higher classes often also maintain extensive family ties. Thus, even in fully industrialized societies one can find many men and women who appreciate the traditional extended family or at least a large network of relatives. Still, by and large, the closely-knit nuclear family has been dominant in Western societies for the last several generations, and thus it has shaped the general perception of what a family should be: A man and a woman marry for love, have two or three children, live alone by themselves in a family home or apartment, and spend all their free time together. The man leaves for work in the morning, while the woman takes care of the children and the house. She also cooks dinner and ministers to her exhausted husband when he returns at night. Once or twice a year, at Thanksgiving or Christmas, there is a brief, ceremonial get-together with other relatives at Grandma s house, but otherwise everyone keepsShow MoreRelatedThe Nuclear Family1156 Words   |  5 PagesAmerican families have changed tremendously over the past years. Families did not only face the change in their status or social behavior, but also faced a change in their lifestyle. Now there are different types of families with d ifferent types of norms and values. Families are socially, ethnically and very expressively diverse than ever before. Back in the time, the role family was totally different, the parents were more strict than today. It could be said that the nuclear family is the nucleusRead MoreThe Nuclear Family Essay1347 Words   |  6 Pages The Diminishing Nuclear Family Hadar Mustafa Jun29, 2015 Introduction More often than not, stable and functional families serve as a prerequisite to a good society. Hence, the society’s support system for families must be flexible because needs and goals of families vary over time (Loveless, 2007). However, nuclear families face many challenges because parenting, child-rearing, and other economic responsibilities had to be done by two adults only (Bowden Smith, 2010). In thisRead MoreNuclear Family : A Family936 Words   |  4 Pages†¢ Nuclear Family: A nuclear family consists of two parents (in a first-time marriage) and their biological children. This type of family is sometimes referred to as the â€Å"model or normal family† because, for the most part, they have been often viewed as stable, thrifty, economically secure, and very happy. †¢ Blended Family: A blended family contains two basic family units with children that have been joined together. This often occurs through remarriage, but it is becoming more common with cohabitingRead MoreThe Nuclear Family910 Words   |  4 Pagesidea of the nuclear family was highly valued in the American culture during the 1950s, where romantic love was the central reason for marriage in America; however, love in modern America is not enough to make a marriage last. Likewise, the 1950s was the time for many American marriages to undergo many socioeconomic changes including the rise of the gender minority in the workplace. Due to these developments, marriage is under enormous socioeconomic pressures have given the rise to family structuresRead MoreThe Nuclear Family1625 Words   |  7 PagesToday the idea of the nuclear family being normal has changed. It is now common to see the mixture of two families connected by a second or subsequent marriage, with one or both partne rs having children from prior relationships, thereby creating half siblings. Prior to the advent of no-fault divorce, most commonly the idea of blended families included a stepmother or stepfather and mother or father, and stepchildren, born to one of the parents in a previous marriage. The previous marriage had beenRead MoreIs the Nuclear Family Universal?803 Words   |  4 PagesIs the nuclear family universal? This essay will explore whether the nuclear family is in fact a universal sociological institution. The term universal means applicable to all cases, so, for this to be correct the nuclear family must be found in all families in every society. Nuclear family consist a husband and wife and one or more children, own or adopted, it is defined by Murdock and according to him, he believed that the nuclear family is a universal social grouping. FunctionalistRead MoreMarried with Children: The Evolution of the Nuclear Family1396 Words   |  6 Pages Constance Ahrons, a doctor who coined the term â€Å"binuclear family† once said, â€Å"Pessimists say that the family is eroding. Optimists say the family is diversifying. Both points of view are right. Families are more diverse and they are more in trouble-but not because of their diversity. The families of today-whatever their size or shape-are in crisis because our economy is failing, our national resources are shrinking, and our governmental policies to support them are inadequate.† This quote givesRead MoreThe Decline Of The Nuclear Family1084 Words   |  5 PagesDecline of the Nuclear Family† In 1970, 40% of couples were married with children. 2013 marked a new low as only 19% of household were married with children. A nuclear family is usually described as a heterosexual marriage with the average of 2.5 children, became synonymous with the American dream philosophy in the mid-1940s. The nuclear family standard is rapidly on the decline in the United States. These declining number have a range of causes. The causes of the decline of the nuclear family are cohabitationRead MoreIs The Nuclear Family Means?1617 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is considered the nuclear family? Everyone in society has their own definition of what the nuclear family means to them and raises an interesting question as to which definition is said to be true? Society has constructed their own set of beliefs and terms in their way of living that the nuclear family can literally mean, and be constructed by almost anything. Depending on people situations, their built up version of what a family means to t hem can consists of uncles, aunts, grandparents, andRead MoreThe Problem Of Nuclear Family1290 Words   |  6 Pagesduring the 1950s when the term â€Å"nuclear† was becoming more common in regards to the matter of families. The idea of that a nuclear family, a family consisting of a man, his wife, and their children under one roof, is the only type of family that should exist was often shoved into the faces of young Americans. The nuclear family had been around for centuries, only truly developing the title of â€Å"nuclear† in the early twentieth century. It’s the concept that any family that doesn’t fit the structure