The Changing Family in America
The Changing Family in America
Michelle Hartzog
OMM 612
Dr. Cashman
March 13, 2011
Introduction
There is an old saying, "The more things change, the more they stay the same" which may be accurate in some instances, but when it comes to the family, things are changing for real. People are living longer and can expect to enjoy the company of their grandchildren, and a number of years after their children leave home with their spouses in an adult relationship. The traditional roles and concepts about who and how we all should act in American society had only begun to solidify slightly after World War II when other societal factors created even more forces of change on the ...
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in the family structure is how quickly they have taken place, and continue to occur? This paper will review several readings and will provide an analysis of how the family unit is changing and what impact this may have in the future.
Review of the Literature
The comforting family images of "Father Knows Best," "Ozzie and Harriet," and "Leave it to Beaver," helped to characterize the popular image of the American family for many people. The father worked, the mother vacuumed in high heels and pearls and the kids were sometimes mischievous but basically good. According to Arlene and Jerome Skolnick, this image of a good American family was not only inaccurate; it helped to create a popular misconception about how families should be, instead of how they actually are. These unrealistic expectations have caused untold problems in families throughout the country as the members struggle to fit into the pattern and become frustrated when they do not measure up. For example, the ...
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Phillips, "The 1980s were . . . tough on people whose weakness was a matter of education, family status, sex, age or race, though the strong, the well-educated, the well-married and the well-off within these groups made gains above the national average . . .," by and large, however, "a disproportionate number of women, young people, blacks and Hispanics were among the decade's casualties" (New York Times, 9/27/91 and 9/4/92).
Effects on Family Structure.
Whatever its origins, many observers fear that the "traditional family" is a thing of the past in America. However, the authors emphasize that the "traditional family" never existed at all! The stereotypical Christmas where ...
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"The Changing Family in America." Essayworld.com. April 6, 2012. Accessed November 22, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Changing-Family-in-America/100613.
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