College Sociology The American Family - 1480 Words

Leigha Terry 5-7-15 College Sociology The American Family Today, family still remains alive and well. Although many forces have attempted to change the American family, it has managed to prevail and preserve the basic values and principles it was first found upon. What Americans need to realize is that what works for a family in one economic and cultural setting doesn’t work for a family in another. This study is relevant because most people don’t understand that families are just doing what they have to do to survive the new ways of society. Some of the problems families have had to face are violence and divorce. The structure of family has also undergone some changes. Two-career families, single-parent families, and blended families†¦show more content†¦Women were essential partners to their husbands and were often in charge of duties like making clothes, tending a garden, raising livestock, and selling simple goods. Because of industrialization women lost their role as the husbands economic partner and production was taken out of the home. Men, women and children started to earn money working in factories to contribute to the family wealth. After the industrialization women acquired a subordinate status as homemakers. But as time has gone by things have changed and there has been a significant rise of equality between husband and wife. The changes and problems families in the U.S. have been through go way back in history. Today, people in the United States have higher expectations of marriage, family and paren ting. Even today there are many prevalent changes occurring in the structure of the American family. As time goes on the traditional building blocks of nuclear families are becoming less common in our society. Today, it’s common for both husband and wife to have incomes, while in the past it was almost frowned upon for women to work. This up rise of two-career families has had many positive results. The employment of married women has increased income family significantly, and brought overall marital happiness in most cases. With the increase in income families are able to live without the added stress of financial issues. Work also allows women to get