A family is a group of people who are related by consanguinity, marriage or co-residence. In the US, family has traditional family units to process of evolution from the new forms of family that exist today. Since the 1950s, the American family has experienced drastic changes in its constitution and roles of family members. It evolved from exclusively nuclear family to various modern forms which have been instigated by such changes as globalization and industrialization.
American Family Before the 1900s Up to the 1950s
The American family before the 1900s was formed as a result of marriage between a man and a woman who have children in this marriage. This period was an era before industrialization. Family was confined to traditional activities, such as farming, where man was the leader while wife and children were subordinate to man. During this period, divorce was not accepted in society and more than 65 percent of children were brought up in farm homes by both parents (Iceland, 2014). Up to the family1950s, minor changes in terms of its constitution and drastic changes in terms of roles and responsibility of every family member. Wife in the family was accorded more social responsibility with the beginning of the feminist movement in the 1950s (Iceland, 2014).Women started performing other than traditional family roles,
American Family After the 1950s
After the 1950s, there was a rise in cases of divorce in the United States and this situation brought about a new type of family. Divorce rates rose from 9% in 1910 to 26% in 1950 and to about 53% in 1981 (Iceland, 2014). Correspondingly, the number of single-parent families increased. In 1960, about 9 percent of children in the US lived in families having only one parent, more commonly the woman (Iceland, 2014). It also previously led to the emergence of a stepfamily in the result of divorced couples opting to get married to new people.
In the 1970s, the emergence of the discussion on civil marriage rights coincided with the increase in the number of same-sex sexual relationships. The new trend in sexual relationships was also reflected in the family structure when the need to make those unions legal arose. In 2004, the state of Massachusetts was the first to pass legislation allowing marriage between people of the same sex (Iceland, 2014). These families got adoption rights and ability to bring up children. As of the year 2013, at least one million American children lived in households where both parents were of the same sex (Haupt & Kane, 2004).
The American Family Today
In the US today, there exist several types of family unit both in terms of constitution and roles and responsibilities of family members. About 26 per cent of American children live in homes with single parents (Iceland, 2014). 82 per cent of these households are led by single mothers and 17 per cent by single fathers. Same-sex marriages are also represented as 10 percent of all American marriages are LGBT marriages while straight marriage is represented by the majority of at least 90 percent (Iceland, 2014). Over 50 per cent of American families are composed of people remarried after divorce while children live with one or both stepparents. Concerning the roles and responsibilities of family members, all of them contribute to domestic activities and financial welfare of the family including teenagers who take up part-time jobs in the community.
Demographic Changes in American Marriages
The average age when an individual gets married in the US has also some changes over the centuries. In 1890, the average age of marriage for men was 26 and 21 for women (Haupt & Kane, 2004). There was little change in males' age of first marriage but women's average age of marriage increased to 23 in the 1980s and to 25 in 2000 (Haupt & Kane, 2004). In 2015, the median age of males getting married was 29 and 27 for females (Haupt & Kane, 2004). The increase of average age of marriage is a result of youths spending periods in schools and more time to attain financial stability to be comfortable enough to get married.
How Industrialization and Globalization Led to the Evolution of the Family
The evolution of the family has been caused by the change of American culture as far as daily life and activities are concerned. Industrialization brought the need to increase the scope of roles for women in the community to generate income (Iceland, 2014). Women became able to support themselves by fending for their basic needs and it allowed those in abusive relationships to get out of their marriages and support themselves and their children. Support of women's independence from the society of male domination allowed women to choose their own paths leading to an increase of the number of single mothers, cases of divorce and new marriages (Iceland, 2014). Globalization also encouraged diversity of cultures in the US community which led to the increase of same-sex relationships and interracial marriages.
Future of the American Family
Going into the future, the American family continues to evolve in terms of responsibility and constitution. Because of tough economic times, every family member plays a role in the achievement of the family's financial goals (Iceland, 2014). Both man and woman can provide for the family and it will lead to an increase in single-parent families. The number of same-sex families will continue to grow as most American states have legalized same-sex marriages.
In conclusion, the American family has several significant fathers, evolution from the nuclear mother and children forms of family that exist today, such as gay single-parent families. These changes are caused by the change in cultural practices and way of life in conditions of globalization and industrialization. Family continues to evolve with man and woman achieving new roles and position in the family.
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