A family is the smallest unit that makes up a society and comprises parents and their children living together. The ideal family consists of a mother, father, and children while the extended family lives separately but meets on special occasions. The formation of a family is guided by moral and ethical principles, which help formulate family virtues to be transmitted from one generation to another (Smock & Schwartz, 2020). It is prudent to note that family types have evolved and what was initially unacceptable in society is practiced in the contemporary world. This paper investigates the variation in the types of American families and notes the changes that have taken place.
Family virtues prohibited people from getting children outside wedlock, and anyone who got a child before marriage was considered irresponsible. Marriage was a dignified institution, and many people got married before cohabiting and bearing children. The trend has changed, and the number of people getting children outside wedlock is increasing. The number of partners living together without walking down the aisle is also increasing exponentially. Unlike in the 1970s, when only 500,000 people in the United States of America were cohabitating and living with others without marrying, the number has increased by 900% to about 7.8 billion people, according to a recent census (Sassler & Lichter, 2020). Cohabitating couples have no vows binding them and have a higher chance of divorcing, making many children live in single-parent homes.
Marriage has been highly revered in the past fifty years, and many people, after attaining the age of twenty, would get married. In 1972, 78% of American adults were married and living with their spouses (Pessin, 2018). In 2012, the percentage of adults living in similar situations dropped to 51%. The decline shows that the once-considered divine marriage institutions are dwindling, and people opt to cohabitate instead of moving into marriage. The number of divorces in the USA has also been on the rise, and many people leave to start their families without their partners (Raley & Sweeney, 2020). Single parenting was unethical and immoral 50 years ago, but presently, the number is increasing. The family as an institution is losing its worth since the perception that condemned single parenting is changing and single parents are embraced.
Gays and lesbians were stereotyped and discriminated against in society since it was unacceptable by societal moral standards. Those who practiced same-sex marriage were considered outcasts and lived as experts in the community. On 26th June 2015, a precedence was set when a case involving Obergefell and Hodges was decided in the American Supreme Court in favor of same-sex marriage. The ruling legalized same-sex marriage in the community and the number of gay and lesbian marriages has been increasing since then (Pessin, 2018). Consequently, many same-sex couples came out and requested to walk down the aisle. Since the pronouncement by the court, the number of same-sex marriages that were considered an abomination is now acceptable, and the families are formulated.
The perception of the family has changed over time, and some of the practices that were considered unethical are practiced in contemporary society. The change in the family setting is evident in structure and ideology. The structure of having a family comprised of two parents is gradually being eroded (Sassler & Lichter, 2020). At the same time, the doctrine of having a man and woman marry is also changing since the legalization of same-sex marriage. The family institution has drastically changed over the past fifty years and is no longer sacred.
References
Pessin, L. (2018). Changing gender norms and marriage dynamics in the United States. Journal of Marriage and Family, 80(1), 25-41.
Raley, R. K., & Sweeney, M. M. (2020). Divorce, repartnering, and stepfamilies: A decade in review. Journal of Marriage and Family, 82(1), 81-99.
Sassler, S., & Lichter, D. T. (2020). Cohabitation and marriage: Complexity and diversity in union‐formation patterns. Journal of Marriage and Family, 82(1), 35-61.
Smock, P. J., & Schwartz, C. R. (2020). The demography of families: A review of patterns and change. Journal of Marriage and Family, 82(1), 9-34.