Traditional Family

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that the decline of the traditional family structure and concomitant values has been the subject of many worried religious and social documents. The writer notes that these documents quote high divorce rates as the reason for all social problems from crime and suicide to the Aids pandemic. Further the writer notes that single-parent families are demonized by many for their propensity towards abuse and poverty. Gay marriages are seen by many as the ultimate disgrace; a parody of the healthy family structure. Others hold that the family structure has historically not been extremely stable and that to blame escalating crime and suicide rates solely on this decline, is somewhat unbalanced. The writer maintains that like many other social phenomena and paradigms, there are therefore more than one view of the issue, some of which are examined in this paper. The writer concludes with the opinion that the country is not facing a national crisis with regard to the family.

From the Paper:

"Po Bronson makes the same point in terms of family structure. He quotes a report by the United Nations in its finding that there is an increasing diversity of household types in modern society over the last few decades. Like Carlson, Bronson points out that the phenomenon of family complexity is hardly new. The difference is however the causes of the celibacy, single-parenthood and reconstituted families during Victorian times as opposed to the same phenomenon today. Po cites morality levels, economic constraints and ideological choices as some of these reasons for pre-Victorian family diversity, while the ideological attitude today has changed from the uniform ideal towards tolerance and acceptance. It is this tolerance and acceptance that are often used by religious and social groups to lament the decline of the family as a "national crisis"."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bradly, Robert H. & Crews, Donald A. (2001). "The Crisis of Family Decline in Massachusetts." Annual Report. URL: http://www.mafamily.org/MFI%20Annual%20Report%202001.pdf
• Bronson, Po. (2006). Is the family in decline? (Demographics). The Factbook. URL: http://www.pobronson.com/factbook/pages/231.html
• Carlson, Allan. (2006). "The Family Factors". Touchstone Archives. URL: http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=19-01-023-f
• Frey, William H. (2003, March 1). "Married with Children - decline in traditional-family households". American Demographics. Online database: findarticles.com. URL: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4021/is_2_25/ai_97818968
• Rougeau, Vincent D. (2003). "A crisis of caring: A Catholic critique of American Welfare Reform". URL: http://law.nd.edu/faculty/facultypages/rougeau_Symposium_article_RFA_finaledit_1.pdf.

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