Gary S Becker's A treatise on the family - Essay Example

As such, the purpose of this brief analysis is to review and comment on some of the key themes and ideas that have been put forward by Becker and seek how they maintain a relevant and pertinent quality within the current economic system. Furthermore, the basic premise put forward by the author with relation to the fact that the family represents a microcosm of the larger national and international economies will be further analyzed. Regardless of one’s political persuasion, it is without doubt that the family is one of the primary social constructs upon which society is based.

Without families (either as an abstract concept or a more traditional one) society itself could not and would not perpetuate itself. As such, understanding the unique dynamics with relation to these most basic and integral building blocks of our world is one of primal importance. Within this vein, the author goes on to describe key elements of social and economic interactions, both within and without of the family. These include the discussions relating to single person households, sexual division of labor, need/demand for children, intergenerational mobility, and the general trends that have been developing over the past few years with relation to the evolution of the family.

A full analysis of each theme that Becker has brought to attention with regards to the economic effect on the family unit and the economy as a whole would require a much larger work than such a brief paper can offer. It is necessary to point out the unique way in which the author demonstrates the aforementioned points that help to nuance and develop the way individual economies and macro economies behave. What is interesting and laudable about Becker’s analysis is that he begins it with what many would consider to be the weakest link in his analysis: single person households.

In this way, rather than seeking to