The Demise of the Nuclear Family Unit - Essay Example

The Office of National Statistics in United Kingdom presented that in 2010 there is an increase of divorce rates by 5.7 percent or 11.1 divorcing people per thousand married population (Office of National Statistics, par. 1) against the 262,000 decline in the number of married or civil partner couples (Office of National Statistics, par. 8). It was also presented that there was 2.9 million of opposite sex cohabiting couples in 2011. These numbers directly correlates to nearly two million lone parents with dependent children in United Kingdom (Office of National Statistics, par. 5). This increase in divorce rates of 2012 was said to be linked with the economic recession of 2008-2009 (Office of National Statistics, par. 5) as the same trend happened in 1993 statistics following the economic downfall of 1990-1992.

A study by Vaitilingam explicates that unemployment and decline in the price value of family house in house market during recession directly hits the stability of couples resulting to separation of cohabiting couples or divorce of married ones (Vaitilingam 24). Through all these changes and separation, the children are the most affected. Studies reflected strong discrepancy among the socialization and social competence of children from lone-parent families and two-parent families. This findings lie on several factors as noted by the Hastings, et al. (6): First is the absence of a partner or co-parent in times of occurrence of stressful events and difficult situation including financial issues where lone parents may be caught vulnerable in such incidence therefore permitting sloppy parenting that a child may suffer; second is an average low income of lone parents compared to two-parent families resulting to inadequate financial resources needed to meet the material needs of a child; and lastly is having less social support from other adults which can act as support system for both the parent and the child especially in stressful events of life.

This implies that children from lone-parent family has a great disadvantage on physical, mental, and social development this prompting the need for promotion of marriage and two-parent family structures (Bramlett, par.24). In United States, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act or PRWORA was passed in 1996 as major federal reform legislation aimed to improve the welfare of the families. Its goals are to put an “end to dependence of needy parents upon government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage”; to “aid needy families so that children may be cared for in their homes or those of relatives”; to “prevent and reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies and establish goals for preventing and reducing their incidence”; and finally to “encourage formation and maintenance of two-parent families” (Schoeni 2).

This reform generally address to the issue previously discussed and focused to alleviate poverty and social dilemma brought by lone-parenting and divorce. Encouraging the formation and maintenance of two-parent families may be viewed as a challenging account yet its end consequence will positively affect the lives of the children which soon become the leaders in society and parents in the near future. Childhood is a crucial point in a person’s life where personality, morality, and beliefs are developed.

A positive personality therefore will result in parallel to one’s positive growing environment and the same thing happens otherwise. Children from two-parent famili