The Nuclear Family in Australia - Essay Example

hе Nuсlеаr Family in Аustrаliа Name: Institution: Contents Introduction 2 Family Structure 4 Family Roles 6 Diversity in Australian Families 6 Declining Traditional Nuclear Family 8 References 10 Тhе Nuсlеаr Family in Аustrаliа Introduction A nuclear family is defined as a household that is made up of a father, mother and children. In this set up the children are dependent on their parents. Of essence is that the couple lives together in a united matrimony and are in one way or another responsible for their children upbringing. However, recent research by Australian Institute of Family Studies showed that the traditional nuclear family is changing in Australia. They report that a third of the kids in Australia reside in a step, amalgamated or lone parent family. This rapid breakdown in relationships has made life for children tougher[Bak01]. However, the traditional nuclear family is still a superior normative model for the Western world, and individuals who deviate from it may be rendered unusual or not even households at all. In many jurisdictions, participation of extended family affiliates in childbearing remains to be considerably ignored in many supervision and non-government arrangements[Bat95]. At times there is no outright dismissal of different patterns of family. There are numerous attempts to adjust them with the intention of bringing them into orientation with this normative model. Many scholars and policy architects, for example, agree that parents should be presented with inducements to marry and stay married to safeguard the children such that they are brought up by 2 parent households[Bat01]. Postmodern civilization subjects individuals to numerous household patterns as travelling, relocation, and altering values and behaviors defy family limits. Children in the modern society are purely a mix of children with two parents, those from single parent family, those from extended families, those living with step parents, those dwelling with gay or lesbian parentages, those adopted and fostered. Though many conservative scholars blame diversity in household patterns as the major cause of social vices like crime, substance abuse, rising violence, and being bad of kids, the proof is mixed. Positive endings for kids are not always the result of a father in the family. Less positive mental health outcomes for children normally results from family disharmony and poor nurturing[Ber97]. All household are exposed to social effects outside the family set up, and these effects cut across different periods. Nevertheless, the structure each family takes, the part a family member plays in the household, and the process of socialization through which kids are trained to be responsible grown-ups, are all worked out by cultures in which all individuals are born. Culture simply refers to philosophies and manners which are passed down progressively through the new generations in such a way that people brought up in a certain culture certain ways of discerning and acting as true and appropriate way. Universally culture is viewed as specific to a particular ethnic group[Car02]. Family Structure One of the greatest differences between cultures is family structure. Different cultures have organized themselves into diverse household structures which range from sole parent families to nuclear families. Others take polygamous nature where more than one wife is married. Some even include extended families where parents and their married children, as well as their relatives live in one homestead[Cun001]. Scholars have proposed ways of categorizing these varied structures. In this study individuality was considered important and the traditional nuclear family as the norm. Nuclear households encourage individuals in such households to pursue self-fulfillment via unconventionality, not just from the society, but also from their particular household members. Young kids are taught to be independent, while teens leave their family homes and construct their own residing arrangements. Ageing parents are moved to retirement homes or refuges separate from their children. Children are urged to develop a grown up life independent of their parents and household, and this makes it hard for ageing parents to lose connection with their grown up offspring and grandchildren. This describes the ideal norm among middle class in Australia[Gid92]. Cultural standards shape the characteristics and capabilities of children, define the learning prospects and thus model the skills kids develop. Australian children are normally urged to play outside and participate in vigorous games where skills such as running, skipping, tossing, and jolting balls are acquired in different ways. As such culture shapes parental acuities of what epitomizes desired behavior in kids. Small communities with homogenous units bear shared perceptions of desirable aftermaths for kids. It is only a few societies that remain isolated from outside influences. For example, when a family relocates to a new region, parents are likely to experience a smash of values. Activities considered obnoxious among some philosophies are really appreciated among other cultures. A good example is branding of children. This practice meets strong opposition in the Western world. Elsewhere some societies would mark movement from childhood to parenthood with ceremonial scarification. Parents inhibiting their kids from taking part in such rituals are branded rude and negligent[Lea04]. However, the strong Westernization of Australia has given rise to many extended families that have been so involved in the lives of their fellow family members. Some scholars agree that extended families are involved in caring for children for a parent, parent caring for grown up children, or caring for a spouse. Other activities that members of the extended family may assist with are: clothing, flexibility, managing finances, and incontinence. It is important to note however that very few live with those they are offering help to. It is common in the Western world for a married child and their parents to form shared households especially when these parents become too disabled[McD]. The significance of kids is also changing in the family unit in Australia. Predictions show that there will be an increasing number of sole parent families in the next 20 years as a choice and unsolicited conditions. Many individuals will never opt to marry, and nearly 50% of those who settle down in marriage will divorce. However, at the moment, for many cultural units in Australia, such tendencies are abhorrent. According to such cultures, children remain to be viewed as fulfillment of grown up life. Numerous Chinese in Australia live with the expectation that their children will take good care of them in old age, and to arrange for furtherance of the family in the subsequent generations[Sar96]. Family Roles Family roles and expectations vary from community to community, across cultures and though different periods. Conventionally, the Western culture enacted gendered prospects on the roles played in the family where mother and daughter were assigned caring and domestic chores. On the contrary, men are frequently assigned the civic role of the breadwinner/financial support. In a country like Australia, women now make up to 50% of the working population though studies show that womenfolk are still liable for domestic chores particularly caring for the children. The quality time men spend with their kids has also rose in the recent decade though they tended to spend more time in play activities rather than child caring ones[Ber97]. As such the roles played by parents are quickly changing. In some single parent households or where the mother has a secure job while the father is unemployed, the women have become the breadwinners. This kind of set ups are likely to be experienced more among the Australian citizens who are fast changing due to modernity. Diversity in Australian Families There is diversity as to what is a norm in Australia. There are ethnic and cultural diversities as well that have arisen from indigenous Australians and post war voyaging families. As a result one is likely to encounter household forms dissimilar from their own. The first diversity that is brought about is organizational diversity. This results from dissimilar configurations of jobs outside and within the home. It also emerges from the changing trends in marriage. Included in this category are reinstituted households as a result of separation and marrying again, and dual-career households, which have contributed to better democratization of local labor[Bat95]. The second form of diversity is cultural diversity which explains a larger percentage family assortment in Australia. Australia is a country that is inhabited by several cultures. These include the indigenous and migrant families from different regions such as Europe and Asia which come along with diverse facets of family and household structure. The next diversity comes in form of social class. This is demonstrated in material possessions of households, the affiliations between the married people and between parentages and their kids, the socialization and schooling of kids. Another diversity that is common is life cycle diversity. This stratification applies to couples who originate from dissimilar historical times. Some of the effects of the great depression and war have shaped some families in Australia. For instance, baby boomers normally up bring their kids contrarily due to superior commercial propensity and communal mores of the era 1960 to late 1970[Sar96]. The last kind of diversity is known as family life course diversity. This is defined as the transformation which takes place when a household has a kid, when the kids become teenagers, and lastly when they vacate home. At every stage, households have diverse priorities, and may consolidate themselves in forms of labor and local labor, rather than at additional periods. Declining Traditional Nuclear Family Household and family configurations have changed significantly over time as a result of alterations in fertility outlines, longevity, and social outlooks. With declining fecundity among couples, many households have ended up without children. On the other hand, increasing longevity has increased the percentage of duo only and lone individual families. Another key factor that has been the root cause of the declining traditional nuclear family types is increasing rates of relationship breakdown and remarriage which have encouraged development of more lone parent families and step and amalgamated families. Altering social values and economic circumstances have also affected fertility to a greater extent. Voluntary childlessness is permitted and living together minus being married is a tolerable option. These broader changes in the social set up and values have given the Australian families different shapes and household forms. Historians approximate that these changes have taken place within a relatively short period of around 25 years giving prevalence of particular household forms in Australia[McD]. On the contrary, though couple households are still the most prevalent family form, single parent households have been on the rise in the contemporary decades in Australia. In the period 1986 to 2001 there was an increase of 53% among single parent families. This was actually an increase from 499,300 to 762,000. The rise in single parent households and couples without kids means that the traditional nuclear families are making up a smaller percentage of all households. According to the recent statistics, 59.5% of all families were those with children in 1976 but this decreased tremendously by 2001 where families with children were only 47% of the total families. Most scholars blame the rising single parenthood on growing rate of relationship collapse and the declining trend of separated people to marry again. Single parent family is not a long term agreement for all lone parent households as some parents opt for remarrying. Another trend that is prevalent is the decreasing size of the family. Generally, Australian families are growing smaller and smaller in size[Sar96]. Experts predict that lone parent families are expected to rise from 24% to 31%, contributing the highest demographic of families in the country. This shift is expected to be shaped by ageing population, pressures in finance, increasing rates of divorce, and fewer marriages. These factors are shaping the family structure. The customary notion of the household has also been redefined in present times to comprise step households, couples who don’t live together, childless families, lone parents, gay parentages, international adoption, extended families and surrogate motherhood[Cun001]. In conclusion, household and family configurations have changed significantly over time as a result of alterations in fertility outlines, longevity, and social outlooks. Some experts predict that lone parent families are expected to rise from 24% to 31%, contributing the highest demographic of families in the country. This shift is expected to be shaped by ageing population, pressures in finance, increasing rates of divorce, and fewer marriages. Most children grow up in one of these groups of families: step households, couples who don’t live together, childless families, lone parents, gay parentages, international adoption, extended families and surrogate motherhood. References Bak01: , (Baker, 2001), Bat95: , (Batrouney, 1995), Bat01: , (Batrouney & Soriano, Parenting in the Torres Strait Islands, 2001), Ber97: , (Bernardes, 1997), Car02: , (Caruana, 2002), Cun001: , (Cunneen & Libesman, 2000), Gid92: , (Giddens, 1992), Lea04: , (Leach, 2004), McD: , (McDonald, 2007), Sar96: , (Sarantakos, 1996), Bat95: , (Batrouney, Lebanese-Australian families, 1995), Read More