Three Societal Trends That Impact Families - Essay Example

Three Societal Trends that Impact Families The society today has come to see many different changes in the ways through which families are structured. These changes have mainly been based on the development of new technologies, changes in ethnic composition, as well as economic uncertainty. This paper will focus on these aspects of life while at the same time addressing the manner through which some, especially economic uncertainty, is related to family and love. Furthermore, this paper will make a study of love with reference to two films, mainly Gone with the Wind and The War of the Roses. These films were selected because the first is based on the development of love, which started out as a result of economic uncertainty, over time, while the last is based on the coming to an end of love despite economic success. The development of new communication and reproductive technologies has come to have a significant impact on the way that families in the United States are structured. Communication technologies have come to affect the way that individuals in society are able to relate to one another because they no longer have to meet in person in order to interact. New communication technologies have enabled individuals to develop relationships, sometimes over long distances, which have ended up either in marriage or cohabitation and this has allowed for the creation of new family structures (Meezan and Rauch 102). Furthermore, these technologies have made it possible for individuals to spend more time looking for mates who best suit them rather than relying on traditional forms where people only dated for a limited period in their youth before getting married. Communication technologies have made individuals to have a more diversified choice of partners to choose from and constant interactions with other people has made it possible for them not to be in a hurry to settle down and start families. Once individuals decide that they would like to start families of their own and have children, new reproductive technologies are available to help them in the process. In the contemporary world, individuals no longer have to worry about not being able to have children because technologies, such as sperm banks among others, have been developed which can ensure that couples are able to achieve their desires. These technologies have made it possible for families to become stronger in the contemporary age because couples are not only able to communicate more easily, but they no longer have to worry about their ability to have children once they make the decision to have them. The ethnic composition of the United States has come to have an effect on the family structure within the country. The increase in immigrants to the country, most of them being non-white, as well as a decline in the birth rates among non-Hispanic whites have led to an increase in the number of ethnic minorities (Teachman 1234). This has created a situation where there have developed a significant number of interracial relationships and marriages which have in turn resulted in a new generation of interracial children. As a result of the highly diverse background that these new families have, there has come to be greater interethnic understanding in many parts of the country. Moreover, no longer are immigrants only settling in traditional immigrant destinations either on the east or west coasts but these individuals have come to increase their range to the rest of the country and this in such a way that immigrants or children of immigrants, especially non-whites, can be found in all states within the country. This situation has created a likelihood of interracial relationships and marriages in the country to see a significant increase that will allow for the creation of a society that is of a truly multiethnic background. Moreover, more immigrants of non-white background are coming into the country through being sponsored by their relatives already in the United States and this has been coupled with a number of these individuals choosing to marry from their home countries. The liberalization of American society through the increasing presence of diverse ethnic minorities has had an impact on families as seen in some families having members from different ethnic backgrounds. It should also be noted that a number of white American families of different sexual orientations, are choosing to adopt children from other ethnic backgrounds, essentially increasing the ethnic diversity of these families. Economic uncertainty is another factor that has become significant to the structure of contemporary American family. This factor has led to a situation where some families have ended up being forced to adopt some of the practices that sustained traditional families. Among these is the heavy reliance on the extended family in order to make ends meet as seen in situations where some individuals who have either suffered from job cuts or a reduction in income have chosen to move in with their parents in order to be able to make ends meet. Furthermore, while recent decades had seen a reduction of the influence and presence of grandparents in the lives of their grandchildren, the economic uncertainty that has come to plague many residents in the United States has made it essential for grandparents to also become caregivers (Harrington Meyer 65). Many grandparents, as a result of economic uncertainty, have been forced to continue working at the same time as their children because this has been found to be the only way to ensure financial security. Moreover, some grandparents have ended having to increasingly take on the role of caregivers for their grandchildren. This has created a situation where these individuals have become a basic part caring for their grandchildren as economic conditions have forced many of their children to move back home. With parents having to work more hours than was the case in the years prior to the economic crisis, it has become essential for grandparents to step into the role of care giving for their grandchildren because it has become extremely expensive to hire caregivers outside the family. In this way, the role of grandparents as well as the extended family has essentially been renewed as more individuals have come to rely on them to ensure that they are able to deal with the tough economic times. The traditional family structure, while having the advantages that have been discussed above, specifically during the period of economic hardship, can also be considered to be extremely disadvantageous for individuals in certain situations. Among these is in ensuring lasting happiness for individuals who are involved in a marriage. Such a situation can be seen in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind where Scarlett, an extremely independent woman, ends up getting married to a man she does not love, first out of desperation because she cannot have the man that she really loves, as a result of economic hardship, and thirdly because in the society that is being depicted, men were supposed to be the head of the household. It should be noted that Scarlett at first feels nothing for her husband while the latter loves her passionately. The bad or negative treatment that the latter received over the years from his wife ends up distancing him from her and in the end, after their daughter’s death, he chooses to leave her while she vows to win his love. This film shows that traditional family structures were so rigid that individuals tended to marry partners who were not ideal for them and this made them to become quite miserable as a result of their incompatibility. The same can be said of a film depicting the breaking down of a marriage as seen in the 1989 film The War of the Roses that depicts a marriage that is falling apart and the extreme hatred that the couple has towards each other. In conclusion, the discussion above has attempted to show how social trends have come to affect the structure of families. It has shown that communication technologies have come to affect the way that individuals in society are able to relate to one another because they no longer have to meet in person in order to interact. Furthermore, once individuals decide that they would like to start families of their own and have children; new reproductive technologies are available to help them in the process. In addition, the increase in immigrants to the country, most of them being non-white, as well as a decline in the birth rates among non-Hispanic whites have led to an increase in the number of ethnic minorities which has in turn led to multiethnic families. Finally, a discovery that has been made is that the rise of economic uncertainty in the United States, especially after the financial crisis has led to a situation where some families have ended up being forced to adopt some of the practices that sustained traditional families. Another one is that the traditional family structure, while being advantageous in certain aspects, specifically during the period of economic uncertainty, can also be considered to be extremely disadvantageous for individuals in certain situations, as depicted in the films Gone with the Wind and The War of the Roses. Works Cited Harrington Meyer, Madonna. Grandmothers at Work: Juggling Families and Jobs. New York: NYU Press, 2014. Meezan, William and Rauch, Jonathan. “Gay Marriage, Same-sex Parenting, and Americas Children.” The Future of Children, 15.2 (2005): 102. Teachman, Tedrow. “The Changing Demography of Americas Families.” Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62 (2000): 1234 Read More