What constitutes a family differs from culture to culture and from one era
to another. Both the structure and function of intimate relationships, marriages,
and families have changed in the twentieth century. The family once functioned
in an instrumental, or institutional, role; now it has an expressive role, filling
the need for love and companionship. The ideal family structure has also changed--from
patriarchy to democracy. This shift toward greater equality between men and
women in the family has been caused by several social factors: the rise of the
feminist movement, increased educational and employment needs and opportunities
for women, greater equality in sexual expression, and new perspectives about
children. The changes in family philosophy during the twentieth century have
been accompanied by a drop in the marriage rate; an increase in age at first
marriage; declines in the birthrate and in family size; substantial increases
in the number of working mothers and one-parent families; an increase in the
number of grandparents serving as parents; and increases in the rates of divorce,
remarriage, and reconstituted, or blended, families. More teenagers are having
sexual intercourse sooner, and more teenage and unmarried women are becoming
pregnant. Unmarried teen pregnancies frequently result in negative consequences.
An example of an increasing family form is gay male or lesbian families. Many
of these have stable relationships, including ones with children. Seven main
theories that help explain families are structural-functional theory, family
developmental theory, symbolic interaction theory, systems theory, conflict
theory, and feminist theory. |