Crisis of the Family

Topic

Crisis of The Family

Instructions

– Is there currently a ‘crisis of the family’? Why? How does the difference between perception of families and objective reality of families impact our understanding of this.
– Is it accurate to say that, since there are more divorces today, the institution of the family is either ‘broken’ or disappear? Why?
– Are step-families new? Why?
– To what extent are families today in crisis due to mothers being in paid employment?
– Has the movement from traditional gender roles created a crisis for American families? Why?
– How can we refer to the families of the 1950s as an aberration?
– What is the father / breadwinner; mother / homemaker family form?
– How did the GI Bill (after WW II) impact families in the US?
– How have US families been impacted by companies sending manufacturing jobs overseas?
– Is a dual-earner family automatically prevent families from problems if one parent loses his / her job?
– What is the second shift?
– What are the vast majority of bankruptcies due to?
– As compared to other industrialized nations, how does the US rank regarding child poverty?
– How do the infant mortality rates in the US compare to other industrialized nations? Why?
– What is the human capital perspective of societies caring for all children?
– How are the concerns about Prohibition similar to current concerns about same-sex marriages?ii

Answer preview

As discussed in class, is there currently a ‘crisis of the family’? This has been a concern throughout history and in most cultures; frequently it is said that ‘the family’ is about to collapse. Why? There are many concerns that wives, children no longer as they ‘should’ be, examples – morality, obedience.

–How does the difference between perception of families and objective reality of families impact our understanding of this? There is a large discrepancy between the perceptions of families and the objective reality of families. Many of proposed family ‘problems’ are based on dubious assumptions. The reality: the family has been and will continue to change; change does not mean the family will go away

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