Families have changed greatly over the past 60 years, and they continue to become more diverse.
Why is the family considered the most important agent of socialization?
What caused the dramatic changes to the American family? What are those changes?
Describe the differences in marriage and family life that are linked to class, race, gender, and personal choice.
Do you feel the trend towards diverse families is positive or negative?
If the trend changed towards traditional (pre-World War II) families, how would that affect women’s rights?
. It is with the aid of the older family members that he/she becomes familiar with social culture. It is through family that 'socially acceptable' ways of thinking and behaving are imparted to a child. Values such as sharing, honesty, impracticality, discipline, etc., are also cultivated in a person through his family. Therefore, it is vital how parents treat their children, and also how parents behave in front of them because it is through these interactions that a child will perceive and develop a sense of 'self'.
However, although belonging to the same society, every family is different. This difference ranges from ethnicity to religion to preferences (while some families might give more preference to education, others might emphasize more on discipline) and many more. So, the knowledge that children gain from their families, certainly cannot be uniform throughout. Nevertheless, there is no denying the fact that family is the fountainhead of the socialization process.
According to 2000 Census figures released at the end of May, the American family is changing in dramatic ways. Some things to consider:
The number of families headed by single mothers has increased 25 percent since 1990, to more than 7.5 million households.
For most of the past decade, about a third of all babies were born to unmarried women, compared with 3.8 percent in 1940.
The number of single fathers
References: EHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the expert in you.. Changes in the American Family | eHow. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/list_7415163_changes-american-family.html