Must Decline Precede Extinction?

The uncertainties elicited by this week’s articles all center around a common theme: the role of the researcher.  It is undoubtedly difficult to remain ideologically neutral when prescribing a remedy for family decline, however, as Popenoe provides merely a descriptive of family change; it is interesting that he is still unsuccessful in concealing his personal ideology.  Responses to Popenoe’s conclusions fall victim to similar pitfalls.  Coontz alone manages to utilize data on families in an objective, rather than subjective, manner, and to provide a glimpse into the reality behind “modern” changes.

Arguments presented by Coontz do not center on feminist-based agendas, whether to support or to attack, but rather describe similarities between historical variations of family life and recent Western phenomena.  Without doubt, our ability to track and categorize changes has improved, in part due to a wealth of available, high quality, qualitative and quantitative data, and if Coontz is correct, the quantity, rather than quality, of existing variations is significant.  Most importantly, the influence of broader social, political, and economic factors are finally considered. 

 What this leads me to is this:

1.       1.  Can the changes taking place be considered a breakdown of family values, or are they, as some authors suggest, representative of a strong commitment to unattainable family values? (ex: the desire to raise children in two parent households leading to delayed marriage)

2.       2.  What policies/strategies would best support the modern family?  Considering current phenomenon (large, simultaneous qualitative and quantitative changes), would these support systems successfully reverse any of the recent changes, or stimulate further change? (ex: maternal leave benefits supporting mothers who work outside the home)

3.       3.  Is love a necessary precursor to marriage?  Can a marriage be success without romantic beginnings?  Is Popenoe correct in concluding that marriage should exist outside of and despite of individual desires?  What are the qualities, if not love, that encourage marriage longevity?