Marriage, Cohabitation, and Parenthood

As the society changes, the individuals change as well. The change in the values of family led to different needs of individuals. In a world where change is constantly present, we need to be aware of the changes in ideals and values within the society.

As more women are going into the workforce, they manage their domestic sphere in a different way than those of the traditional women. They may have a career outside the house while partaking in all the domestic labor as well or they may choose to focus entirely on their work and find those who are capable of care and love to take over the private sphere. Does this mean that we should consider these “new-age” women as abnormal and unfeminine? No, they have different ideas of what a family should be and how they should invest in their partners and/or children. As Hochschild says, “a cycle is set in motion—as the family becomes more minimal, it turns to the market to add what it needs and, by doing so, becomes yet more minimal” (Hochschild, 37).

In addition, not all families today are based on marriage. Unions could be formed through cohabitation, divorce, or separation. The partners involved could either be heterosexual or homosexual. They could choose to have children or decide not to. Or those who want children but not a spouse/partner can choose to form a single-parent household. As we all know, there are different forms of households and families that stray away from the “normative, traditional” families. While there may exist some reluctance in recognizing all the different families and their different needs, we should not be so quick to condemn them. Society is made up of different, unique individuals who have their own definitions and values of what care, family, and love is. We should not hold on to past norms, just because they are “traditional”, but we should include and acknowledge all of these diverse values and ideas each modern individual have.

Q1) Do you believe that there will be stigmatizations on those who do not have the resources to meet their needs in the market while failing to do so within the family? Why?

Q2) In Patterson’s article, she looks at the unions of lesbian-gay families. With regards to Talcott Parsons, will children of same-sex families grow up to be “dysfunctional” adults, just because they may lack a role model in their families?

Q3) What are your opinions on the crime statistics which claim that children of single-parents or “broken families” have a greater chance of becoming juvenile delinquents?