So the concept of family life cycle these today really has no relevance.
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What have been the factors, which have contributed to the changes in
family life?
There are many factors that have contributed to the changes in family life.
Here are some of the main factors that have contributed:
*Women in the workforce
*Changes in the divorce law
*Childless families (couples not having kids)
*More people starting families late
*Media
*Changing social attitudes
*People unable to have kids
*More gays and lesbians nowadays
*Equality in the work force
- Identify the reasons cited by Perraton et al and explain how each factor has contributed to changes in the Australian family.
Divorce:
The divorce rate has increased since the mid-1970’s. The Australian Family
Law Act 1975 permitted either the husband or wife to end the marriage,
without allocation of blame. An increase in the rate of divorce has resulted in
an increase in the incidence of single-parent families in Australia. The reasons
for people divorcing are many and varied, sometimes often ‘falling out of love’
maybe the prime reason, or ‘falling in love’ with another person. The legal
ground for divorce is now the severe breakdown of a marriage as evidenced by
12 months’ separation, or living apart. Divorce results in more single-parent
families.
Women in the workforce:
One of the most significant changes in family life this century has been the large -scale entry of women, especially married women, into the workforce. This ended an era of the traditional gender division of labour in families. Today it is common practice for women to work at least until the birth of their first child, many returning soon after the infant is born.
Childless families:
In the earlier days people would get married and it would be normal for them to have children right after they got married, so they could start what they call a family life cycle now things have changed in a great deal. One of the reasons why people don’t have children is because they are more into their careers and work then having a family life this is also due to women entering the workforce. There was a stage in life when women didn’t work, which would make it easier for couples to have kids because the mum would stay home and look after the kids while the father would be at work earning money to help his family live. Now that nearly all women work it is harder to have children because of this the social attitude has changed in a big way and it would be harder to look after their children compared to what it was in the earlier days. It is also due to financial problems because of these reasons there wouldn’t be a beginning stage for couples.