Recent statistics tell us that divorce rates are rising, the number of cohabitants is rising, and homosexuality is also becoming more acceptable and therefore more common. The divorce patterns in the United Kingdom may support the idea that the family is in decline, however the number of re-marriages has also risen in the UK, and the number of reconstituted families has increased so maybe as social beings family is a necessity. Homosexuality for example could be generalized and seen as just a couple of person’s together for sexual reasons, however if two people are in love and live together as cohabitants could this be seen as a family? After all one definition of the family is; “a group of kindred or closely related individuals”. Our view on “Family” could be very naïve a dictionary definition of a Family is: “The group comprising a husband and wife and their dependent children, constituting a fundamental unit in the organization of society.” This seems to describe a nuclear family so maybe family is in decline, however a different view of family would maybe suggest this is a stereotypical view of a family and therefore the nuclear family.
Religion would definitely disagree with the view that the family is in decline. Religious beliefs in many various religions reinforce “family values”. To look out for, care for, support and sharing with family members makes a place in many holy books. Blood relatives could describe one another as family, but according to generalizations could not cal themselves a family. In societies based upon the same religious beliefs family values and family roles and the functions they perform would be an important concept, H.Spencer once said; “the welfare of the family underlies the welfare of society”, if this view was to be accepted, then if family is in decline, society is in decline. Family clearly does have an important place in small societies, such as aboriginal societies; families are mixed into tribal groups which work together as hunters and gatherers to feed the young and look after each-other. It is evident that in bigger societies, like developed country cities, there are many variations of families, and therefore it could be seen that the definition of the term “Family” is out of date and unjust to modern society.
The family is a key agent of socialization; Parsons stated that the family performs two core functions; the primary socialization of children, and the stabilization of adult personalities. The Family as an agent of socialization has therefore been reduced to the two core functions, this is because the state provides families with more support for rearing their children, for example the state now provides child support, education, social security of other kinds, and the list goes on. Does this mean that the family is not important any more? The answer is no, this is because the family has become specialized in the functions that it performs, parents may have income support if they require it, but you cannot buy the love, nurturing and stability that parents provide. Instead of parents providing the education themselves which would have been common in the past, they will encourage their children in succeeding. In many Middle-Class families the parents teach their young the value of education in succeeding in life and following in the parents footsteps.
Fletcher argues that the family are increasingly under pressure as the expected standards of fulfillment of the essential functions of the family have improved therefore the demands have increased. Fletcher stated that the essential functions of the family are the procreation of children and child rearing, the regulation of sexual behaviour and the provision of the home. These essential functions are what keeps the family temporarily happy and can make the family unaware of the other functions it should perform, as functions are now provided by the state. Although the state provides a lot of the necessary functions, as Fletcher argues, the family are under pressure, and because families have still got an important task in the socialization of their children or as Fletcher puts it, “Rearing” the family will still remain an important agent in socialization and therefore not in decline.
Family life has vastly changed to how it used to be, the old fashion way we view family may have changed too. I believe the family is not in decline but has changed and will continue to change. People have new experiences in life which may alter the way they live their life and therefore may persuade them to try and have a family or put them off the idea. Although there is an ideology of the family being portrayed as the nuclear layout, I think if people love each other, care for each other in a sexual or non-sexual way they have the right to call each other family and treat one another as family, but the old saying still remains; “you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family”, unless your married of course. Blood relatives will always remain as family; our ideologies of family will eventually change, just like our ideas on many other controversial topics we will realize that the idea of a perfect family will be how we want it not how it should be portrayed by society. Is the family in decline, I believe its just changing for the better or the worse is for you to decide.
