Page 410 - Sociology and You

nuclear family will be a reality for only a minority of Americans. Do you agree or disagree? Explain.
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Unit 4 Social Institutions
Looking Forward
In early 2000, Darva Conger and Rick Rockwell were big news. This couple, who had never met before, married as part of a televi- sion contest called “Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire?” Most Americans shook their heads, wondering if this event marked the final stages of deterioration of the family. While this was truly a bizarre media event, thankfully, it is not representative of the state of the American family.
What is the future of the American family? If the frequency of marriage and remarriage is any indication, the nuclear family is not disappearing. Over 90 percent of men and women in the United States marry sometime during their lives. Although many Americans have been experimenting with alternative living arrangements, the nuclear family still remains the most popular choice (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000). Contrary to a long-standing fear, many Americans are not avoiding marriage permanently. They are simply postponing it or sampling it more often.
The American family is changing, however. So-called traditional households—those with a husband–wage earner, wife–homemaker, and two children—today account for less than one-fourth of all
American households, compared with over 60 percent in 1950. This propor- tion is not expected to grow. Continued increases are expected for other fam- ily lifestyles, such as the dual-employed family and the single-parent family. The question, then, is not whether the family will survive. The question is what forms will the family take.
Whatever else happens, the trend toward more working parents is likely to continue. This trend promises increased strain for parents, children, and society. We have already discussed problems for parents associated with bal- ancing work and home responsibilities. A reduction in close and continuous parental care for children during their early developmental years is another important consequence. Also, as more parents work, parental supervision of children and teenagers declines (Starting Points, 1994; Popenoe, 1999; Popenoe, Elshtain, and Blankenhorn, 1996).
Section 4 Assessment
1. How does a blended family differ from a nuclear family?
2. Which group is increasing more rapidly: the number of white single- parent families or the number of African American and Latino single-
parent families? What reasons are offered for this?
3. Is your family a dual-employed family? How do the cultural values of
your parents affect their economic behavior?
4. Is it true that Americans today are married for a smaller proportion of
their lives than were Americans of previous generations?
Critical Thinking
5. Making Predictions Some people believe that in the future the
Belief that the family will continue is found even in the most futuristic views.