Family Crisis in U.S. Society

Family Crisis in U.S. Society

Introduction

Crisis in families in America is a real thing, and contrary to the belief, it is not being publicized by the media. There is a widespread crisis that indicates that something is wrong within the family setting. The marital conflict increased divorce rates, physical, emotional, and substance abuse, the increased welfare costs and anti-social behavior among children are considered some of the significant indicators of a family crisis (Mackova et al. 2019). Families are social institutions that are deemed independent subsystems within the public society, and conflict often arises when the family is unable to maintain gender and social equality. Using the social conflict theory and key sociological concepts, this paper will provide evidence to support the statement that there is a family crisis in U.S society.

Social Conflict Theory

The social conflict theory states that every society is faced by inequalities that are based on the social differences among dominant groups and other groups within society. It examines the family as a power relations system that reflects and reinforces social inequalities. Theorists are interested in how families are affected by gender inequality, class, and race. This perspective considers families as units through which the advantages and disadvantages of class, gender, and race are acquired (Eitzen, Zinn and Smith, 2019). Therefore, families maintain social inequality as they are drivers of acquiring social status and property. Families are institutions that are prone to the same tensions and conflicts that characterize a society. They are not isolated from the problems society is facing as a whole as the crisis within the family is brought about by sexism, class inequality, racism, homophobia, violence, and other social conflicts in the family unit.

Family, Gender, And Love

Conflicts between social groups prevent habitual relations and accommodation hence a significant clash in interest and values (Coser, 2007). Families work towards the progression of social inequalities in society through reinforcing and maintaining the status quo. Education, inheritance, and social capital are transmitted through the structure of the family. Therefore, wealthy families maintain their privileged positions in society while low-income families are denied the privileged status.

The family is a social arrangement that often benefits men more than women by allowing men to maintain powerful positions. Traditional roles among makes are also valued more than those that are done by women, such as housekeeping. Families are also inequitable structures for women, with women earning 81.4percent of what men make (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019). However, as the society changes, the fight for equality to bridge the gender gap and the elimination of traditional norms in the society, the family unit is often struggling to adjust, and, in the process, a significant crisis breaks down this unit.

Changes in expectations within the family alter the emphasis of the family in society. Families today are often fulfilling an expressive role through meeting personal needs like companionship and emotional security rather than meeting the traditional role of the family as a unit meeting the society’s needs (DeGenova and Rice, 2002). Some individuals refer to a family as a unit that is linked by marriage, adoption, or blood, while others refer to it as a group of people that care and love for each other. This difference in understanding the unit has been a significant contributor to conflict as the different values in both perspectives fail to meet the different needs of both parties.

Marriage, Divorce, and Parenting

Marriages are based on an individual’s selection based on romantic love or sexual attraction. This has led to both men and women being able to reach their higher levels in regards to emotional and sexual compatibility in intimate relationships. In an argument presented by Coontz (2016), she argues that at the core of the variation within the family structure is the declining centrality of childbearing and marriage. These core relationships among families define less of an individual’s identity in the society with less influence on life decisions making marriages less exclusive, universal, and predictable in American society.

The American Psychological Association (2019) states that 40 to 50percent of the couples in America are divorced. Some of the traditional reasons as to why divorce rates are on the rise include class differences and the changing values, especially in women who aim at becoming self-fulfilled and autonomous. Due to the growing advocacy for gender equality, independence and the need to engage in satisfying and rewarding relationships, conflicts arise among couples, and this leads to a crisis within the family where children and property are at the center of the divorce. Parenting is often affected due to divorce as parents have different approaches on how to raise their children, especially since they are not under the same roof. In cases of shared custody, Nauert (2016) states that parenting practices that fueled conflict included lack of disciplining the children, lack of rules, and risking the children’s lives by putting them in harmful situations.

Same-Sex Relationships, Violence, Aging, and Politics

The changes in the family structure are defined concerning the emerging postmodern families. Weston (2010) states that family ties that are between individuals of the same sex are often erotic rather than for procreation, and hence they do not fit in the division of kinship into the relations of marriage and blood. In our society, same-sex relationships have been supported by the government, and even though children in these marriages are through donors, they go against the traditional institution of marriage. Children in these marriages are affected due to the stigma in society on the fact that same-sex parents are raising them.

There are differences in the taste of mates among men and women (Buss and Recorded Books, 2016). One such example is our society is the fact that older men are attracted to younger and beautiful women while the women seek wealthier and older men. This has led to the separation of families as couples will be motivated by different aspects other than what brought them into their marriages. The fact that society openly talks and practices these relationships tend to influence the separation in the family unit.

Conclusion

Americans are currently experiencing a family crisis in society. However, this does not mean that the crisis cannot be solved. One is that individuals need to understand themselves and how capable they are of being in the family institution. This will help them make better decisions on whether they should or should not start a family. Another solution is related to the law in terms of protecting victims of violence through protecting these victims by punishing those that abuse them within the family setting. It is also important to educate ourselves on the changes in our society and how we can learn to accommodate these changes. For instance, with same-sex relationships, society should be able to accept these families rather than stigmatize them since these kinds of marriages are permanently a part of our society. Finally, individuals need to assess their values by addressing any issue they could have with personalities, emotional issues such as anger and respect for the family institution.