Family BY EUGENIA SHARON The History of Family

Family BY: EUGENIA SHARON

The History of Family is defined as the descendants of a common ancestor, it is also defined as parents and their children living under a household. Different types of family: Single Parent Same Sex Parents Traditional Parents Family has been around for many generations. The different types of family can contribute into the growing of their children. The task of a family is to “Support; love and caring for other family members; providing security and a sense of belonging; open communication; making each person within the family feel important, valued, respected and esteemed. ”(Healthy Children)

Functionalist Perspective Family functions in order to: Raise children Provide support Reproduce Provide Sexual identity Show affection

Conflict Perspective Focuses on: Inequality Patriarchy Male dominated which is why we don’t have many single male parent. Poor education Social and Economic Inequality Single parent families only have one income and that results in poor education for the children. Financial support

Changes in Family There are definitely changes in family. Before there was just a simple traditional family with a father, mother, and their children. Today we have evolved and created various types of family. Also, the number of children in a family is slightly decreasing due to higher education of the parents. One thing that doesn’t change in a family is that trouble and the amount of work it takes for one to maintain and keep a family.

Single Parent Family Single Parent consist dominantly of single women parent. The number of single women parent is greatly larger than single men parent. There about 12 million single family parent and about 80% of those are single women parent. (US Census) 1 in 4 children are living without a father and nearly half of them live below the poverty line. (Single Mother Guide) Children in this family is under privileged whether it’s education or wealth. This population of single parent families are continuously booming due to the lack of education of teens leading to teen pregnancy as well as divorce rates.

Same Sex Parents “Between 1 -9 million children have at least one parent who is gay or lesbian. ” (AAMFT) “There are 594, 000 same sex partners with approximately 27% of children living in those household” (AAMFT) Research shows that children in these families tend to also do as well as those in heterosexual families. However, the study shows correlation between emotional comfort and same sex households. They didn’t differ in terms of emotional, sexual orientation, gender roles, gender identity as well as their GPA. Children feel more connected and able to express themselves more because same sex parents are more tolerant and understanding. Children also feels a slight discomfort explaining their parents marital status because they fear they might be discriminated against.

Traditional Family The “till death do us part” doesn’t really hold up anymore. The traditional family is constantly changing due to divorce. Some parents also choose to remarry. “Less than half (46%) of U. S. kids younger than 18 years of age are living in a home with two married heterosexual parents in their first marriage. ” (Pew) “ 15% of children are living with two parents who are in a remarriage. ”(Pew) After remarriage, some children feel abandoned and neglected. Feel a sense of jealousy towards their step siblings.

How to Improve? Having an act or a law that ensures that no children will be denied education. Having some sort of a safe house for those who are financially unstable. Equal pay for women and men so that they can help their family financially. Giving out more scholarships as well to help with education of children. Provide education to students to not discriminate against others based on their family households. Children should talk to their parents to ensure the bond and not feel abandoned.

Works Cited Linville, Deanna, and Maya O'neill. "Same Sex Parents and Their Children - AAMFT Therapy Topics. " Same-sex Parents and Their Children. AAMFT, n. d. Web. 01 Oct. 2015. <http: //www. aamft. org/imis 15/aamft/Content/Consumer_Updates/Samesex_Parents_and_Their_Children. aspx>. Sarr, Ramour. "The Heartbreaking Truth About My Mixed Race Family. " Alternet. N. p. , 18 Dec. 2014. Web. 01 Oct. 2015. <http: //www. alternet. org/civil-liberties/heartbreaking-truth-about-my-mixed -race-family>. "Less than Half of U. S. Kids Today Live in a 'traditional' Family. " Pew Research Center RSS. N. p. , 22 Dec. 2014. Web. 06 Oct. 2015. <http: //www. pewresearch. org/fact-tank/2014/12/22/less-than-half -of-u-s-kids-today-live-in-a-traditional-family/>. "Normal Functioning Family. " Healthy. Children. org. N. p. , n. d. Web. 01 Oct. 2015. <https: //www. healthychildren. org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/Pages/Normal-Family. Functioning. aspx>. "Pay Equity for Women. " Family Forward Oregon. N. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Oct. 2015. <http: //www. familyforwardoregon. org/equal-pay-for-equal-work/>. "Single Mother Statistics - Single Mother Guide. " Single Mother Guide. N. p. , 23 Mar. 2012. Web. 08 Oct. 2015. <https: //singlemotherguide. com/single-mother-statistics/>.