Family: The Full Meaning Analysis

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Family: the full meaning
The family is a social institution that fulfills human needs, a family is defined as the central place of socialization. The term family is not easy to define because many aspects of family social lives are constantly changing. Since the 1950, the term family has significantly changed, families are seen to be in a state of decline because of these changes. A family is defined more of a private institution in the modern society where divorce, single parent households and masculinity effects has eroded the true meaning of a family, which was previously viewed as a unit comprising of parents, children and extended relatives(Coontz 83). .
To understand how family life has changed, we need to be aware of the family definition before nineteen fifties, more so during the period of industrialization. Prior to industrialization, family life was different in the sense that families were closely knit with both parents and children living together with other relatives (Trifan et al. 744). Both family social life and economic life overlapped and families were less privatized as compared to the modern industrial societies. With the advent of industrialization, family members started moving out of their original homes to work outside in the industries to fulfill their family roles that were to earn a living. Goods previously produced at family levels were produced in larger scale in factories (Trifan et al. 746).
Family meaning declined when families lost food production to the industries, many families became more privatized as family members were disintegrated . Before the industrial revolution, family members were closer to each other and family values were upheld than today. Industrialization caused greater geographical mobility and people lost contact with their extended families (Galvin et al. 112). Today, only one in 20 households have more than two generations of family members as compared to pre-industrialized families where families comprised of a father, a mother ,children, and grandparents (Coontz 83).
Industrialization is the major factors that have altered the true meaning of a family, according to The Random House Western Dictionary, a family is a combination of parents both mother and father, children, grandparents ,cousins, aunts and uncles("Family"). However, changes caused by industrialization have forced families to adjust to survive, altering the definition of the word family. Economic changes during the industrial revolution is majorly associated with changes in family definition; family members did not stay in one household because family during industrial period evolved to meet the changing economic needs of the society killing the extended family of mother and father, children, grandparents ,cousins, aunts and uncles(Galvin et al. 119).
Massive migration from rural to urban areas during 1950 complicated the family system, families tried to adapt to the city life, they embedded many traditional elements of family life and practices adopting the modern way of life (Trifan et al. 749). Historically, the nuclear family was a common phenomenon, generations of the same family lived closely which has since changed with the advent of urbanization. Family members started living apart during this period, there were less extended families living together, and with time, families consist of parents and children only (Trifan et al. 748).
Other changes that took place, affecting families was the ability of an individual to be more independent, without relying on kinship ties. Kinship ties became unnecessary. Today families are described as more privatized because of the major changes necessitated by the industrial revolution (Galvin et al. 123). Lack of strong kinship ties has resulted in families being more private and independent creating major changes in families. Issues of divorce are one of the contributory factors that have changed family life. Since 1950, divorces have become socially accepted, resulting in increased cases of divorce (Galvin et al. 128).
Increase in divorce cases was majorly facilitated by legislative reforms adopted by many countries. Legislation that banned polygamy, established minimum ages of marriages and promoted gender equality, discouraged some of the family traditional norms that defined families (Trifan et al. 751). Some legislation has changed the position of women in the society, women do not need to subservience, because women have the power to change their situation. This was not the case previously. Most women who feel unsatisfied with their marriage can petition for a divorce, according to the laws (Trifan et al. 753).
In addition, the family social norms have changed , there is less pressure for parents to stay together because their relationship has a little impact on other family members. Such changes were not witnessed in the 1950s, marriage was an important event. A family unit was equally important for the formation of new families and in maintaining the cultural traditions as ...