Family Values

Family dynamics have rapidly been changing and evolving over the last two hundred years,

with far-reaching consequences on individuals and societies as a whole. Whereas before the industrial

revolution, children used to live and work with their parents within the home to learn the family trade

that would support them and future offspring, now parents spend a good majority of their days at work

and children at school. Additionally, there is no longer a “normal” family model of two heterosexual

spouses and their children to comprise the average home. As noted by economist Nancy Barret in

Decline of the Family: Conservative, Liberal and Feminist Views, there is no longer one family model

that is more dominant than another. (Giezle, Janet D., 88) The opinions regarding the reasons for such

familial shifts are as diverse as the many family models now present. While the opinions of the reasons

for such changes in the family may differ, there is a consensus that such changes correlate with the

general upward trend of violence, anti-social behavior, divorce rates, teen pregnancies and addiction

habits among parents and especially children. Conservatives argue that such negative behavior

represents a moral decline perpetuated by broken homes and poverty caused by young, unwed parents.

They offer a return to traditional family standards and values as a solution to such problems.

Feminists argue that, though these different family shifts may, in fact, be giving rise to such problems, a

reversion to a traditional family model is not a viable solution for every family and, therefore, the

solution lies in building up communal support for all family types by stressing the importance of

families and deemphasizing the individual. Using these two perspectives put forth in Giezle's Decline

of the Family, this paper will analyze a true narrative of my younger sister who, after a failed marriage, attempted to raise a...