Alison Yuen Intro to Sociology: Recitation Assignment 4/4/14 Articles: The Changing American Family and The Baby

Boom for Gay Parents What social factors are shaping new family formations? What are some of the challenges facing families today? In the past, the idea of the American Dream was the white picket fence with 2.5 children. Now, the ideals of American families have changed to independence and selfsufficiency. There has been an overall decline in marriages because society has constantly been promoting the idea that being able to provide for ones self is the single most important trait to have. This judgment is especially harsh on single parents. When a single parent fails to provide for his or her children, they seem weak and ill-suited to be a parent. On the other hand, if they successfully navigate parenthood on their own and provide a good life for his or her child, they are praised excessively and idolized. This need to prove ones abilities to be self-sufficient drive the need for people to earn more and more degrees to prepare themselves to provide for a family. Because of this extended education, women are giving birth later in life and often end up with fewer children than the standard for the American Dream. As stated in The Changing American Family, there are nations birthrate today is half what it was in 1960, and last year hit its lowest point ever. Children are becoming more of an economic burden, making the decision to have children a harder one. Family size is diminishing because of economic and societal pressure, but it is also decreasing because more people are in favor of living the single life. The mentality of being completely independent and only having to worry about one person is affecting marriage rates. Not only is marriage becoming less popular, divorce is becoming a more common practice. Although it is slowing down after a huge spike in occurrences, it is still higher than the past, whereas marriage is at its lowest. Families are becoming smaller and smaller due to changes in societal priorities and judgments. Present-day families are faced with societal pressures to be better and are constantly trying to prove themselves. In the second article, it states that the number of gay couples with children has doubled in the past decade. This is partly due to the fact that the LGBTQIA movements are very successful and becoming acceptable in society. Many couples are able to legally be married and, of course, to achieve that American Dream, children must be added to the equation. These couples face a lot of criticism from the public who believe that they are unsuitable parents. In opposition to this belief, the article states that children of same-sex marriages are indistinguishable from those of heterosexual marriages. Homosexual couples are out to prove that they are able to provide a safe and nurturing family just as any other couple. Because of this commitment to being a part of the new movement of same-sex parents, these couples have a higher rate of staying together rather than getting a divorce. Overall, because of societal ideas about independence and ability to provide for a family, children and marriage are less popular, but the opposite is true for homosexual partners. There are varying expectations for each group of people creating a very diverse definition of a family.