Fami[ ]

Current trends in family life

Many people think nowadays that marriage is becoming obsolete, and indeed, marriages
rate continue to slowly decline in developed countries. Childbearing rates are also declining
worldwide. lt seems that the institution of marriage is much less relevant in some parts of
the world than it used to be. Marriage is becoming more of an option for adults, rather than
a necessity for the survival of adults and children.

Although marriage is in decline, unmarried cohabitation is on the rise. For some people, it is
a pre-marital experience, usually a childless phase where the strength of the relationship is
tested before committing to marriage. For others, cohabitation is a real alternative to marriage.
ln Sweden and Denmark, for example, marriage and cohabitation have becorne indistinguishable
with children being born and reared within both. There, cohabitation is quickly becoming the
norm. There are hardly any government benefits favoring marriages or taboos against unmarried
cohabitation within religious or cultural institutions.

Adults cohabit mainly because they don't see the point of marriage. Some people may look for
more flexibility or freedom in their relationships, or they may feel that they do not have sufficient
financial or emotional resources to marry,. They may also perceive marriage as a risky undertaking
or simply unnecessary once they are already cohabiting. According to psychologists, cohabiters
are less likely to support each other emotionally because they hold more positive ideas about
divorce and more negative attitudes about marriage in general.

At the same time, we are experiencing an increase in single-parent families as divorce is

becoming more common. Globally, one-quarter to one-third of all families are headed by single
mothers. Coping with a breakup or a divorce is always painful. Every divorce will affect the
children involved and many times the initial reactions are shock, sadness, frustration, anger,
or worry. Some children may suffer for many years from psychologrcai and social difficulties
within the post-divorce family. But if all goes well, kids may come out of it better, being able
to cope with stress, and becoming more flexible and tolerant young adults.

More and more relationships break up, new relationships are established, and the resuit is
a growing number of patchwork families. A patchwork family is a new famiiy made up from the
remnants of divorced families. ln a patchworkfamily, each person is like an individual patch in
a quilt, and that patch stands for a person's unique self and life story. When someone enters
the family * by birth, adoption, or due to diyorce and remarriage -. the individual patch (the
person) should not be altered. lnstead, attention should be focused on how the patches (the
family mernbers) are joined together to form a new family.

AKADfMIAI KI,ADo ffit sZ6nnLI FEIADAToK ANGOL FELS6FoK6 I{YELwIZSGARA

 Family&
f ornestic violence
,
ce aga inst women is one of the most widespread violations of h u man rights. A staggering
e n

: -:
ln three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime -
:.-sed mostly by an intimate partner.

- - restic violence is not always physical violence. lt's just one of the many ways that one can
- -'
at domestic violence. lt can be psychological, it can be economic, and it can be sexual.
. , :he threat of what may happen. Often, abuse starts as emotional abuse and it becomes
. - 'sical iater. The longer one is staying in an abusive relationship, the greater the physical
, : amotionaI toll.
. , ng an abusive situation is difficult; it usually takes a woman three to seven attempts before
. s able to extricate herself from a relationship. Many women are frightened of the abuser
:: good reason. lt's common for abusers to threaten to harm or even kill their partners or
:ren if they attempt to leave. Victims of domestic violence may be trapped in domestic
- ant situations through isolation, lack of financial resources, fear, shame, or to protect
:ren. In traditional communities, divorced women often feel rejected and ostracized. In
-:r to avoid this stigma, manywomen preferto remain in the marriage and endure the abuse.
.- y studies have appeared in academic journals looking at the causes of domestic violence.
,-a people argue that domestic violence is rooted in the patriarchal values of our culture
-: :he gender norms that promote the inferiority of women. Others maintain that domestic
- :nce is caused by individual socioeconomic factors (unemployment or substance abuse)
:sychological factors (mental illness). Families in poverty are more likely to experience
, -estic violence, due to increased stress and conflicts about finances.

-':rethe lgT0s,domesticviolencewasnotconsideredacrime. ltwasconsideredaprivate

, - y mattel largely beyond the scope of police intervention, except in the most serious cases.
.-any male-dominated
societies, domestic violence is still seen as justified, particularly
-.ses of suspected infidelity on the part of the woman, and is legally permitted. In some
. ' zioping countries, practices that subjugate and harm women such as wife-beating or
-:r -
- killings - are considered as being part ofthe natural order ofthings.
- - estic violence is among the most underreported crimes worldwide for both men and women.
- :erreporting can be explained by financial
- dependence, the fear of Iegal consequences, as
. as self-blaming.

- lren who grow up in abusive homes are more likely to be abused and have behavioral
-: ems than other chiidren. Whether or not children are physically abused, they often suffer
- -:ional and psychological trauma from living in homes where their fathers abuse their
:-ers. As adults, they're more likely to beconre abusers or think that abuse is a normal part
'.
ationships. Research also indicates that the more corporal punishment children receive,
': iiore likely they are as adults to act violently towards other family members.

BEU FELADATOKANGOL FEIS6FOKU NMLVWZSGARA fgfu] ETEOTMIAI KTAD6 I I