AMERICAN

FAMILY
GROUP 1
MEMBERS OF GROUP
● Nguyen Thi Minh Anh
● Nguyen Tuan Anh
● Nguyen Thi Anh
● Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh
● Ha Viet Cuong
● Nguyen Viet Cuong (Leader)
1.Family
Structure
Traditional American
family structure
● Traditionally, the American
family is NUCLEAR FAMILY,

● “Extended family”: Aunts,

uncles, cousins, and
grandparents considered
 American family
structure in the
1950s
1950s, 70% of American
households : “classic” American
family – a husband, wife and 2
children.
American family structure in the
1990s
● Only 26% of households in the U.S: 2 parents and their children

● 30%: married couples without children

● 8%: single parents + their children

● 11%: unmarried couples + others living together

Explanations for the changes in the
● Rise in fertility rate.
family
● Young people: have children later in life, some not to have children

● People after their children are grown, often end up alone

● The high rate of divorce

Comparing to the Vietnam’s
traditional family structure
 Vietnam’s traditional
extended multi-generational
paradigm

 Confucian dogmas about

hierarchy and the reverence
for ancestors.
 02
4 stages of
marriage
relationship
 4 stages of marriage relationship

Stage 3:
Husband-
Stage 1: Wife Senior
as Servant to Partner,
Husband Wife-Junior
Partner
Stage 2: Stage 4:
Husband- Husband-
Head, Wife- Wife Equal
Helper Partners
 4 Stages of marriage relationship
Stage 1 Stage 2
● The wife's power increased but the

● The wife had no power in family husband remained the head of the family.

(except the husband permission). ● The wife became his full-time helper

● Her possessions, her earnings ● Can be strongly argue with husband, but

belonged to her husband. the final decision is husband.

 Stage 3 4 Stages of marriage
● Although becoming a partner, not an relationship
equal partner with her husband.
● Even she has a job, it has a lower
Stage 4
priority than her husband's.
● In an equal partnership marriage.
● the wife pursues a full-time job or career.
● Husband and wife share all these duties
equally.
3
Marriage
and Divorce
 3.1. Marriage
• Marriages are not “arranged” in the United States. Young
people are expected to find a husband or wife on their own,
their parents do not usually have them.

• The value placed on marriage itself is determined largely by

how happy the husband or wife make each other

• Same-sex marriage has become possible in many countries

 3.2. Divorce
• A divorce: easy to obtain in most parts of the US. Most states
have “no-fault” divorce.

• Divorce for various reasons: marrying young, abuse, lack of

education, financial issues, and more.

• People do not believe in sacrificing individual happiness for the

sake of the children
5.3. Compare with
Vietnam
 The Similarities

A marriage license before

the wedding ceremony is
performed

Marry decision based on The husband and wife

a mutual agreement of have responsibilities after
couples marriage
 The differences

The marriage arrangement The engagement ceremony

Marriage plans Marriage life

 4.
FAMILY
CUSTOM
S
 American Values in Families

Individual Freedom
Individual Freedom
– Self-Reliance in Family
Self-Reliance
Equality in
Opportunity -
Competition
Equality among
Family Members
Material Wealth -
Hardwork
 4.
1
INDIVIDUAL
FREEDOM
American Family:
• Its purpose: Improve individual’s happiness
priority people’s needs before families.
Why?
• Aristocratic Society:
+ Valued family’s position and name.
+ People’s destiny: honor the family name, praise, etc.
• American society:
+ No aristocratic status.
+ Family position: lower in people’s life.
Americans focus just on their life.
American people desire freedom:
○ Leave home at the age of 18
○ Don’t like to be controlled by other members.
○ Independent in making decisions
+ Parents at the wings of the stage: Congratuate them
+ Career path, Partners, and other decisions.
 4.
2
EQUALITY
 IN 19TH CENTURY MODERN LIFE
Aristocratic Society (Inequality) No Aristocracy in Society

 Inequality in Family values  No Inequality in society -> also in Families

 The Father’s status: a ruler, master  The Father status: more intimate (no gaps
with children)
 Distant with children (also fearful)
 EQUALITY IN FAMILIES
Children with too much democracy

Decline in Parent’s Authority

- cannot control bahaviours

Decline in children respect

- cannot monitor what they are
seeing
 0
5
VALUE IN
FAMILY
 VALUES IN FAMILY
Respecting one's parents Married to the same person for
06 CLEARLY
TRADITIONAL
Being responsible for one's life

actions Leaving the world in better

Having faith in God shape

Respecting authority
VALUES IN FAMILY
Giving emotional support to family

members

Respecting people for themselves

Respecting one's children

Living up to one's potential as an

VALUES IN VIETMAMESE
CONFUCIAN
FAMILY
PHILOSOPHY
The father is the head of
family
The mother took a secondary
place
Children must be obedient and
respectful

Highly valued
education
 ROLES OF CHILDREN
Housekeeping parents
Running errands Honour God
Caring for younger siblings Respect the elderly
Respect and care for their Being responsible citizens
 06
The role of the
family in society
So much importance placed on achieving individual freedom and
equality within family
Gain a number of benefits for Americans (needs and desires of each
member are given a great deal of attention and importance)
A price is paid:
 Families less stable and lasting
 High rate of divorce
 American attitude toward the family: many contradictions
 Tolerate instability in family -> protect such values as freedom and equality
 Strongly attached to the idea of the family as the best of all lifestyles

What is family life?

 26% - ‘typical’ American family (a father, mother and children)
 Many – ‘step families’ or ‘blended families ’
 A number of single parents raising children alone
 In recent years, gay and lesbian couples created family unit
 Sociologist and psychologists: the family is the best place for
children to learn moral values and a sense of responsibility

 Since 1990s, voice concern over what was happening to many children in
America
 Today, the state of the American family is frequently discussed.
Compare to the role of
family in Vietnamese
society
More individual Still exist the concept
freedom within of “your parents put
American families. you where you sit
there’”

Individual
freedom Affected in many ways
 Beliefs
 Ideals of equality from the war between
 All forms of Vietnam and China
 Especially in terms of
relationship
ideology
 Consider more about
Contain many the stability of
ATTITUDE families.
contradictions

Family
structure
The family is the heart of

‘Stepfamilies’ or ‘Blended every individual, the

families’ because of environment for education

divorces. and formative

0
7 Challenges to
American Families
7.1. CHILDREN OF DIVORCE AND
REMARRIAGE
 CHILDREN OF DIVORCE AND
REMARRIAGE

Negative effects Confused Frightened

Feel take Have tended to

responsibility for Affect mentality, choose divorce
parent’s divorce lifestyle when conflicts
happen
CHILDREN OF DIVORCE AND
REMARRIAGE
Nicholas H.Wolfinger
“Children of divorced parents are 40 percent more
likely to divorce than children of married parents.
Children whose parents divorced and then remarried,
the likelihood of their own divorce rises to 91 percent”
7.2. AGING
POPULATI
ON
AGING POPULATION

65+
By 2040: 20,4%

0 – 19
By 2040: 25,9%
 AGING POPULATION
THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER REPORTS:

Have a parent age 65 Raising a young child

or older
Middle-
aged Give support to
grown child (age 18
40s, 50s or over)
AGING
MIDDLE-
POPULATION
AGED
 They are finding themselves in the sandwich generation.
 Take care of children and aging parents

FINANCE
STRESS
 Work hard to provide care, financial support, emotional
support
 7.
WORK-LIFE 3
BALANCE
 WORK-LIFE BALANCE
 Middle-aged have to:

Irregular Lack of paid family

Multiple jobs
work hours leave

 Make family relationships strained

 Limit quality time together
 Have a dramatic effect on health
 7.4.
RAISING
CHILDREN
IN THE
DIGITAL
AGE
 RAISING CHILDREN IN THE
 DIGITAL
Family is the best place AGE
for children to learn:

Social skills Moral values A sense of

responsibility
 RAISING CHILDREN IN THE
 DIGITAL
Increasingly, both parents AGE
and children use digital devices:

Suft the Internet Sending email Text messages

 Children may find that their parents are unavailable to

guide them
 Parents may not understand what help kids need
 THANK YOU
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