Is It True That The Family is a Dying Institution?

A third reason would be the increasing popularity of feminist beliefs. In the past, females looked forward to a life as a wife and mother. To them that was the ideal, that which would fulfil them. But now, this has changed. The modern female places more emphasis on achieving and maximising her own potential over their traditional roles. As a result, the family unit is neglected. This can be seen…….

Yet another reason is the increasing acceptance of alternative lifestyles. In more liberal communities, it has become more acceptable to have couples of the same gender. This can be seen from the legalisation of “same-sex” marriages in some countries. Since our definition of a family requires a couple of different gender, same-sex marriages do not fit into our definition of a family. Adoption of this alternative lifestyle would lead to a decrease in the number of families formed.

But can an institution as established as the family really become extinct? There are reasons to think otherwise.

First of all, the family institute is one of the oldest institutions in the world today. It is has survived for thousands of generations, through world wars and natural disasters. The family unit is very resilient. It has survived many stresses in the pass and is likely to survive this new round of testing.

Secondly, religion places great emphasis on the family unit. Religion today is one of the major forces in our society. This is illustrated through the many conflicts that have caused as a result of religion. One example would the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where the cause of conflict lies in that of religious difference. This implies that, in order for the family unit to become destroyed, religion must also be eliminated. This is highly impossible and thus, it is unlikely that the family unit will become extinct.

However, religion as a major force is diminishing. In the wake of mounting scientific evidence, more and more people are starting to believe that God does not exist. As science progresses, religion regresses. Thus, I believe that as time passes, religion will no longer be a major force.

In conclusion, I do believe that the family is a dying institution. This is due to the reasons above. As such, let us now unite to prevent the further degradation of the basics; the family.