Family as Social Institution

Family is considered the most basic and regarded as the oldest social institution. Conservatively seen, a family is consisted of the parents and their scions. Sociologists are making observations regarding the present realities that are besieging the institution of the family, and some are predicting that in the current generations the “form” of the family that we knew now will just be “one of its two, three or many forms.”

What could effect this anticipated change?

In times of economic hardship, both parents need to work for the bread and butter of the family. Now, while the economic side of the family living is well taken care of, there is another issue that crops up. For men and women in all professions, there is an issue on the integration of personal and professional aspects of life. This is especially true for those who are in training or early career, a time that usually overlaps with the childbearing and child-rearing years. They normally are absent in the most crucial years in the life of their children insofar as human formation is concerned.

While in the past generations marriage is understood to be responsible for the mathematical equation: 1+1= more than 2, today there are couples who would simply want to be together and whose plans for their future do not include any provision concerning having a baby or a child.

There are diverse factors to explain this development, but this pattern of marriage arrangement is becoming quite more obvious in many cultures across the globe.

1. Staying Single

What could have motivated men and women to stay single? For one, it has actually been recognized long time ago. The Catholic Church even has a name for it – single blessedness.

But, now, definitely there is a growing number of men and women who are opting out of married life for reasons that are not religious.

2. Single Parenthood

Also termed lone parent or sole parent, a single parent is a parent who cares for one or more children without the assistance of another parent in the home. Single parenthood may occur for a variety of reasons. It could be opted for by the parent – as in the case of either as choice mother or a choice father– (as in divorce, adoption, artificial insemination, surrogate motherhood, or extramarital pregnancy), or be the result of an unforeseeable occurrence (e.g., death or abandonment by one parent).

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