Dangers of Romanticizing the Traditional Family

Dangers of Romanticizing the Traditional Family

Families are important social units. In recent years, families have undergone rapid transformation by becoming more socially egalitarian (Root & Aulette, 2010). Individuals portray diversity on race, ethnicity, and religion (Root & Aulette, 2010). Regarding the traditional family, the dangers of romanticizing it for real families today include the following. Traditional families can be destructive societies. It can result in damage to individuals within and those outside the family. With traditional families, you cannot guarantee preserves against forces such as oppression and totalitarianism (Root & Aulette, 2010). Besides, it is possible that such forces live within and are disseminated by individuals within the traditional family. For instance, in traditional families, the sex roles are oppressive. Regarding the family workforce, men were the bosses while females and children served as unpaid employees (Coontz, 2013). The responsibilities of women were always taking care of children and managing households.

Traditional families tend to perpetuate inegalitarianism thus failing to exhibit features of real communities. Individuals who experience inequality in the traditional family may become reluctant to care about the situation (Coontz, 2013). It was difficult for women to access credit facilities with their own names. Moreover, one had to be beautiful to get a job (Coontz, 2013). Inequality posed a danger to traditional families. Women had no legal claim on what their husbands earned. In the case of marital rape, they received no legal assistance. In traditional families, the bond between parents and children may be maladaptive. Child abuse or domestic violence victims could only find few avenues to evade from the situation (Coontz, 2013). There was widespread discrimination on couples who divorced. It is hard for parents with a disabled child to revert to a time when such children were constantly warehoused in institutions.

 

References

Coontz, S. (2013, June 15). The not-so-good old days. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.stephaniecoontz.com/articles/article91.htm

Coontz, S. (2013, September 23). There is no such thing as the “traditional male breadwinner.” The Ideas. Retrieved from http://www.stephaniecoontz.com/articles/article94.htm

Root, J. A., & Aulette, J. R. (2010). Changing American Families. 3rd Edition. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

 

 

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