University of FloridaSolutions for Your Life

Download PDF
Publication #FAR5041

 

Changes in Family Life1

Suzanna Smith2

Figure 1. 
[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]

Imagine 5,000 years ago: a Mom and Dad, sitting around the fire, saying, "Things sure aren't how they used to be." Family historian Stephanie Coontz makes the case that many things that seem new in family life today "are actually quite traditional" (Coontz, 2006, p. 2). Two-provider families, cohabitation outside of marriage, divorce, stepfamilies, and out of wedlock births—all of these "alternative ways of doing things" (Coontz, p. 2) have been common throughout history.

But it is unusual for so many changes to occur in a society at one time, as they are in the U.S now. For example, today, many young people are delaying marriage and living alone. In addition, there has been a huge increase in cohabitation, and the legal gains for unmarried heterosexual and same sex partners are "challenging" traditional marriage (Coontz, 2006, p. 3). The reproductive revolution, with technologies such as artificial insemination and surrogacy, has made it possible not only for couples to overcome infertility, but for couples and singles "to become parents who would never have been able to do so before" (Coontz, 2006, p. 3).

Divorce and single parenthood have almost never coexisted with the right of women to initiate the divorce, and with women's ability to support themselves and their children. In fact, women's economic independence has reshaped family life and impacted almost every aspect of marriage and parenting.

Whether you view these changes with optimism or are inclined to consider them the death knell of the family, one thing you can be certain of: change will come... again.

Listening, learning, and living together: it's the science of life. "Family Album" is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, and of WUFT-FM. If you'd like to learn more, please visit our website at http://www.familyalbumradio.org.

To listen to the radio broadcast:

http://www.radiosource.net/radio_stories/321.mp3
http://www.radiosource.net/radio_stories/321.wav

Reference

Coontz, S. (2006). The world historical transformation of marriage. In K. Gilbert (Ed.), The Family 06/07 (p. 2-6).

Footnotes

1.

This document is FAR5041, one of a series of the Family Youth and Community Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Broadcast as program 321 and published on EIDS February 2009. Reviewed March 2012. In the interest of time and/or clarity, the broadcast version of this script may have been modified. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Suzanna Smith, associate professor, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.