The traditional family is recognized as the husband being the steady source of income for the family, and the wife working and raising children at home, until they reach the age of eighteen. American family life is focused on continuity and change. Only 7% of American families fit the traditional family model, demonstrating that families have been changing over the years. Conservatives believe it is necessary for the government …show more content…
The number of Canadians living alone has been steadily increasing; a quarter of households contain only one person. Two person households have also become more common. The causes for lone-parent families is also changing, whereas lone-parent families were generally the result of the death of one parent, they are now caused by the growing incidence of divorce (Ravelli, 2005).
There are numerous personal, economic, and cultural factors contributing to the decline of the traditional family model. To give an example of a personal factor, a woman who has been divorced is understandably less positive towards the idea of marriage than a woman who has never been married. Others view not being married as insurance against marital failure. Some say the laws around marriage and divorce are too complex, thus they prefer to live together in a common law relationship (Ravelli, …show more content…
Increasing focus on egalitarianism, secularization, and individualism has made a tremendous impact on family decisions. Egalitarianism, or the doctrine that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities, (Dictionary) has caused major changes in the lives of women as they are becoming more focused on building a career now than they have ever been. Secularization, the separation from religious or spiritual connection, has caused a reduction in the significance of religious institutions in daily lives and a reduction in the belief of the importance of the traditional family structure. Individualism, the belief that your personal needs and goals should take precedence over the needs of others and the larger community has also steered the focus away from a more traditional family structure (Ravelli, 2005).
Economically, great focus is placed on becoming financially stable before marriage. (Family in Transition). Urbanization has caused a drop in fertility rates; children are more expensive to raise in the city than the country. An increasing number of young adults have moved back in with their parents to be able to afford education, which causes delays in marriage and an increase in partnership dissolution. The division of labour also impacts families, the traditional role of husbands and wives has been completely altered by the separation of household and workplace (Ravelli,