Introduction
Families are the basic units in society and determine social behavior because of their role. Nuclear families are the smallest units comprising a mother, father, and children, with each member having specified roles and responsibilities. Marriage is a prerequisite to family formation, where two people of the opposite sex voluntarily unite to start families. Marriages play a key role in the social system because they serve as the first educational institution where morals are taught and people learn to be responsible adults.
The family systems theory explains human behaviors and how families influence them. Further, structural functionalism shows how families operate and each member’s role after being influenced. Married people are likely to influence each other, and the pursuit of happiness and freedom has made many marriages collapse. The trend has made many people live in broken families as single-parenting is rising. The negative trends in the rate at which marriages are breaking up have made it impossible to entrust them to build social systems.
Marriage Trends and Future Forecast
The United States of America is one of the nations worldwide where marriages are declining by the year. Since 1980, the number of divorced couples has increased exponentially, according to the expectations of the state of Utah (Cohen, 2013). All the states have experienced declining marriages and an increase in people living with one parent.
Although a failure in marriage was experienced in 1980, the trend accelerated in 1990 (Cohen, 2013). It is imperative to note that the marriage problem is not experienced only in the USA but is a universal problem, as statistics from the United Nations showed that there has been a universal increase in collapsing marriages. Extrapolating the trend shows that by 2040, marriages will suffer massive blows, and most people will be unmarried through divorce (Cohen, 2013).
Family instability is on the rise due to changing economic tides, divorce, and infidelity, which makes people opt to live without partners for peace. Because of their fragile nature, marriages cannot be used to build stable social systems. Numerous marriage protection systems have been implemented to ensure that marriages are protected long-term to strengthen family systems.
Remedy Measures
Marriage experts argue that a collective responsibility by government and non-governmental institutions, such as the media, can save the emerging negative trends in marriage. Government agencies can support marriages by removing barriers to single parents and their children. When single parents are exposed to some disadvantages based on their status and their children are deprived of basic amenities, they are likely to lead a positive life in marriage.
For example, when students whose parents are living are given benefits such as scholarships, couples will be encouraged to stay together for the sake of their children (Cohen, 2013). The government may further engage the creative industries, such as Hollywood, by encouraging them to make movies and inspiring people to maintain their marriages. The media, on the other hand, may be used to criticize the concept of broken marriages and encourage people to protect their marriages at all costs.
Conclusion
Marriage, divorce, and single parenting have been on the rise in the USA since the 1980s, with all states facing a drop in marriages. Consequently, single parenting has increased, leaving children to live with one parent. Consequently, the family fails to offer the role designated by society, such as imparting social values.
The trends in broken marriages are universal, according to UN statistics, and most marriages are likely to have collapsed by 2040. Marriages can, therefore, no longer be trusted to build social systems because of their fragile nature. Government and non-governmental organizations have a role in discouraging the negative trend. Rebuilding marriages will have numerous positive impacts on society.
Reference
Cohen, P. N. (2013). We cannot build our social system around marriage anymore. Family Inequality. Web.