Introduction
The family today is faced by major challenges owing to factors emerging every now and then ranging from globalization, increased social integration across the world as well as technological advancement. These and other factors have brought about a multitude of new changes that has brought challenges, completely altering family values.
What are the major issues facing the family today?
Sexual Relationships
The age of initial sexual encounter is getting lower; this has led to unupsurge of teenage pregnancies and abortions in the short term and terminal illnesses in the long term. Religion teaches morals and sex is a taboo, this resulted to a negative attitude toward matters relating to sex, like sex education and information on contraceptives, very little sex education is acquired even to adulthood. With the proliferation of explicit information due to advanced technology on a wide range of sexual matters, young people are left to pick choices for themselves. Pundits attribute increase of same sex relationships due to influence channeled through electronic and print media.
Delayed Marriages
One big phenomenon is an increased delay in marriages occasioned by educational and career pursuits; this has resulted to an increase in single person’s households, a large portion of adults are still living with parents, while others are cohabiting. In Europe 65% of males aged between 25-29 years are still living with their parents while it was at 44% for women. (Cliquet 1) There are also instances of living apart arrangement where intimate relationships are maintained in completely different households. Nupitiality is on the decline, weddings are fewer, and so are the remarriages. Remarriages occur between those who have divorced.
Reproductive patterns
Today’s most married couples especially in Europe are opting for less number of children despite high fertility rates subdued by contraception. The is increased use of contraceptives has lead to lower birth rates, as well as delayed first birth. In some southern Europe countries, one out of two first births occurs outside wedlock, while in the US a third of all births in 2001 were out of wedlock. (Council of Europe 1). This has led to a decrease in young population.
Instances of divorce have also escalated reducing birth rates, in Western Europe, 30% of couples will end up in a divorce (Council of Europe 2002 1). However the figures are higher if we were to consider data on separations, and cohabiting. This has led to an increase to single mothers house holds, and if coupled with single mothers by choice or accident, figures are higher. The instances of single by choice are on the increase especially amongst better educated, working older women. (Miller 1). 75% of men get into a new relationship after divorce while 80% of women do the same. This also happens when death occurs, though the number of those who remarry is lower especially amongst older people.
Generational discrepancies
Due to decreased fertility occasioned by increased access to contraception, there has been a steady decrease in the population below 25 years, and a marked increase in population of 65 years and above. This is due to easy access to healthier life marking an increase in longevity. This has brought about a family dilemma as the old have to be catered for, this is a challenge to loosely knit family units which lack capacity to effectively provide. Increased female participation in paid labor is also driving the woman away from the homemaker role, leaving the aged helpless, there is a strain in such a setup, calling for forces outside family to assist. The strain is less for families with extended close ties.
How do we address these issues?
Measures
With all the above dynamics, there are some instances that need extra efforts to in order to avert or alleviate some of resultant conditions. There is need for increased surveillance and parental guidance for teenagers, since they are the most vulnerable to technological influence. Sex education is required at an early age to help the youth make informed decisions. There should be proper structures to cater for the elderly outside the family network so as to provide for quality care, as well as ease the burden for the kin.
Divorce is one feature that is predominant in today’s family; there is need for marital counseling, to prevent it. Since it is not avoidable, children and couples affected should also get counseling to alleviate suffering occasioned by divorce. Children born outside the wed lock or from divorced families might end up themselves going through the same process of divorce as the parents and hence there is need of active participation of the available parent to make up for the absent one, so as to give the child a normal feel.
Violence in the family is also a major issue that needs urgent attention and this calls for counseling of the perpetrators as well as the victims. Substance and alcohol abuse are some of the causing factors of domestic violence, this may come in form of sexual, physical or psychological abuse. Governments all over the world have programs that foster for such affected children. Despite liberalism in family setup, the community at large has an obligation to participate in activities a kin to fighting issues affecting the family since everyone is in a family and is prone to these issues.
Works Cited
Cliquet, Richard. ‘Major trends affecting families in the new millennium’. Journal of Family Issues. 2001. Web.
Council of Europe. ‘Recent Demographic Developments in Europe 2001’ Strasbourg. 2002. Web.
Miller, Nancy. ‘Single Parents by Choice. A Growing Trend in Family Life’. New York: Plenum Press. 1992. Web.