Familial Reconfiguration Essays

Familial Reconfiguration Essays Familial Reconfiguration Essay Familial Reconfiguration Essay The traditional family structure most common during the mid-twentieth century underwent a relatively marked change as the end of the century approached.   By the time the 1900s drew to a close, â€Å"fewer households [were] composed of families, and of family households, an increasing proportion [were] not composed of two parents living with their children.   It [was] no longer the case that a child [. . . could] expect to live his or her childhood with both biological parents† (Teachman, J. D., Tedrow, L. M., Crowder, K. D., 2000, p. 1243).   These were just some of the conclusions drawn by Teachman, et al. in their 2000 study the results of which can be read in â€Å"The Changing Demography of America’s Family.† Teachman, et al, set out to â€Å"describe recent dramatic changes in the composition, economic stability, and diversity of American families† (p. 1234).   Their methodology was to use existing data while reevaluating this data in terms of relevant changes to the trends based specifically on race, gender, and socio-economic situation. The researchers found several areas of weakness in the exiting data, including an unavailability of facts outside the accepted definitions of â€Å"family† and â€Å"marriage.†Ã‚   While admitting to their disappointment in having to ignore this relevant data, the researcher’s â€Å"need for comparable, high-quality data [required them] to make use of official statistics that all assume a legal definition of family and marriage† (Teachman, et al.   2000, p. 1234).   Outside the parameters set by the Census Bureau’s legal definitions of family and marriage, the lack of available and reliable facts regarding certain ethnic subgroups (i.e. Native Americans and Asian Americans) was also an area of potential weakness that was recognized by Teachman, et al. : Having established the limitations of their research, what the study did reveal was that the rate of first-time marriage had seen â€Å"a reasonably consistent decline [. . .] since the end of World War II† while â€Å"the rate of divorce [had] evidenced a slow, but steady increase over the period covered† (Teachman, et al.   2000, p. 1235).   The researchers then set out to break these facts down by race (i.e. White, African-American, and Hispanic), and found that fewer women were getting married in the latter portion of the twentieth century than was the case prior to 1975, regardless of race (p. 1236).   The research did show that the decline was not equal among the races and that for African-American and Hispanic women, the decline had been more marked than for White women (p. 1236). Teachman, et al, (2000) pointed out that while some researchers attribute this to the increasing rate of non-white women who are on welfare, that the â€Å"rates of marriage [had] continued to decline at the same time the value of Aid to Families with Dependent Children [had] fallen dramatically†; therefore, the correlation between money and marriage does not fit this scenario (p. 1237).   The more likely rationale pointed to by Teachman, et al. is that â€Å"marriage depends not only on one’s personal characteristics but also on the availability of suitable spouses and on the characteristics of others competing for those potential spouses† (p. 1237).   Since World War II, there has been a tremendous influx of women who have entered the workforce, and the increase was especially prevalent during the latter years of the twentieth century.   Women have enjoyed an increased in job opportunities and income while men have been plagued by fewer opportunities and less radical instances of pay increases. Speaking generally, when compared to the new opportunities for women in the work force, the job market can be described as particularly bleak for African-American males, somewhat bleak for Hispanic males, and generally bleak for White males.   Taking into account that the â€Å"increasing value placed on individualism by Americans has decreased the perceived value of marriage,† it is easy to understand why fewer and fewer women are marrying early or marrying at all (Teachman, 2000, p.1237). The role of education and employment was also reviewed by the researchers, and their  findings concluded that White women who are either/or unemployed/undereducated are far more likely to marry if the man with whom they are partnered is employed and educated, but when the situation is reversed and the woman controls both the income and the education, the likelihood of her marrying decreases (Teachman, et al, 2000, p. 1237). These issues were found to be less significant in African-American and Hispanic unions; in both of these groups, availability of potential mates within the general living area was a far greater factor.   It is presumed that part of the difference had to do with the relative higher numbers of non-Whites living in inner-cities where the competition for potential mates was far greater than would be the case in outlining areas.   Income was not moot in this area, but the financial attractiveness of a potential mate could not be assessed if the potential mate simply could not be secured (Teachman, et al, 2000, p. 1238). Given the higher numbers of those choosing not to marry coupled with the increased rate of divorce among those who do, the researchers noted that â€Å"the portion of children living with a single parent at any given time has increased markedly† (Teachman, et al, 2000, p. 1239). Having undertaken the task of reevaluating the available data regarding the composition of families, Teachman, et al. certainly shed additional light on an oft-studied subject.   Their study shows clearly that there has been a dramatic change in family make-up over the last one-half century, and they also reveal the need for new research into the non-traditional â€Å"family† structure and non-â€Å"marriage† commitments that have become more prevalent in recent history. Reference Teachman, J. D., Tedrow, L. M., Crowder, K. D.   (2000).   The changing demography of America’s family.   Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62(4).   Retrieved October 18, 2006, from JSTOR database.