Family Structure and Development Essay

I am a part of a Nuclear Family which is defined in the modern era as the characteristic family unit of developed industrial societies which consists solely of husband, wife, and children, and spans only two generations (Dillen, 2003). The nuclear family is more mobile geographically and socially, and allows more autonomy. On the other hand, it produces an observed increase in depression, divorce rates, delinquency, and weakening of cultural transmissions (Acs & Loprest, 2004, p. 56). The roles within a nuclear family is used to be the father being the main bread winner and working long hours to support his family and the mother as the caregiver who looked after the children and the home. My Nuclear family included my father, who worked as a banker, my mother who was a housewife and my 3 siblings. Growing up, I had this notion that all families were happy all the time as was mine and I was unaware of the problems my parents faced. The giant responsibility was to provide needs and wants for a family; however, as I grew older I began to realize the difficult task my parents and other families endured everyday by being able to give their families what they need and want. Having a stay-at-home mother, a working father and living in a locality where other families lived in similar circumstances, it never gave me the chance to monitor families living in different situations. As I grew older, I realized that there were many diverse family types in terms of family structures and responsibilities. Although many assume that the nuclear family structure with a working father and stay at home mother, is a narrow-minded idea (Hao, 1996, p. 269), but it makes me feel very comfortable to say that my brought up under my mother’s supervision at home was done in a very organized way. This was not possible if my development was done with out the hard work of my mother and that also allowed my father to focus on his job. References Acs, G., & Loprest, P. (2004).  Leaving Welfare: Employment and Well-Being of Families That Left Welfare in the Post-Entitlement Era. Kalamazoo, MI: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Dillen, A. (2003). Queer Family Values: Debunking the Myth of the Nuclear Family.Archives of Sexual Behavior, 32(5), 489+. Hao, L. (1996). Family Structure, Private Transfers, and the Economic Well-Being of Families with Children.  Social Forces, 75(1), 269-292.