A family refers to people who live under one roof and are related by adoption, marriage, or blood. Dictionaries and encyclopedias have different definitions of family. Many define a family as a man and a woman in a socially accepted relationship. Children and parents make a family.
There are different family structures in different parts of the world. For example, there are families in which both the mother and the father are involved in raising the children, while in other families the father may marry two or more wives and live as a single family. There are family structures in which a woman can marry many husbands. Thus, it is the culture that determines the family structure.
Many cultures help promote family life because family ties can shape personality. Peace, love and harmony are present in a country as a result of family ties. Family ties can also increase mutual responsibility. Therefore, family life makes people take responsibility for their actions.
A person’s personality is determined by the type of family in which they are raised. However, there is a decrease in the tendency to live in families. In some parts of the world there are people who leave their parents as soon as they start to make a living on their own. This trend is good because it encourages responsibility and independence. After all, a child is not supposed to depend on her parents for the rest of her life.
In this way, the number of dependents decreases because people earn their own income. The economy of countries with such tendencies is usually stable. However, this trend is also disadvantageous because a disruption arises in society. It is due to this tendency that we do not have peace as it used to be in the past. The unity that existed in families is losing value over time.
The life expectancy of a family unit has decreased because children have left their parents to care for themselves. The divorce rate is also on the rise, leading to a high number of broken families. This could be due to tough economic conditions.
Parental care of children is also fading due to social ills. For example, each year the records show an increase in the number of illegitimate children. Many people tend to isolate these children who are born out of wedlock. As a result, they are put up for adoption and thus lack biological parental care.
If parents want to have children even out of wedlock, they must be responsible. If they are not ready, they can always use contraception. It is not humane to let your children suffer when you can do something about it. Such social ills have reduced the importance of family ties in today’s world.
However, in some parts of the world family ties have not changed. These families also face various challenges such as disagreements, economic challenges, rebellious children, etc. In short, current family ties have changed.