The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Family

Alternative family forms such as non-traditional families are becoming far more common than the traditional American family structure “Nuclear” families. The “Nuclear” family has been considered the “traditional” family since its first known use in 1947; a nuclear family is defined as a “family group that consists only of father, mother, and children” (Merriam-Webster’s, n.d.). The traditional family structure has been tested over time and had to adapt to many influential changes that have occurred rapidly over the past few decades. These changes include, but are not limited to families of divorce, single-parent families, and same-sex families. Throughout most of American history, “the concept of marriage and parenthood has seen a mild …show more content…
While reading the included excerpts from Allan C. Carlson and Paul T. Mero, I can’t help but to complement them on their affirmation when they state “we affirm that women and men are created equal in dignity and innate human rights, but are different in function” (as cited in Hall, 2014, p. 157). Although I do not agree with “the calling of each boy is to become husband and father… the calling of each girl is to become wife and mother” (as cited in Hall, 2014, p. 157), as this statement contradicts my own beliefs that every human being can become whatever they want to become. As for Mark Good’s article, many of his beliefs coincide with my own. It was significant when Good (2012) stated that nearly all children of “gay and lesbian parents attend schools and live in neighborhoods whose other children come overwhelmingly from families with heterosexual parents… children of the same sex-couples share a common peer and school environment with children of heterosexual couples” (as cited in Hall, 2014, p. 162). This quote is meaningful considering back in the 1960’s, there was a similar social problem with people of colored skin and people of fair colored skin going to the same schools, using the same restrooms, and riding on the same buses. The idea that heterosexual couples might get upset at same-sex couple’s for letting their children attend the same school would be and is …show more content…
Victoria L. Brescoll and Eric Luis Uhlmann (2005) conducted studies in their article Attitudes Toward Traditional and Nontraditional Parents and found the following:
It is equally important to note that men 's life choices are also limited by restrictive gender roles and prescriptive gender stereotypes. Some men may want to care for their children full-time rather than working outside the home, but the stigma attached to being a stay-at-home father may prevent them from doing so. Prescriptive gender stereotypes and the stigma attached to violations of them limit and restrict both men 's and women 's opportunities and lives. (Brescoll, V L., & Uhlmann, E. L., 2005, p. 443)
The stigma that surrounds both men and women’s prescriptive gender stereotypes and prescriptive roles in life is huge. This stigma is introduced the day a person is born. Parents unknowingly give their children toys that seem to “correlate” with their prescribed gender and biological sex. These children grow up learning and knowing one thing, and are told that the opposite of what they have learned and what they know is wrong. When these children grow up, they are likely to face the dilemma of not knowing who they are and questioning themselves, restricting both men’s and women’s opportunities and lives that they could