Family structure in the United States Essay

During WII nuclear families were the most common family type. Men were the main breadwinners and the women stayed at home, taking address of the children. This has now shifted to sh atomic number 18d and even reversed roles, as dual-earner families are overly on the rise. Since WWII, at that place has been a rise in types of families such as extended, iodine parent and step. Of all the households in 2005, 57% were couple families compared with 70% in 1971. The biggest fall has been in couple families with three or to a greater extent than dependent children (Fisher Et Al 2012) There are many a(prenominal) reasons why family structures let changed since WWll. The biggest factor has been disjoind, with a dramatic increase from plainly 339 divorces in 1971 to 2,360 in 2015 (nisra.gov.uk 14/09/17). There are now approximately 1.7 million lone-parent families in Britain making up active 25% of families. This was due to the Divorce clean up Act of 1969 taking force in 1971.The social stigma of divorce was no longer as big an issue and financial liberty is now increasing for women, making it easier on women to leave their husbands (www.theguardian.com). This devalued marriage, with many choosing not to legally marry. 36% of adults in Northern Ireland remain single (NI Census, 2011). Cohabitation is on the increase, with almost 6 in 10 babies being innate(p) to either unmarried parents or a single mother. The add up are greatest in capital of Northern Ireland and Derry (The Belfast Telegraph, 23/9/15). Cohabitation during and later WW2 would have been seen as unforgivable with hardly any couple doing so. carve up of factors have changed to make couples living together out of wedlock much relaxed. There has been a decrease in social stigma and a decreasing church influence, with only 1 in 10 mess now regularly attending church (www.bbcnews.co.uk). However, Northern Ireland has the highest level of churchgoers in the UKwww.faithsurvey.co.uk. Only 36% of marriages take place in church examine to 1960 when all marriages took place in a church (www.stp.pembrokeshire.sch.uk).The introduction and approachability of contraception have had an influence on family structures. This has had a major launch on couples starting their families, especially if they are concentrating on building their career. consort to BBC News (4/12/11) in Britain in the 1960s, the oral contraceptive was available only to married women who felt their families were complete. By 1974 all women, including those who were single could have the pill prescribed. When contraception was more widely used it affected the UK by couples having smaller families. They were able to plan if and when to start and family and how many children to have. The NI Census shows a reduction in the average household size from 2.65 in 2001 to 2.54 in 2011. Many couples are now child slight. The Sunday Times magazine (Christina Patterson, 20/10/13) backs up this information stating that It is estimated that, by 2018, 25% of British women of childbirth age will never have a baby, and this increases to a third of women with degrees. The dependence of women working in WW2 and the suffragette movement meant that the roles of women changed significantly and by the 1960s, 38% of women were employed (www.bbc.co.uk). The equal pay act was passed in 1970 plentiful women their rights, however, according to ONS statistics on average, women are paid over 19% less than men. Followed by the Sex Discrimination Act, then shortly after women at last won the right to 14 weeks maternity leave in 1993 and more in recent years. These acts allow women to work in within a working environment fairly and being paid the same as men which means that single parents have a better luck of coping on their own rather than being having the stress of determination a partner (www.bbc.co.uk). Statistics back this up by stating that there are now approximately 1.7million lone parent families in B ritain this makes up about 25% of all families (Fisher et al 2012)There has also been an increase in families based on same-sex civil partners as a result of order in 2004. The first same-sex civil partnership took place in Belfast in December 2005. The number of same-sex marriages in Northern Ireland from 2005 to 2015 have kaput(p) up and down throughout the years due to media portrayals. In 2005 there were 12 same-sex marriages increasing to the highest number is ever been in 2010 at 116. The numbers have decreased since then to 89 in 2015.