7. Family

Family size

• Families in many countries are not as large as they used to be
• We tend to live in small nuclear families rather than large extended families
• Parents tend to have fewer children
• Young children are no longer expected to work
• Nowadays both parents often work
• It costs so much to bring children up
• It is more difficult to raise a large family

Working parents (also see “gender” topic)

• Children and their parents seem to be less close nowadays
• Parents spend less time with their children
• Women traditionally stayed at home to cook, clean and look after children
• Nowadays both parents often work full time
• Children may be left alone, or with nannies or babysitters
• Busy parents have less contact with their children
• Many families no longer eat meals together
• Children spend more time with friends or surfing the Internet

Negative effects on Children

• The lack of closeness in families can have a negative effect on children
• Many parents have no idea how their children spend their time
• Friends, television and the Internet become the main influence on children’s behavior
• Teenagers are influenced by peer pressure
• Some of them join gangs
• Juvenile delinquency is on the increase
• Parents should be more involved with their children’s upbringing
• Young people need positive role models

Divorce

• In the past, divorce was unacceptable
• It was considered to be embarrassing for a family
• People stayed together for religious or family reasons
• Divorce is more socially acceptable nowadays
• It has become much more common
• Divorce can be extremely stressful
• Lone parents may face financial difficulties
• Many single parents have to rely on benefits paid by the state
• Divorce can have a negative effect on children
• Children from single-parent families are more likely to get lower grades or drop out of school.
• The rise in divorce rates may be connected to some social problems

Care for Old people

• Caring for elderly people was traditionally the responsibility of families
• Adults had to look after their elderly parents
• A woman’s job was to stay at home taking care of her family
• Nowadays, fewer elderly people are looked after by their relatives
• Residential homes provide care for large number of elderly people
• Some families are unable to look after elderly relatives
• Families tend to be smaller these days, and women often have full-time jobs
• Cares homes provide a professional service for senior citizens
• Nurses are better trained than family members

Care for Old people: Opinion

• The best form of care for the elderly depends on the family situation
• It depends on whether family members have the time resources
• We all have a responsibility towards the older people in our society
• Governments should invest money in facilities and training for care workers.

家庭规模

• 在很多国家，家庭不再像以前那么大
• 我们倾向注意一个小的核心家庭而非大的扩大家庭
• 父母倾向要更少的孩子
• 年轻孩子不再期待去工作
• 如今父母都经常工作
• 把孩子养大成人花费很多
• 养一个大家庭更加困难

工作父母

• 如今孩子和他们的父母似乎不再那么亲密
• 父母花更少的时间在他们的孩子身上
• 女人传统待在家做饭、打扫和照看孩子
• 如今父母都经常全职工作
• 孩子们或许会被孤立，或者和保姆和幼儿照看者待在一起
• 忙碌的父母和他们的孩子接触变少
• 许多家庭不再一块吃饭
• 孩子们花更多的时间和朋友们待在一起或者上网

对孩子的消极影响

• 家庭亲密的缺失会对孩子产生一个消极的影响
• 许多父母不知道他们的孩子怎么度过他们的时间
• 朋友、电视和网络成为孩子们行为的主要影响因素
• 青少年被同龄压力影响
• 他们中的一些加入枪击
• 青少年犯罪正在上升
• 父母应该更加参与到孩子的抚养中
• 年轻人需要积极的角色榜样

离婚

• 过去，离婚是不被接受的
• 对家庭来说这被认为是蒙羞的
• 因为宗教和家庭的原因人们聚集在一起
• 如今离婚更加被社会接受
• 它变得越来越普遍
• 离婚可以是十分有压力的
• 单独的父母或许面对经济困难
• 许多单亲父母不得不依赖州提供的救济(benefits)
• 离婚会对孩子产生一个消极的影响
• 来自单亲家庭的孩子更容易取得低分或者辍学
• 离婚率的上升和一些社会问题相联系

对老人的关怀

• 传统上照顾老人被认为是家庭的责任
• 成年人必须照顾他们老了的父母
• 一个女人的工作就是待在家照顾她的家庭
• 如今，更少的老人是由他们的亲属照顾
• 住宅给大多数老人提供了照料
• 一些家庭不能够照料他们老了的亲属
• 如今家庭正变得越来越小，女人经常有全职工作
• Cares homes 给年长的城市居民提供了专业的服务
• 保育员比家庭成员更好地得到训练

对老人的关怀:观点

• 对老人最佳的关怀方式取决于家庭情况
• 它取决于家庭成员是否有时间资源
• 在我们的社会我们都有对老人的责任
• 政府应该投资金钱在设施和培训护理员工上