| Concept Over the past couple of decades, in the West, the traditional family unit has radically changed, and new traditional models have arisen. There has been a decrease in the number of children living in families that are headed by a couple and an increase in those living in families with a lone parent. In the Uk nearly a quarter of children live in lone-parent families, compared with a 1 in 5 ten years ago and 1 in 8 in the early 1980s. It is not only the family unit, but households in general that are changing: a growing trend is towards ‘singularisation’. In Europe around 20–25% of all households comprise one person, while in the US the figure is even higher. Trajectory There are more people living by themselves, or in one-parent households in the Uk than people living as part of a traditional nuclear family. An increase in divorce rates in the eighties was thought to be the main contributor to the changes seen, but today the increase in lone parents is mainly attributed to a growth in the proportion of births outside of marriage. The trajectory has taken shape over the last 30 years, more than the life of one generation. The social changes to which this trajectory is attributed are firmly embedded within Western cultures; it would be very hard for any government legislation or policy to reverse the trends. We can therefore expect to see a continued growth in families headed by a single parent. It is interesting that there is diversity within political parties in terms of strategies regarding changing family dynamics. Some parties are trying to reverse the trend, proposing policies that would benefit married couples, others are accepting that this trend is here to stay and looking at designing policy that accepts these changes. In 2006, 25% of homes in the Uk were single-person households. By 2020, 40% of all British households are forecast to be under single occupancy. This is put down to a variety of factors, such as people staying single until later in life, divorce being easier, and longer lifespans, especially for women. However, the business trend is still towards shops and stores catering for younger shoppers. Impact There has been relatively little research into the impact of changing family types on society and the true impact is not likely to be understood for some time to come. Some believe that the growth in the gang culture in some parts of the West can be partially attributed to an increase in males growing up in a single parent family – and more specifically raised by their mother, without a male role model. The thinking is that these males do not understand their role within the family, are dropping out of school early and are turning to gangs as their new families within which they have a role to play. As the nature of families changes and evolves, social change is sure to occur – with cascading impacts both positive and negative. |
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