THE AMERICAN FAMILY

*/ Extended family: A family includes: father, mother, children, aunts, uncles, grandparents,... */ Single-parent family: Only father or mother lives their children.[r]

THE AMERICAN FAMILY

GROUP MEMBER

1 Vũ Ngọc Chiên

THE AMERICAN FAMILY

1 Family Structures

1 FAMILY STRUCTURES

Mother: Homemaker – The

one took care of children Children:under 18 years old Often

Father: Breadwinner – The one earned the money to support the family

Family

Present:

ã About ẳ American family is nuclear but mother holds jobs outside the home

ã About ắ American family are:

*/ Extended family: A family includes: father, mother, children, aunts, uncles, grandparents,

*/ Single-parent family: Only father or mother lives their children

*/ Blended family: Previously married spouses with children remarry

*/ Part-time parent family: Parent is only with the rest of the family for weekend

• The emphasis on Individual Freedom:

*/ Family as a group whose primary purpose is to advance the happiness of individual members The

needs of each individual take priority in the life of the family

*/ Members not like to be controlled by other family members

*/ Members have their own decisions without telling to family memebers

*/ Parents give their children a lot freedom because they want to teach them to be independent and self-reliant

a Marriage:

• Few marriages are arranged in US Most parents have little control and not much influence

• Most of Americans believe people should fall in love and decide to marry someone they can live happily with • Happiness is based primarily on companionship again

evidence of the importance of an individual’s happiness • People have the attitude “If the marriage doesn’t work, I

can get a divorce” People only want what is good for themselves even if it’s not the best for someone else

b/ Divorce:

A divorce is easy obtain in most parts of the US They think that it is easier to fill out paperwork than to put in the time and effort to make the marriage work.

Main reasons for divorce

Communication breakdown

(67,5%)

Infidelity

Lack of commitment

b/ Divorce:

Cohabitation:

• American tend to choose cohabitation or

living without marriage They don’t have to worry about the legal effects of divorce and leaving is as easy as packing.

• Cohabiting couples have twice the breakup rate of married couples

c Children:

• American emphasis on the individual => it may cause children have more power than they should. • Parents tend to emphasis on material things, needs

than on the child’s social and family responsibilities.

• Parents think that it may be better off living one parent than with two who are constantly arguing and children are not embarrassed to say that their parents are divorced

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