The family in which a child is born is his social lifeline. After growing up and becoming an adult, he establishes his personal stability and intimacy by marrying and forming his own family. Family stands as a bridge between the elderly and the young where the former is subjected and the latter is nurtured. That’s why, in the absence of family, the aged become socially devalued. Also, extended family is being replaced by ascending number of nuclear family where the elderly are compelled to cast themselves in different agencies. The traditional family bond is being collapsed whereas divorce and single parenthood has found its importance in this so called modern family.
Different factors indicate that family life is at stake today. The rate of divorce is ever increasing, indicating a future full of uncertainties for almost all the children of the separated couples. Intolerable situation caused by the splitting of parents at the time of their physical and social transition make most of the adolescents flee from their home and become ‘antisocial’.
Similarly, another indicator of a wrecked family life is out-of-wedlock birth where most such children are denied by the family of both parents and are compelled to learn their role in the society from sources outside family, which is not adequate to the needs of growing children. So they are more likely to get involved in different criminal activities, longing for the love and care of their family.
In addition, the two-cheque family is also a solid factor of family violence, which is most familiar to the police and welfare workers nowadays. Industrialization and urbanization have burst the traditional economic team where members cooperate with each other for survival. Furthermore, admitting the children of working parents, institutions have to perform the function of family, including helping them socialize with other children. Also, the position of women in the historically men-dominated society has risen to some extent. This has led to the quest of equality in family roles, hence creating conflict in families. The conflict can eventually lead to divorce as well.
Family today cannot be regarded as the haven of love as it has slowly lost its original functionality, and has become more of a hypocritical institution. Modern partners are less able to trust each other, and the problems they face within the family are more like to be resolved by a third party. That’s why marriage counselors and welfare workers have extended their domains to settle such issues. Lack of trust between the partners is also the symbol of weak love bond. Therefore, increasing hypocrisy between the partners is also a significant factor affecting the family.
Considering the risk of being collapsed, our modern family has been trying to adapt itself to the mind-boggling transition of the society. It can be expected to regain its position if those who are practicing single parenthood and cohabitation realize the importance of family, and those who blame the family as the cause of their descent realize the actual value of an ideal family.
The writer is an A-Level student at Orient College, Narayan Gopal Chowk, Maharajgunj.
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