Back in the 50's and 60's marriage and the family overall were more valued than in today's. Today people were getting married, having kids and building strong family units. Today people all over the world are not seeing a point to marriage or having a family of their own. During family relations class this week, we discussed the comparisons of unplanned pregnancies from the year 1950 to the year 2000. In the year of 1950 50% of couples found out they were pregnant, got married and kept their child, 49% of couples would put their baby up for adoption and 1 % of couples had an abortion. In the year 2000 50% of couples still got married and kept their child, and 1% of couples were putting the child up for adoption leaving 49% of couples having an abortion. I soon came to realize that we are in what is called by some as the "Me Generation". Today couples are concerned with their own lives than they are about building a family of their own. People are much more career driven than the past years.
In the 50's more woman were stay at home moms. While today more women are wanting a career. I am not that wanting a career is a bad thing but should it be focus in our the focus of our lives? Another reasons we might be considered the "Me Generation" is because we are so focused on ourselves and our careers that we feel it may be too much work and effort to have a family. Really challenging but are worth the effort. What couples or a family go through can actually strengthen that relationship. In times of trials we need to turn to others for support and these challenges could actually turn into rewarding experiences that bring us closer to our families and strengthen us. One of the reasons why divorce rates may be going up is people don't put forth the effort to work through the challenging times. People are putting off marriage and family later and later because they are focused on pursuing their careers.
Don't get me wrong relationships and families require time and work and at times can be really challenging but they are both worth it. Some people don't realize that the trials a couple or a family goes through can strengthen that relationship ever so strongly. That time of hardship requires us to lean on others and can turn out to be some of the most rewarding experiences we have. Everyone is obviously not this way but this is part of the reason why divorce rates and the age of when people get married keep going up.
Why does it matter so what if there are fewer marriages and children? Families matter for many reasons. If we keep the social trend going, the family unit will continue to decline and could cause a decrease in population and possibly eventually lead to our extinction. One important reason for families is that they enrich our lives and give us happiness and joy that we could not find anywhere else. We learn from our family members and they learn from us. It is because of all I have learned in being part of a family that I want a family of my own. It will probably be the most challenging experience in my life but nothing would bring me greater joy.
Me and my family (I have a mom, dad, three brothers and a sister):
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