The basic unit of every society is the family. Human beings, being recognizably social in nature, function as groups and the basic unit in all these groups is the family. It is then safe to argue that the weakening of the family can be the primary cause of some of the problems that society is currently facing. The reason for this is that at the most basic level the most important social and moral functions are presumably instilled upon each of the younger members in order to prepare them for their interaction which a much larger social group which is society.
This basic task of preparing the children falls upon the parents of the family upon whom all impressions and predetermined notions devolve from. The problem, however, is that because of the weakening of the family due to the inability of the parents to fulfill their roles the younger individuals are sent into the world unprepared to face the challenges of social interaction at a larger scale. The root of this problem may have begun when the family as a basic structural unit in society became incomplete.
It is not necessarily because of the women seeking jobs to help support the family which is the primary cause but the fact that most modern households, something which may have begun in the 1960s, operate under what is called the single household model. In this model, there is one active parent playing all the roles in the family. There is no duality which clearly demonstrates the nature of society as one of cooperation. In most instance, basic family units, even as early as the 60s, had only one parent present at one time or no parents during the day and in certain cases during the evening.
Families are indeed becoming weaker as the cost of living and providing for a family becomes more and more expensive. Traditional two parent households are now forced to break up to find jobs to provide for the basic family needs. When both parents are working, there is nobody left to carry out the social responsibility of educating the children. Schools and foster care can only do so much to prepare the children for the world. Parents still exercise the primary expertise and accountability in this matter.
This problem is much easier to identify, however, than it is to solve. The only possible alternative may be to find a way to allow both parents to relegate their financial duties to a certain extent to allow them more time to spend with their families. The family as the basic unit of society must be strengthened. This can only be done by sending more time nurturing and educating the younger generation. There is no quick fix or law that can be passed to remedy this situation.
In this present time and age, parents must find time, no matter how short it may be, to be with their families.
References:
Giarrusso, R. , V. L. Bengtson, and M. Stallings. 1994. The “intergenerational stake” hypothesis revisited. Parent-child differences in perceptions of relationships 20 years later. In Adult intergenerational relations, eds. V. L. Bengston, K. W. Schaie, and L. M. Burton, 227-263. New York: Springer. McDonald, P. 2000. Gender equity, social institutions and the future of fertility. Journal of Population Research 17:1-16.