Role Changes and The Impact of Childbearing on The Family

There has been changing roles in the family structure which is mostly associated with childbearing. For instance, the economic, social-control and educational purposes which were initially performed by the family have nowadays been taken by other institutes like the school, church and group work institutions. Although the family does not perform fewer functions, the specific roles which were once played in the homestead have changed leading to adopting of new specific functions, refinements, additions, and elaborations (Goldscheider et al., 2015). Changes in the role of the family can be attributed to two groups of the cause. The first one is the development of other institutions while the second is the changes in humans’ cultural values and ideology.

The changing roles evidenced in our families have had a significant impact on childbearing. During the early days, the guiding ideas in any family were character, obedience and bringing a child in the way he/she should go. Nowadays things have changed, and people believe in respecting the average “growth and development” of the children. The harsh discipline which was once imagined to being salutary is today an anathema (Lundberg et al., 2016). In the past, we were cautioned against overprotection and excessive love where some parents were led in the desire of fulfilling their responsibility according to contemporary standards or in their search for security. Lastly, the changes in childbearing are linked to changing ideology which impacts values, means, and instruments used in attaining the principles

References

Goldscheider, F., Bernhardt, E., & Lappegård, T. (2015). The gender revolution: A framework for understanding changing family and demographic behavior. Population and Development Review, 41(2), 207-239.

Lundberg, S., Pollak, R. A., & Stearns, J. (2016). Family inequality: Diverging patterns in marriage, cohabitation, and childbearing. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 30(2), 79-102.