Idea of progress: how has family structure evolved aloègside a changing society?

Nowadays, there are different types of family, depending on the contries of different culture. It’s true that a few years ago there was just one model which was the ideal traditional family. But that is diversifying with times and evolution.

The “idea of progress” is a theory that the different advances in technology, science and social organization can produce an improvement in the human condition. Progress implies change and evolution and throughout history most of the advances have been positive. However the rhythm of progress seems to have accelerated over the last few decades.

How haves family structure evolved alongside a changing society?

We will first talk about the traditional family model. Then we'll talk about the new type of family.

First, “Victoria era” happens during the 20th century when Queen Victoria was in power. During this era, there was an ideal family. There are, a public sphere, where because the man, he work and a private sphere, when is a woman who raise children for example. Also, there are social classes too, that are well-defined. There are the poor classes for example with the homeless people orphans, the working classes with the servants.

Post WW2, they are a type of family that has seen the day in USA, it’s the nuclear family. Men came back from the front. He is veterans. I will go to speak about the picture “model family”. In this photo, woman is at home (when she cooking, cleaning or taking care of children). The woman is admirative and proud of her husbands who are in public sphere (like in Victoria era).he’s the head of family breadwinner.

Then, following these models of perfect family, with the evolution of society there has been a malfunction at the level of families.in effect, there are divorce, sexual emancipation. And of this, was the result of new type of family. There are several types of family. In class, we are show different family show on tv in series. I want to speak about one series in particular which is “modern family”. In this series, they show the different type that there is now, the blended family, the mono-parental family, or the homosexual for example.

The idea of progress as far as family is considered is inevitably connected to the evolution of modern society. Strict traditional education used to be quite common within large families who passed on strongly conservative moral values to theirs children.

Over the last century, male-dominated societies have been challenged and women have become emancipated, financially and sexually. As a consequence, values have been redefined and new family structures have emerged: single parenthood etc...

But resistance and counter-movements have also developed: they criticize the changes in family profiles that they consider an illusion of progress and advocate a society founded on traditional faily units for religious and politically conservative reasons.

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