Notion: Idea of progress

Notion: Idea of progress

I’m going to present you the notion « Idea of progress ». First, the progress is the idea to move forward, to evolve to some case better, to advance and improve in particular area. Whether in the field of technology with the smartphones, laptops, internet or social networks, in medicine with vaccine or artificial organs, in the culture evolution of the art, in society with the women rights, rights of workers, homosexuals or family structure, progress is everywhere around us and take different forms.

        Here, we will focus on the evolution of family structure from the 40s in America, and ask ourselves if it’s a progress? And, to what extent the American family structure evolution illustrate the notion of progress?

Foremost, we distinguish two types of family structures, the traditional family called “Nuclear family” and the modern family.

The nuclear family is a model of family structure composed of a couple (mother and father) and their children. The man used to be the sole breadwinner whereas the woman stayed at home to take care about their progeny and the house. We can observe this family model in the document “American Family Life”. This photograph represents a typical situation in an average American family in the 1950s or 1960s. The father seems to have just come back work since he is still wearing his overcoat and his attaché-case is next to him. He is being welcomed by his daughter and son, who are giving him a tender hug. While his wife, whose apron shows she is a housewife, is watching them with admiration. This family seems to be perfect, but the article accompanying the picture shows that it is not.  Indeed at that time, women have few rights, they are completely dependent on their husband and can not work without their agreement. They where treated like second-class citizens, were unhappy in their marriage, and limits to take care of home and children.

But, with time and changing of mentalities, family structure evolved. Far from the nuclear family, new models appear as shown in the audio document “Evolving families”. Couples start cohabiting and live together with their children while they are not married for several reasons, either for financial reason, or “a step along the way toward marriage”.

Today, in the 21st century, women have more rights, divorce is a common place, and children live in one parent household.

Moreover, today, they are same-sex couples who can marry and adopt children or resort to surrogate mothers. As in this document, with the example of Chris and Jim two men married with a two years old son, Jeremy. But despite this great progress in the mentalities, homosexual marriage is not recognized everywhere worldwide.

The cartoon “Awards” also shows the progress of the family structure. We can see a men who has just been rewarded with a prize, he thanks his two fathers, his biological and surrogate mother. The cartoon show that family, nowadays is not simply composed of a father, a mother, but structures have appeared, like surrogate parents, same sex parents, single parents.

        But, the document “Back to the good old family” poses a problem, should we not return to traditional values?

        Personally, I think the main is not to know what type of structure is the best, but in which each individual that best sense. Whether a traditional model of nuclear family (a mother and a father), an unmarried couples, a same-sex couples (two women or two man) or a single parent, the important is understand how people are happiest, how they can best provide for their children. This is why the evolution of family structure illustrates the idea of progress in mentalities.

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