Family Culture Over Time

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It's really no surprise that the family culture in America has changed so much over time. Looking back in history I sometimes wonder how they lived the way they did but of course, that was normal to them and all they knew. If the people in the past could look into the future at our day I'm sure they would think we were insane too. The picture above is of my Nana and Papa, it's the only picture my Nana has from their wedding back in 1965. It's crazy to think just how much has changed since then.

 I'm going to go back to the very beginning, to Colonial America, when practically everything was different, especially concerning the family. Back then you were highly encouraged to get married and if you stayed single for too long you were even stigmatized. Men were also expected to be financially independent with a house, property and a stable job before they got married. Families tended to be larger as well, mainly because of the lack of birth control, it wasn't uncommon for families to have 7 or 8 children. When it came to divorce there were also many different laws than what we have today. In the south divorce was completely illegal (of course that didn't stop people as they would desert their families instead). In the north, divorce was legal but only if there was a legitimate reason such as adultery, cruelty, or a long period of absence. 

Things are a little different, or very different now. There's not a ton of encouragement to get married anymore (as I mentioned in my first blog post) although marriage is still a big part of our society, the rush to get married is no longer there. There are no longer any laws against divorce and very rarely do you see families with 7 or 8 kids. Being a single parent is more common today than it ever was years ago, an increasing amount of people have even opted for having a family without ever getting married. Single parent families have increased from just 3.5 million in 1970 to 12.8 million in 2009. Of course, some of these parents are voluntarily single through divorce or they simply never got married.

Many other cultural changes have occurred over the years, I'm glad they have in some ways! 

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