1Reviews and everything / British Family

Alex Kvartalny @ flamedragon27.blogspot.com

Group 501

British Family Translation

Whatever the views on family life are, balanced, stable families and the assertion of family rights definitely symbolize public welfare. Sociologist are saying that marriage is still common, although the concept of an ideal family and the so-called Victorian are a thing of the past. There are people who say that the family unit in Britain is in crisis. In addition to that some politicians tend to blame numerous social disasters on the decline of family life.

As a rule, a family can be defined as a group of people related by blood or law, living together or associating with one another for a common purpose, for example proving food and shelter, and also bringing up children. Sociologists divide families into two general types: the nuclear family consisting of two parents and two children and the extended family. Although the first is typical the number of households containing a nuclear family is discernibly shrinking year by year.

The 2000s saw a drastic change in the British family life. Alternative marriages and lifestyles, single-parent families became socially acceptable, children get more freedom. Until relatively recently, most mothers in Britain did not take paid work. Now they make up 44% of the workforce. At the same time despite the fact that the growing number of women became the breadwinner in the family, their work tends to be low-paid and irregular.

Child care is Britain's burning issue because of the infamous latch-key kids phenomenon who remain unattended for a long time. Parents may employ a nanny or give the child to child-care centres where child-minder looks after the child. Because this option can be rather expensive many parents would rather their children attended creches run by the local council. School children's parents often have to work part time to adjust themselves to the time-table.

The 1971 divorce law made it significantly simpler to get a divorce. The 'irretrievable breakdown of marriage' became the only reason for a divorce petition. It is no longer criticized by the church and is considered to be a purely personal business. This resulted in the increase in the number of divorces, and it is children who suffer in the first place.

One of the tendencies in post-war Britain is testing out relationships by cohabitation, which does not necessarily lead to a marriage. As a result, the number of children born outside marriage has increased. Single-parent families is a relatively common phenomenon in Britain. The reasons for that can be different - be it death of the spouse or disruption of cohabitation. It is single mothers who become clearly at a disadvantage because their income cannot be high and they cannot look after the children properly. As public opinion goes, children need role models of both sexes.

Along with the traditional British family there are other forms of family life that were introduced by the immigrants and national minorities. Families in Asian communities are based on close kinship ties, much attention is paid to commitment to relatives from the country of origin. The male is dominant in family life of immigrants from South Asia and he is the one who takes care of the family budget and makes decisions. Nevertheless, many families that are Indian in origin have the female at its head.

After the 1960s when the society of freedom began to develop, children were treated less strictly. Beating up was condemned by the society. Many children have an independent life at an early age and leave home already at 18.

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