BEHS 364 Week 1 Discussion: Family/Parenting Trends
BEHS 364 Week 1 Discussion Family Parenting Trends
Family/Parenting Trends
Children grow up in different families with varying features. Characteristically, these features evolve as education, technology, and employment patterns change. Cultural evolution also shapes family and parenting styles. The most interesting family trends in modern society include divorce and gender roles. According to Otriz-Ospina and Roser (2020), divorce rates continue to rise and have doubled among adults aged 35-39. Gender roles have evolved too. Instead of divided roles that create unequal power relations between males and females, children are taught to perform all household chores as essential life skills.
These trends are the most exciting since they transform children’s behaviors and dismantle power relations among genders. Regarding
children’s behaviors, parental divorce is a leading cause of disruptive behaviors such as substance use problems and disruptive mood (D’Onofrio & Emery, 2019). Adolescent adjustment problems are also witnessed among children of divorced parents. These problems further affect children’s academic performance, with many children performing poorly and some dropping out (D’Onofrio & Emery, 2019). The impacts of evolving gender roles are severe too. Sociological and psychological research shows that the evolving gender roles have dismantled masculinity as female dominance increases (Koenig, 2018; Zhu & Chang, 2019). As a result, most stereotypes that define what a boy or a girl should do in a home have been eroded. Such patterns will significantly shape parenting styles in modern families. Other possible outcomes include the perception of marriage, male power, and the role of a family as a social unit.
Questions about Parenting
- Which parenting style(s) is associated with the most beneficial outcomes as far as a child’s development and behaviors are concerned?
- Parenting styles affect a child’s future success on many aspects, including parent-child relationship, interaction with peers, competence, self-esteem, and social life, among others. Which impact area should be the primary concerns for parents and/or caregivers?
- Is the family’s role as the basic social unit being threatened by the changes in family/parenting patterns?
BEHS 364 Week 1 Discussion: Family/Parenting Trends References
D’Onofrio, B., & Emery, R. (2019). Parental divorce or separation and children’s mental health. World psychiatry: Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 18(1), 100–101. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20590
Koenig, A. M. (2018). Comparing prescriptive and descriptive gender stereotypes about children, adults, and the elderly. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1086. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01086
Otriz-Ospina, E., & Roser, M. (2020). Marriages and divorces. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/marriages-and-divorces#divorce-rates-increased-after-1970-in-recent-decades-the-trends-very-much-differ-between-countries
Zhu, N., & Chang, L. (2019). Evolved but not fixed: a life history account of gender roles and gender inequality. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1709. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01709
Respond to the following discussion prompts:
1) In the readings on Family by Joel Moraco, the author mentions several characteristics of the modern family which have evolved along with modernization and social-cultural progression. For instance, the traditional divisions of labor, family roles, marital expectations, incidence and attitudes towards divorce, gender roles, and societal and cultural norms. Briefly describe any TWO of these modern trends. Why do you consider these trends to be most interesting and why?
Be sure to cite your work using APA format and Times New Roman font. If you have questions about APA format, refer to the “APA Style Resources” module posted in the classroom.
2) In order to make this course relevant to your interests and needs, please identify 2-3 questions about parenting that you would like to have answered by the end of the course.
For all discussions in this course, you should post an initial response to the discussion prompts by Thursday evening at 11:59 PM ET, then respond substantively to at least two classmates by Tuesday evening at 11:59 PM ET. When replying to your classmates, think about what you can contribute that will add to the discussion and cause your classmates to think more deeply about the topic. If you notice that a classmate is confused or sharing information that is not supported by research or your readings, think about how you might guide or mentor that classmate to better understand the material. We should all work to build understanding, especially when it comes to a topic as important as parenting.
Refer to the syllabus for grading guidelines.