American family decline, 1960-1990: a review and appraisal

Contrary to the view of some academics that the family in America is not declining but just changing, the thesis of this article is that family decline since 1960 has been extraordinarily steep, and its social consequences serious, especially for children. Drawing mainly on U.S. Census data, family...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of marriage and family 1993-08, Vol.55 (3), p.527-555
Main Author: Popenoe, D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
An Exchange on American Family Decline
Change
Children
Cohabitation
Cultural Change
Cultural Values
Demography
Divorce
Divorce rates
Families
Familism
Family
family disintegration
Family Life
Family members
Family Problems
Family Relations
family structure
marriage
Mothers
Nuclear Family
Parents
Social Change
social impact
social systems
Sociology
Trend Analysis
trends
U.S.A
United States of America
Values
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Summary:Contrary to the view of some academics that the family in America is not declining but just changing, the thesis of this article is that family decline since 1960 has been extraordinarily steep, and its social consequences serious, especially for children. Drawing mainly on U.S. Census data, family trends of the past three decades are reviewed. The evidence for family decline is appraised in three areas: demographic, institutional, and cultural. It is argued that families have lost functions, power, and authority, that familism as a cultural value has diminished, and that people have become less willing to invest time, money, and energy in family life, turning instead to investments in themselves. Recent family decline is more serious than any decline in the past because what is breaking up is the nuclear family, the fundamental unit stripped of relatives and left with two essential functions that cannot be performed better elsewhere: childrearing and the provision to its members of affection and companionship.
ISSN:0022-2445
1741-3737
DOI:10.2307/353333