The Triple Revolutions: Social Sources of Family Change.
The revolution of the postindustrial family is characterized by the creation of the new types of jobs that are suitable for a woman, unlike the hard physical labor of factory work that had been the sole domain of men. These new types of jobs, like those of the service and information sector, are less physically demanding and allow women to pursue a career in them. The previous paradigm of the man as the sole breadwinner was changed by this new development. Women were no longer dependant on a man for her existence and a slave to an unhappy marriage.
But this development in the postindustrial society produced some negative effects as well. It shifted the pattern of the male driven and dominated work force that had been in existence and well established for many centuries. This new economy is shedding jobs that had sustained and maintained a family structure that had been solid and stable for many generations. As more jobs become available and more women are introduced to the workforce, people became more disposable. Wages are reduced when there is no longer a need for jobs that require workers of a higher degree of skill and experience. Jobs that have been a strong and reliable source of sustenance for families are quickly receding. Many jobs are quickly replacing workers with robots and assembly line techniques.
One side effect of this development of our new economy is making the passage into maturity much more difficult for children. Children no longer make a smooth and easy transition into adulthood which was common during the postwar years. The common path of young adults easily finding good paying jobs, marrying young and raising families is no longer as easily traversable. This new economy makes finding a good paying, sustainable job without a college degree almost impossible. The need for a college degree and its accompanying expense now impedes marriage until later in life than previous generations.
The new economy which practically demands a college degree to get a good paying job relegates many people to low paying, dead end jobs. This has resulted in a society of hopelessness and misery toward their future and their limited options. This has also resulted in children being much more dependent on living with their families much later than previous generations and results in much stress and anxiety for both parties.
The life course revolution is the increasing of life expectancy due to the improvement of medical techniques and knowledge. This makes the specter of death less looming than it was in previous generations. People can live longer lives without fear of death that had been so prevalent and common for previous generations. Women no longer have to have so many children to ensure the survival of a few, and can live without maternal responsibilities for a much longer amount of time.
This revolution also allows for a much longer length of marriage and number of years without children living at home. This results in more time for both the husband and wife in the marriage to pursue their own interests. Marriage has become less of a union in the sole purpose of raising children than it’s trend toward being an opportunity for two individuals to build a life to enjoy together.
The third and last revolution of the triple revolution is known as the psychological revolution. It is also known as the “psychological gentrification” for being the revolution that extends cultural advantages to lower socioeconomic classes that had previously only been available to the upper classes. Some examples of these cultural advantages are the availability of higher education, increased leisure time, the ability to travel, a greater access to information, and a rise in the standard of living. Despite the continuance of poverty and economic instability of the industrialized world, people still remain above the level of just making enough money to survive.
This revolution has resulted in a society that is becoming ever more complex and discrete. People are becoming more introspective and yearn toward more depth and intimacy in their personal relationships. Some positive consequences of this revolution are attitudes toward more equality in a marriage, a more democratic set of family values, and more tolerant and compassionate attitude toward others.
These developments have brought many advantages and just as many disadvantages. The relationships between family members have become more fragile yet more emotionally profound. A longer life brings more opportunities and choices, but also increased competition for a limited number of jobs and resources. While women have greater opportunities than in the past they also have to shoulder a persistent inequality between the genders.
Despite the changes of our modern society the family still remains an important institution. Despite the fragility of the institution of marriage, the relationship between parent and child maintains its strength across the course of both parties’ lifetimes. This could be as much a curse as much as a blessing when children remain in the home much longer than is healthy for both children and parents.
Unlike the rest of the world, the United States has fallen behind the developments toward a more compassionate and open attitude toward the positive effects of these changes in our society. Unlike the rest of the world, the United States has remained entrenched in fear toward these developments and resisted anything that appears to go against the traditional view of the family.
The problem with the postindustrial revolution is that women no longer remain in the home to raise and nurture children. Parents are no longer the sole role models. The child is now put into day care, goes on to school, and then goes to the babysitter until the parents get out of work. This removes the child from the presence of the mother and puts the child into strange environments at a much earlier age than previous generations. The sole influence on the child used to be only the parents before they went off to school, and then the mother would be waiting for the child when they came home. The bond between mother and child during the formative years is now shared by the addition of several non-related people. Women come home from work and are too tired to become fully involved in the child’s life. Children are both helped and hindered by these additional influences. The mother becomes less of a figure in the child’s life, equaled to other people, her influence possibly lessened by the influence the child gets from other environments. The child also spends more of its time with adults other than the parents, and also their peers. Parents also work more hours to make more money for a quality of life that is much less than previous generations.
The life course revolution has also had a significant impact on our society. As people realize that they will live longer, the desire for comfort and the accumulation of things becomes more important over quality time shared with family. This has resulted in the rise of our consumer culture, of wanting ever more and more things. Many people become obsessed with giving their children all the toys and gifts that is supposed to somehow increase the fleeting happiness of their children. This results in teaching children that the accumulation of things equals happiness. As people live longer the desire for filling their lives with possessions overtakes the appreciation for just being alive.
The psychological revolution has had more beneficial effects than the other two. We live in a society that is becoming ever more enlightened and ready for change. We are living in a time where people are becoming more tolerant and compassionate towards others.
Works Cited:
Skolnick, Arlene S., and Jerome H. Skolnick. Family in Transition 14th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2007. Print.
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