Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The American Family-- Part 2

Today, the nuclear family is all over the place what with so many single-parent households, gay adoptions and women either having fewer children or delaying childbirth.

Recession has continued as one constant indicator of American family size, however with dips in births and marriages immediately following the 1981-82, 1990-91 and 2001 recessions as well as today's downturn.


TV GUIDES TO THE AMERICAN FAMILY

1957-- Leave it to Beaver typifies the 1950s nuclear family from a stable, middle-class home.

1970-- The main character on Mary Tyler Moore is a happily single, career-minded liberated woman.

1992-- Murphy Brown, another single, career-minded woman becomes a mother out of wedlock, causing public criticism.

2010-- Modern family depicts the exploits of a sprawling, extended-family that includes a gay couple and an adopted Asian daughter.

Watch the TV to Find Out. --DaCoot

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