Essay

Family: Is the modern model better that the traditional one?

The last fifty years have seen in Argentina drastic changes in the traditional model of family, which has been replaced by newfamily structures. So vast is this topic that it will not be possible to analyse it in depth throughout this article. This is why most of the changes will only be listed and not thoroughly considered.For instance, some of the matters to ponder are: the age at which people marry, the number of children that parents have, the amount of time spent together, the choice of cohabitation over marriage,among several others. The incidence of these changes is undeniable. However, it may be a matter of opinion whether these changes have occurred for the better or for the worse.

For example, letus take into consideration the age at which people choose to get married. Fifty years ago any unmarried person over thirty was considered a confirmed bachelor or an old maid. Today, at least inArgentina, it is exceedingly rare for someone in their twenties to “wear a wedding ring”, since marriage has been displaced by cohabitation. The main reason for this may be the rising divorce rate whichresults in the belief that marriage is too risky without the possibility of a previous “test”. Even though having time for getting to know each other is essential, to my way of thinking it is love,understanding, communication, and respect for your partner a more fruitful solution to prevent couples from separating.

Another variation in family structure is the number of children people have,which has declined. Unlike previous times when an average family consisted of five or six members, this number has been reduced to three or four. Not only do couples tend to delay marriage nowadaysbut parenthood as well. Due to medical advances, life expectancy has increased. Living longer, parents are postponing childbearing to future years. From my point of view, however fantastic it may be...