The Role of Non-Profits as Society Evolves

Turner concludes that the interchanges and interconnections between the cores of the major social institutions have become more complex. However, he goes on to add that although these interchanges have varied historically, the more fundamental relationships among institutions have remained the same. This text seeks to analyze how the role of nonprofits, including the impact, scope, and mission, have evolved historically with the evolving interconnections and interchanges of the core institutions. It specifically focuses on the evolution of the interconnections between the cores of family and religion, and the impact of these on the missions of early learning or daycare centers.

Evolution of the Cores of the Family Institution

Before the industrial and commercial revolutions, the family was largely patriarchal, and its role extended beyond the procreative couple to include lateral kin and grandparents. The pre-industrial family gained legitimacy from the traditions of property, community, and religion (Gerstein et al., 1988). With the demands of social and geographical mobility resulting from industrialization, this kind of family was replaced by one that a) was authorized by civil contracts, b) possessed greater equality between parents of different genders, and c) was isolated from the extended kin (Gerstein et al., 1988). Some sources have heralded these changes to the family as evidence of deterioration of the traditional Western family, while others view it as a sign of the familys adaptability in a bid to fit into other modern institutions (Gerstein et al., 1988). There is contention, however, that the institutional cores of the family have changed within several fundamental lines.

First, the family unit has evolved from the extended family setup to the residentially-nuclear family type as a result of commercialization and industrialization that led to rural-urban migration (Stevenson & Wolfers, 2007). According to Gerstein et al. (1988), the pre-industrial extended family setup provided an environment in which children were raised in an emotionally-supportive environment to be responsible and independent. However, the ties of the extended family were not completely eroded despite families being geographically dispersed, lateral kinship ties are still maintained through telephone and social media networks (Gerstein et al., 1988).

Society has changed the way it defines and structures the human life span. In the traditional society, the stages of life childhood, adolescence, youth, midlife, and old age were merely biologically-driven (Gerstein et al., 1988). Today, however, these are mostly consolidated as a product of educational and social forces (Gerstein et al., 1988). The post-industrial family has given up much of its direct control over marriage, courtship, and economic training of the young (Gerstein et al., 1988). With increases in cases of

These changes have been brought about by advocacy for gender equality, increases in the number of families founded through civil contracts, and no-fault divorce legislations (Gerstein et al., 1988). These factors have led to an unprecedented growth in single-parent families that are no longer patriarchal in nature (headed by a male), and where women spend less time bringing up their children, especially if they are the sole breadwinners (Buehler & OBrien, 2017).

Evolution of the Cores of Religion

Sources contend that as societies become modernized, there is a move towards secularization, where religion tends to lose its force (Gerstein et al., 1988; Wood & Shaver, 2018). Religion was a strong force in the traditional society and religious values served as the guideline for the societal order (Wood & Shaver, 2018). With modernization, and increases in literacy levels, the society has grown less reliant on traditional religious beliefs (Wood & Shaver, 2018). Very often, the phenomenon of changing values derives from changes in societys interpretation, including attaching new meanings to phenomena based on the socio-cultural and socio-economic context within which an individual lives (Wood & Shaver, 2018). With industrialization and modernization came substantial developments within society such as urbanization, growing economic security, as well as advances in science and technology, all of which have had a strong influence on the ranking of religious values (Wood & Shaver, 2018).

Looking at religious values and norms, a change of values can be observed, with religious institutions such churches as losing their influence on certain domains of social life such as in matters of crime, marriage, divorce, and abortion. The declining involvement of the church in marriage issues, for instance, due to the passage of no-fault legislation by the political class; limits the involvement of religious institutions and changes the way society views divorce. As more and…