Norms and Values Surrounding Marriage and Family.

¶ … norms and values surrounding marriage and family. In the fifties, life in the United States was good. Posterity was evident throughout most levels of society and there was little reason to question or even consider the importance of marriage and family. The dawning of the sixties, however, beginning with the Cuban missile crisis, the upheaval over Civil Rights, and the assassination of President Kennedy brought discontent and soul searching that resulted in an examination of society's institutions.

Two of the institutions that came under fire and scrutiny were marriage and family. The change of the sixties and early seventies, produced situations that fall outside the parameters of established norms and individuals began to look outside these norms for support and meaning. The sixties and seventies brought with them a changing scene within the confines of marriage and family.

Women began working outside the home in increased numbers and, as a result, they began to be looked upon less and less as homemakers and to be viewed as an equal breadwinner with their husbands. On the reverse side, however, men did not, and for the most part have not, undertaken to be equal partners with their wives when it comes to domestic responsibilities. Although some men have taken on this burden there remains a wide variance and this has caused considerable tension to develop between the sexes.

Another breakdown in the norms is in the number of births occurring outside of marriage. Since the end of the 1970's, the number of out of marriage births has nearly doubled to the point where marriage is no longer viewed as a prerequisite for having children. Prior to the 1950's, it would have been nearly unthinkable for the wife to work outside the home and it was considered immoral for a woman to have a child without being married. Today, neither event draws much attention.

Two other developments in the last fifty years have also contributed significantly to the deinstitutionalization of marriage. The first such change is the severe increase in the number of individuals choosing to cohabitate instead of opting to marry. Like the two previously mentioned changes, cohabitation was once viewed as morally reprehensible. Beginning in the mid-60's and continuing through the next two decades and into the present, co-habitation has lost its social stigma and is readily acceptable by most members of society as an acceptable life-choice (Coontz).

Similarly, the increased incidence of same-sex marriage and cohabitation has also been more widely accepted. Both developments have also contributed to the deinstitutionalization of marriage and have also redefined the concept of what constitutes a family in American society (Zinn). Prior to the 1960's, hetero-sexual couples lived together only as husband and wife and homosexual couples were viewed as being totally. A family was considered to be a father, a mother, and several children. Fifty years later that image has been altered considerably.

In twenty-first century America, there is a wide variation in what constitutes a couple and an even wider variation in what constitutes a family. The norms of the fifties have been gradually deteriorating to the point where they are no longer considered to be the norm. In today's society the meaning of marriage and the concept of family remain important but the norms and values surrounding both institutions are changing. Each marriage is now unique and is defined more.