A. Read the text and answer the questions below.

In the past, grandparents, parents, and children used to live together; in other words, they had an extended family. Sometimes two or more brothers with their wives and children were part of this large family group. But family structure is changing throughout the world. The nuclear family consists of only one father, one mother, and children; it is becoming the main family structure everywhere.

The nuclear family offers married women some advantages: they have freedom from their relatives, and the husband does not have all the power of the family. Family structure in most parts of the world is still patriarchal; that is, the father is the head of the family and makes most of the important decisions. Studies show, however, that in nuclear families, men and women usually make an equal number of decisions about family life. Also, well-educated husbands and wives often prefer sharing the power.

But wives usually have to "pay" for the benefits of freedom and power. When women lived in extended families, sisters, grandmothers, and aunts helped one another with housework and childcare. In addition, older women in a large family group had important positions. Wives in nuclear families do not often enjoy this benefit, and they have another disadvantage, too: women generally live longer than their husbands, so older women from nuclear families often have to live alone.

Studies show that women are generally less satisfied with marriage than men are. In the past, men worked outside the home and women worked inside. Housework and childcare were a full-time job, and there was no time for anything else. Of course, this situation is changing. Women now work outside the home and have more freedom than they did in the past. Why, then, are some women still discontent?

In most parts of the world today, women work because the family needs more money. However, their outside jobs often give them less freedom, not more, because they still have to do most of the housework. The women actually have two full-time jobs – one outside the home and another inside – and not much free time.

The nuclear family will probably continue to be the main family form of the future. Change, however, usually brings disadvantages along with benefits, and the family forms of the past had many advantages.

1. Who used to live together in extended families?

2. What advantages does the nuclear family offer women?

3. Why do wives have to pay for the benefits of the nuclear family?

4. Why are some women dissatisfied with marriage?

5. What does change usually bring?

B. Compare and contrast:

1) nuclear and extended families;

2) one-parent and childless families;

3) cohabitation and marriage;

4) the families of your two close friends;

5) the adoption of somebody else's and the new spouse's children.

Exercise 22.

A. Prepare a talk beginning with the sentence:

Most people prefer the family because it provides its members with protection, companionship, security, socialization and...

B. Listen to your group-mates' talks, take notes of the new (not mentioned by you) points, discuss the controversial ones and unite your efforts in creating a final list of at least a dozen well-grounded reasons for family life.

Exercise 23. Have you ever thought what makes a good big family? Translate the following text and discuss it (argue if necessary the controversial characteristics or even delete them). Are there any characteristics that should be added? Explain them.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16