American way of family life.

When Americans use the term “family”, they are usually referring to a father, a mother, and their children. This is the so called “nuclear family”. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and others who might be labeled “family” in many other countries are “relatives” in American terminology. These usages reflect the fact that, for most Americans, the family is a small group of people, not an extended network.

Like many other aspects of American life, families are changing. The traditional father-dominated family is becoming less common. There are more and more households in which both parents work, and in which the males have taken on household responsibilities that used to be left to females. There are more single-parent families. Large numbers of teenage children are employed, and thus have a disposable income of their own. It is increasingly common to find unmarried couples leaving together, unmarried women having a children, and “blended families” that are composed of a man, a woman and both of their children from previous marriages.

However modern or liberated a family may be, there is likely to be at least some reflection of the traditional male-female role division. Traditionally, the female was responsible for matters inside the house: cleaning, caring for the children, shopping for groceries and clothing, and preparing meals. The male was responsible for things outside the house: maintaining the family car (or cars) and the yard. The man would be expected to take care of whatever home repairs and improvements were within his capabilities.

The children are expected to contribute at least in some measure to home maintenance. They are responsible for certain “chores”, such as washing dishes, vacuuming carpets, and keeping their rooms clean. Children of different sexes may have sensibilities that reflect their traditional household responsibilities of their sex. Thus, boys are more likely to be responsible for mowing the lawn and girls for washing dishes or elementary cooking (with the mother’s guidance).

The children get considerable attention. Many American homes are what sociologists call “child-centered”. That is, the children’s perceived needs, interests, and preferences strongly influence the way in which the parents spend their time and money. Parents play with their young children. They send them to “preschool” and enroll them in lessons and classes of many kinds (music, dance, sports, and arts). They arrange for their children to get together with other children their own age. They talk to their children as though the children were simply small adults, asking their opinions and, in some measure, taking those opinions into account when making decisions that affect the entire family. These child-centered families seem very busy, since each child has a schedule of lessons, practices and social engagements.

From the viewpoint of most foreigners, though, American families are generally more child-centered than families in their own countries. Foreign visitors are often surprised to see how many American teenagers have jobs. The teenagers earn their own money for entertainment, clothes or a car by delivering newspapers, cooking or washing dishes is a fast-food restaurants, mowing lawns or other menial activities. Some save at least part of their income for college expenses. From the parents` viewpoint, having a job gives their children valuable training in acting independently, managing their time and money, and accepting responsibility for their own decisions.

American parents generally expect that their children’s lives will be at least as comfortable materially as their own, if not more so. When they think about their children’s futures, they think about them mainly in terms of the jobs their children will get and how much income those jobs will produce. So the basic values and assumptions underlying the American culture are taught and reinforced through the family.

1. Explain in your own words such meanings as: “family”, “nuclear family”, “relatives”, “blended family”, “child-centered family”.

2. Try to find differences between American way of family life and traditions of family life in your culture.

Unit five

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