House and home

THE FAMILY

The American family has changed greatly in the last 20 or 30 years. Many of these changes are similar to changes taking place in other countries. Young people are waiting longer before getting married. Women are also waiting longer to have children. It's not unusual today for a woman to have the first child in her mid-thirties. And families are having fewer children. The typical family used to have three children. Today most families have one or two children. The United States has a high divorce rate: approximately one in every two marriages ends in divorce. One result of this high divorce rate is that many American children live in single-parent families. Although some women wait until their thirties to have their first child, other women become mothers while they are still teen-agers. Many of these teen-aged mothers are not married. Many are also poor. Poverty among children in homes headed by single mothers has become a serious problem in the United States. Often people who are divorced get married again. This has led to a new kind of family - the "reconstituted family," in which there are children from previous marriages as well as from the present marriage. The newest category of family, called domestic partnership, has been sanctioned by more than 25 cities in the United States. Unmarried couples over 18 years of age receive a paper similar to a marriage licence. To divorce from the partnership couples simply have to advise the city that they no longer live together as couples.

In the past, it was common for three generations - grandparents, parents and children - to live together. Now most older people live on their own. They generally stay in contact with their children but might live in a different part of the country. People are also living longer - often for 20 years after they've retired from their job. Modern American culture tends to value youth rather than age. All of this create an interesting challenge for older people and for the country, since by the year 2020, one in every 6 Americans will be over the age of 65.

In the traditional family, the wife stayed home with the children while the husband earned money. Now 60 percent of all married women work outside the home. So, a majority of couples have two wage-earners. One reason for this change is that women want and expect to have careers. Another reason is economics. With rising prices, many families cannot survive on one person's salary.

Is the American family in trouble? People point to the divorce rate, to the fact that working mothers might have less time with their children, and to the "generation gap," or the problems that parents and children sometimes have no understanding each other. Experts say, however, that the family is as strong as ever. Family is still at the centre of most people's lives.

HOUSE AND HOME

The lives of most Americans revolve around their homes and houses. The percentage of Americans owning the houses (and apartments) they live in is the highest among western nations. Most Americans still live in "single-family dwellings," that is, houses which usually have a front and back-yard. Most of America has a more or less four season climate; and the rhythms of life around the house tend to follow the seasons. Spring means that the storm windows must be taken down in those areas, where it gets cold in winter. The screen windows, so intended to keep out insects, need to be cleaned or painted and installed. After the winter, the garden needs a lot of work. In summer, the lawn must be mown every week or so. It is a good time to scrape and paint. The car gets washed every week or so. As soon as autumn leaves begin to fall, they must be raked, and the storm windows need to be ready and put up again. In winter, the walks and driveways must be kept clear of ice and of snow. There is always something that needs to be done around the house, and most American home owners do it themselves. Shopping, that is, the big food shopping, is usually done once a week at the local supermarket. One advantage of a service-oriented economy (and one that foreigners frequently comment on) is that many businesses, with employees working in shifts, stay open late to provide services and possibilities for shopping. Most Americans, like most people everywhere, are always trying to keep their budgets under control, and always going over. The food will often be paid for by check. It's convenient and, moreover, as all checks are returned by the bank, you have a record of everything spent. Most stores will pack your groceries for you, and many still take them out to your car. The big brown bags traditionally provided can be reused later for a lot of things, from masks for the children to garbage bags and wrapping paper for packages. By the way, plastic bags are making their entry, but being resisted by many shoppers. The young men and women who pack the groceries are almost always neighborhood teen-agers who work part-time.

In many American families children are expected to help around the house. They are assigned "chores" which might include, for instance, vacuuming the rugs, washing and waxing floors, cleaning windows, mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, keeping the cars clean, looking after the pets, and so on. Some families give a small amount of money, an allowance, in exchange for these and similar chores. Other families simply expect such work to be shared by everyone in the family. At the same time, many American middle-class families expect their children to find part-time jobs especially as they enter their teens. This might be working at the local supermarket or service station, mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, or baby-sitting. In fact, about 75 percent of high school seniors work during the average school week. Most of these teen-agers are working because their families can't afford to buy things for them. Rather, the idea seems to be that the work experience is (as parents are so fond of telling their children) "good foryou." One effect on American society is that middle-class children can do menial work without losing face. Sometimes, in fact, it's a way of gaining status. This has a subtle effect on customer-employee relations: the kid who just packed your groceries or filled your gas tank could well be your neighbor's son or daughter. In general, Americans feel that young people should appreciate the value of work and team how to stand on their own two feet. Most Americans expect their children to leave home at an earlier age than do parents in many other western countries. Beyond a certain age, they are often expected to contribute to, or pay for things that go beyond food, clothing, and shelter. The image that American teen-agers "get whatever they want" from their parents comes from a time when the standard of living was much higher in the U.S. than it was elsewhere. Many high school students have their own cars. But most of them were paid for by the students themselves (along with the necessary automobile insurance, which, by the way, is particularly expensive for teen-agers). Most Americans today work not more than eight hours a day, five days a week at their jobs.

In the average American home, there is an enormous amount of activity, of coming and of going, seemingly all happening at once. For the parents, there are perhaps courses at the local evening school or college. There are different clubs and public service organizations, many of them related to charitable work. Many American children take (or are made to take) piano or other music lessons, dancing or ballet lessons, horseback riding, swimming, skiing, golf, tennis, and just about anything else that parents think will be good for their children. The social life is often hectic as well. One child is off to a party, another to the library, another to see a film. Neighbors drop by, and the telephone keeps ringing. Messages (often put on the refrigerator door) remind one family member to do this or that, to pick up Marilyn on Monday for her violin lesson, or to bake that cake for the church dinner. Many adults and teen-agers are involved in volunteer work. According to a recent Gallup poll, about 84 million Americans, that is, almost one out of every three Americans donated some part of their time as volunteers. More than half of them did over 100 hours of volunteer work during the year. Some of this work is done through the so-called service organizations and clubs.

In addition, there are so many other activities and clubs, groups, volunteer organizations, courses, and hobbies, that most Americans are involved in several at the same time. And, of course, there's always work and school, and the things that need to be done around the house. Americans also talk about a stress. Life is hectic, the pressure is on at work and school. The competition is intense. And working hard, Americans often have schedules that leave little room to just sit and do nothing. They are usually on the go most of the week, and have full week-ends as well. Americans also take shorter and fewer holidays and vacations than most people in other industrialized societies. They are under pressure to do well on their examinations and get into a good university, to get a better and better paying job, to improve themselves. Still, this emphasis on the stress of American daily life is frequently overdone," often by Americans who sometimes boast in telling others how busy they are.

In fact, in the past decade there has been a sharp decline in stress-related health problems such as heart attacks. A better diet and a radical change in exercise habits has meant that the number of heart attacks among American businessmen is going down, although they are still on the increase in other western nations. Also, the rules for competition in the US are well understood. Americans have shown their preference for a comfortable and convenient life style.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16