We Are Family!

"Families have little purpose nowadays"

Families, in Marxist views, are to help create the workforce. To help work the machine that is society. Well, if that was applied today and if that was the only reason for families nowadays, they would be rendered pointless!
Families are so varied nowadays that it is difficult to label what they are exactly there for. Not only in the numbers of people in each family, or the number of parents in a family, but the people in families. Now that it is more socially acceptable for teenagers and children in families to break the mould and be quite different, families don't stabilise normal workforces anymore. People are more inspired to go on to bigger and bolder things, and there are a lot more possibilities open to people nowadays.

But we can't say that is all. The numbers of people in families do also come into play. With a lot of children in a family, competition is ripe to be regarded as the "Top Child". This encourages higher expectations and hopes, or it may lead to low self esteem. Also, with single parent families, education and economic factors may be hindered and again self esteem is lowered.

Because of changing times, the idea of the normal family has changed, as many more couples are opting for divorce, and couples are choosing to give their children up for adoption.

It will never be the case that families have NO purpose, as they are the role models and primary caregivers to people. But to say that they are not as much of a necessity nowadays? That is more likely.

I come from a middle class background with both parents at home, so it is difficult to put myself in the shoes of someone with divorced parents or foster parents. But i feel in general life the family is not as entirely driven as before. They still look to provide the best for their child, but seeing as today "the best" can be absolutely anything, it is now more up to the children to push themselves forward into work.

But stable families are still useful to provide role models for their kids. If children see happy families with monogamous parents, they may wish for this when they are older and be driven to gain the same success from relationships.

So while the family may not be just as useful nowadays, it will never be deemed pointless!