There are many different kinds of families in existence today as a result of numerous social changes. In the past, the only units of the community were the nucleus and extended families. There are a growing number of single parents as divorce rates increase. I thought it was appropriate to represent the single mothers and fathers who are out there because divorce has been on the increase in the U.S. In a divorce, the woman typically keeps possession of the kids. As a result, the chart shows that the majority of lone parents were women. Additionally, there are instances of individuals remarrying following a divorce. Since it is legal and people are already doing, it was vital that I included it in my chart.
Gay marriages have also become legal and accepted in some of our cultures. Those involved may choose different methods of having their children. They may decide to adopt children and legally file to have them as theirs if they follow the right legal procedures. Technology has also revolutionized how people can have children. For men couples they can have surrogates to deliver their babies and ladies can choose to have kids through artificial methods. It is for this that there are very many trends in my Kinship chart.
My Kinship chart.
Key
Male =
Female =
= = Marriage
= = divorce
The family structure has evolved over the past generations. The Kinship chart provides a way to organize the basic building blocks in the society. There are considerable differences in how families are set up. Thus the structure changes as you travel across the world (Needham 158).
The roles of couples in marriage have also changed. Men were traditionally bread winners. Today, however with the sharing of functions each person can contribute to the well-being of the family. This has provided a good base of understanding in cases of same sex marriages.
In the chart, you can see they are instances of people failing to get married. There have been rising cases of singlehood in society. People have chosen careers against the option of settling down with a partner. Where this has happened, bachelors or spinsters have gotten children out of wedlock and become single parents who have never been married before.
It is important to note that kinship is variable among cultures. There are a limited number of sequences or patterns in which people can classify their kins. In the case of divorce, and a person marries again and gets children, what is the relationship between the children that person gets from each marriage? Are they sisters or brothers? Those are significant patterns that can be seen in a three generation kinship chart.
Works Cited
Needham, Rodney. Rethinking Marriage and Kinship. Taylor and Francis, 2013.
