Introduction To Sociology For Australian Family’s Lifestyle

Change in Australian Family’s Lifestyle in the Upcoming Time and the Social Factors Contributing for Such a Change

Discuss about the Introduction to Sociology for Australian Family’s Lifestyle.

It has been critically observed that the lifestyle of the Australian families over a period of time have changed and have been changing. The lifestyle has been observed to be changed with the concept of family as such a concept was no longer depicted by the ‘traditional’ nuclear family of Mother, Father and two children (Kinnear, 2002).

As a result, Families in Australia were now came to be in all shapes and sizes such as intermingled, comprehensive, one mother, one father or with two mothers and two fathers.

It has also been observed that in today’s world the upcoming generation or the youngsters do not want to get married as a result only a few were seen to be getting married. On the other hand when people make their mind to get married then they would get married much later. As a result of such a decision of different individuals it has been observed that the divorce rate has become stable.

Although, with the changing time and lifestyle it has been seen that people have few children and there has been an increase in the number of intermingled and step-families (AMP, 2013).

But, a question of what all constitutes a family have still seen to be unanswered till now. So, it was the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) which defines the meaning of what all constitutes a family. It affirms that a family could be defined as an association of two or more individuals, one of whom would have to be aged 15 years and over, who live together and were affirmed to be connected by blood, wedding, adoption, and step relationship (Hayes et al. ,2010).

So, it was in the year 1980 since when the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) began researching about the Australian families and Australian society as it has undergone massive modifications. There have been a number of major changes over the period of the nineteenth century, together with the developments in family make-up, different kind of families, matrimonial status, birth rates, parental service and learning. It was affirmed to be a mesmerizing picture of the changing nature of the lifestyle of the Australian Families over the turn of the millennium (Australian Government, 2017).

Therefore, it was seen over the past quarter of a century that the Family households have been waning, as it included round about 77 % of all families in 1986 which reduced to 72 % in 2011. So, it could be stated that as the population ages, single individual households have affirmed to be enlarged on the other hand, the group households had continued to be comparatively constant (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006).

Defining Family and Its Changing Nature in Australian Society

In spite of the efforts which were made by the sociologists in order to define the concept of family, it was observed that there was no particular meaning of this indispensable element of the civilization (McDonald, 2017).

In response to the exterior and interior factors family’s lifestyle changes over time. Social and financial situations like wars, migration, technical growths, and varying cultural principles, could influence the size and nature of families.

Correspondingly, targets in the lives of individual family members like the birth of a child, separation, or the death of a family member, could modify the composition of a family and its inner dynamics (Coontz, 2007).

The concept of the family as people understand currently was a comparatively new trend. Social historian Philippe Aris states that until the 18th century the concept of family appears to be a detached part of parents and children. From being the centre of social relationships, the family now became more remote and independent, which centers on care for the children away from servants and friends.

The current nuclear family of the 1950s classically included father the breadwinner, mother the housewife and their children. Mothers were happy to bake, seam, and care for her children and husband.

The Growth of the contraceptive pill with its prospective to grant females an extraordinary control over their fruitfulness and sexuality made an easier access to abortion. Also, the beginning of the 1976 Family Law Act, made divorce simple by not entailing liability to be recognized, and superior chances for females to be well-informed and enter into the paid personnel. As they also were challenged with normative principles which were linked with such family issues (The Age, 2003).

As a result, some more innovative ways of philosophy about verbal communication meant ideas such as the concept of family and its authoritarian associations which were deconstructed, no longer observed as ordinary but were created by humanity (The Social Issues Research Centre, 2008).

More recently, the innovative reproductive skills have also confronted customary beliefs of the family. It was now achievable for children to have a inherent mother, a gestational mother and a lawful guardian. Notions of paternity become problematic when frozen sperm are used posthumously.

Changes in the economy during the past 30 years have resulted in numerous separate tendencies such as wedding, separation, all of which have inferences for the family. Australia's birth rate of 1.7 children per female was below inhabitant’s substitution level, though some specialists recommend the circumstances were stern rather than significant (Parliament of Australia, 2017).

Factors Influencing Family’s Lifestyle Changes over Time

Many young individuals currently impede their exit from the family home, and therefore the beginning of sovereignty and maturity, while they absolute tertiary studies. Even when people leave home, there was a model of recurring to it’s relieve at distances, such as when a association breaks up or when monetary support was desirable.

Ageing population of Australia and the tendency towards sterility make it likely to many elderly individuals who were without admission to customary basis of family bear would depend gradually more on administration and community resources. Apprehensions have been articulated about the capacity of the society to grant such a level of concern.

In spite of such momentous changes in upcoming years, the chief roles of the family such as development of children, monetary support, and socializing the youth as it has not changed essentially.

So, it could be concluded at the end that massive social changes over the last decades have concluded in the families of 2013 as they were looking dissimilar to those in the 20^th century. No longer was it predictable that young females and males would marry in their late teens in a sacred ritual and have 3 or 4 children at home.

Presently, the distinctive trail for creation of family was for youngsters to persist with education until their early teens. Also, to travel and work full time then marrying in a civil ceremony in their late twenties.

But Modern family planning was regarded as where having children could be postponed, and while it was more usual for the females to be the chief caretaker, the majority of females would quickly return to the job at least on a part-time basis.

So, it could be concluded that the number of step-families and merged families has augmented as an effect of divorce and having a new established relationships, although they may visage more anxiety and were usually not as well off monetarily as integral families.

But by increasing levels of education among females who were breadwinner households were much more common like almost a quarter of join houses. By providing the gigantic changes which have occurred over the past century people could only initiate to imagine how families would evolve, modify and expand in the coming years. 

References 

AMP. (2013) Modern Family: The changing shape of Australian families. [Online] AMP.  Available from: file:///C:/Users/win/Downloads/AMP.NATSEM%2034%20Income%20and%20Wealth%20Report%20-%20Modern%20Family.pdf [Accessed on 1/2/17]

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2006) Population Characteristics: 20th century: beginning and end. [Online] Australian Bureau of Statistics. Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/0/DB7193812E1EFC92CA2570EC000E215A?opendocument [Accessed on 1/2/17]

Australian Government. (2017) The changing face of early Australia. [Online] Australian Government. Available from: https://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/changing-face-of-early-australia [Accessed on 1/2/17]

Coontz, S. (2007) The Family Revolution. [Online] Greater Good. Available from: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_family_revolution [Accessed on 1/2/17]

Hayes, A., Weston, R., Qu, L., and Gray, M. (2010) Families then and now: 1980-2010. [Online] Australian Institute of Family Studies. Available from: https://aifs.gov.au/publications/families-then-and-now-1980-2010 [Accessed on 1/2/17]

Kinnear, P. (2002) New Families for Changing Times. [Online] The Australia Institute. Available from: https://www.tai.org.au/sites/defualt/files/DP47_8.pdf [Accessed on 1/2/17]

McDonald, P. (2017) Families and cultural diversity in Australia. [Online] Australian Institute if Family Studies. Available from: https://aifs.gov.au/publications/families-and-cultural-diversity-australia/2-australian-families-values-and-behaviour [Accessed on 1/2/17]

Parliament of Australia. (2017) Attitudes towards adoption. [Online] Parliament of Australia. Available from: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Completed_inquiries/2010-13/commcontribformerforcedadoption/report/c02 [Accessed on 1/2/17]

The Age. (2003) Family: it's all relative. [Online] The Age. Available from: https://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/26/1046064096428.html [Accessed on 1/2/17]

The Social Issues Research Centre. (2008) Childhood and family life: Socio-demographic changes. [Online] The Social Issues Research Centre. Available from: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/Appendix-G_SIRC-report.pdf [Accessed on 1/2/17]