3 ms·
Describing the traditional Chinese or Roman family structure as "the nuclear family" really seems to be stretching things. From all I have read, they were very
by chc 13y ago
Describing the traditional Chinese or Roman family structure as "the nuclear family" really seems to be stretching things. From all I have read, they were very little like the 1950s ideal that the phrase evokes. I haven't done a complicated study or anything, but if I were to guess, just from reading about various cultures throughout history, I would figure that clannish extended families were more successful historically than the "two adults form a unit, have N kids and raise them until they leave to find mates and then goto 1" model of the nuclear family. Do you have evidence to the contrary?
- jquery 13y agoIndeed, the modern Western "nuclear family" is quite the oddity, historically, with clan-like arrangements dominating history. There are a number of downsides to the modern nuclear family, including inability to spread risk sufficiently, familial alienation, and strong dependency on a single romantic coupling. The nuclear family is a massive undertaking of concentrated risk that few are properly equipped to deal with. As society continues to globalize, it provides fewer benefits over its alternatives. Visit any nursing home with its abandoned elders to see the fruits of the nuclear family. Is it truly a sustainable model for the future?
- judk 13y agoPerhaps morbid and cruel, but nursing homes of abandomed elders are certainly sustainable.