Position Paper

Marriage has been the fundamental social arrangement throughout much of American history, providing structure and meaning in people’s lives. It has marked entry into adulthood – the point at which children gain economic independence from their parents, leave the family home to forge their own families, and engage in sexual activity. Traditional gender roles have provided scripts that guided and organized how work, both inside and outside the home, would be divided and how children are raised. Recent trends over the last 60 years have seen major shifts in the way marriage and family life are conceptualized, leaving many wondering what those changes will mean for the future of families. Are those changes working against families or are they signs of increased diversity and a need to think more broadly about what family life means?

For this assignment you will need to reflect on these issues and take a stand on one side of the argument: are families in decline or are they resilient? Your position papers must be two to three pages in length using 12-point Times New Roman font with double-spaced lines and standard one-inch margins on all sides. The articles associated with this assignment will be distributed. This paper must also include at least 4 references from the text to support your position.

All written materials must use correct APA style and include the following:

Title page
Running head
Page numbers
Headings (optional)

Works cited page (you need only reference the textbook)

Articles:

*Coontz, S. (2005). The American family: New research about an old institution challenges the conventional wisdom that the family today is worse off than in the past. In K.R. Gilbert (Ed.), Annual editions: The family (pp. 2-6). Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin.

*LeBey, B. (2005). American families are drifting apart: The sexual revolution, women’s liberation, relaxation of divorce laws, and greater mobility are fracturing the traditional family structure. In K. R. Gilbert (Ed.), Annual editions: The family (pp. 7-9). Dubuqure, IA: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin.

TEXT:

Knox, D. & Schacht, C. (12^th edition). Choices in Relationships: An Introduction to Marriage and the Family. California: Wadsworth Publishing.

…………………….Answer Preview……………………

Marriage is the union between an adult woman and an adult man at their own will. This meaning though has changed due to the introduction of the same sex marriages that allow union of the people of the same sex. Worldwide, marriage is taken to be the basic unit of any society. Different cultures though take marriage in different ways but there is no other developed country that takes marriage with the seriousness and compassion than United State. In the American history, marriage has been viewed…

APA

911 words