In the past few decades, the patterns of a family have greatly diversified. There are some changes regarding its organization and members’ roles, and in my opinion, these changes can be seen as progress.
Families at present have undergone two main differences compared to the past. First, a nuclear family now can have more than one breadwinner, who is normally the father. This is because in the modern world, only a few jobs can secure the stability of a single-earner family, which forces both parents to be the financial supporters. Second, the trend that parents exchange their roles has become more common. As a result of women’s protests for their rights, mothers now have equal opportunities for education and work, which allows the other spouse to assume responsibility as a stay-at-home parent to take care of the children and the housework.
From my perspective, those changes in a family’s structure and parental roles are positive for a number of reasons. The fact that both parents can become breadwinners ensures that the family can be more financially stable. This not only directly eases the burden that the father has to bear in order to support the whole family but also enables the mother to pursue her dream job. From another angle, it is a positive step that people are at liberty to do what they like and what they are good at. Women can follow their dreams and become the main earners if they are better at work than their husbands.
In conclusion, I think the changes occurring in a family’s hierarchy and members’ responsibilities are a positive step toward a better world.