UNIYERSTTY $F TTINTS
I
ENGLISH I}EPARTMENT
r.s.L_T_
2dcycl,E
BY
Barcudi Mitoud
3Eu
Caurse : Research Methodology
f*sfrnetor : &. Ayatollah Labadi
,3.u YEAR
7
elnæar*
In a wsld ushering in Globaliætion as a promising gospl of social
,and
eivil ïlnivemal hamony , it is cbvior:s that soeial exchange would be a tenet in
thir æw era - Since tk modsn era is makd by Amcrican srpreilâcy it seems
,
'àr}t
quiet srre
tle Ameries* Family wauld be follorred as a model in oûher
sæieties - This streâm of imitating Amsic** FaRiIy Life as a model does not
,
s€em to be a sde process
historical , soeial ,
:
if it fu æt
æmic
take inte æcsmt the special
, ædpoliticat
pswtives .
A*oi*q
;
ThP/ A mP-ri,æ,yv fa*n;)y :
A U niper*aL paraàtg,rw ?
T"h^ert48,Many marvellous healthy markers aceo*nt for a Universal model
American family ; hawever other underlying weaknesses æd tle incomplete
skengfh limit its horizsn of success as a safe nodel .
OuctLûne
f.
Introduction
A. Globalization
B.
r.
The implicafions of Globalizatio*
The Maryell*lrs he*tfhy f*cts in the Ameriean
fanity
A. The modern faces of pareathood
l-The New parenthood
2-The Advantages ofthe change
B. lVomen's good shtns
-lVomen's Independence
2-The practice of liberty
I
C. The typical Child a*d youth Treatment
l-Child Care
2-The Treatment of Youth
D. The persisfing Trditional values ofthe American Fa*rly
rrr. The nnderlying symptoms af Dcterioratioa
A.
The Dectining Family Structr:re
I-The loosening Family UniE
Z-The loss ofPareatal Autâority
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The Amrrican F*mily : Â Universsl paradigm ?
Globalization is the most influential recent banner raised by the west .
Glabalization is the madern gospt for the new centur5r , it is an invitatioa to all
nations which will join in a uaiversal exchange of hlman experiences and
idealistic models .
Our age is obviously " American - . American dominance manifests it self
in fhe overwhelmirlg wave of borrorving *cm Ameriean arehitect$ral styles ar
sæial , æononic and political models . This fact gives enongh room for
questioaing America* family life ; cæ it be fallowed as a rmiversal paradigm ?
&om this questicn rose many essays and resærches a* the Amerià A*ify .
Most of these resowces tend to cs*se*sus ræûn the fact that , while many
healthy marvellous &cts account for a universal model American frmily ather
,
underlying weaknesses alrd the incomplete strength timit its horizon of success
as_ a safe model
This paper will shed light on fhis doubte image of American
life to end up by drawing relevant conclusions .
.
Today in the United States , rlass media celebrate a îe\ry face of
fatherhood - The Fpl*ar view today longs for a teader asd caring American
Qther - Actually , the Amsicas father's economic and domestic âuties have
altered se he tErned to the home to share in the household and qtr;@i
|15 raxÀts.f
'
wife grving a nertr asp€ct of parenthood ( Chirlin 193 . Recent critics and
)
'
researches pûiftt t9
eæergi*g segme*t cf America:r fatherswho are .. geod
fathers " - Historically , the American father \#ils a masculine serious (
Ëven
,
harsh ) wk* €rs$rmes the rale of " g*d provider " norv however
,
;
, the
American fatler is a heusehold father ( 199
)..The mast relevant example of this
shift is the fact that American fathers now aæè.st rn chdd birth and consider
this
missicn hono*able , really this is slabeÏc1f a Hbsral sensitive and
mature
fatherhood.
The American father ptrays a great role in ærly child care FathePs have
overcilme tke kaditional *egative gender systen under which hausehald
and
child care duties belonged only to the æother . Ameriean fafhers are trov{
expalrding a new literature abcr* nerr fatherhod .
*
This ehange in fatherhoad wo*Id inevitably produce very positive results .
The grawing stream cf fathers consciausoes
be ftlitfril . rn" generation
which is reared by a tender father and a tender mother would bJ a model
generation - Because * the chsrsc*eristics afthefuher cs aparent rcthertha*
**ld
I
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the chsrsc'teristics of the Jbther os dt rnûn sppeûr ro influencè child
develapment" { z$f } The equal partnership of parenthooô practiced by
AmericaÊ parents is ideal , for it would gllarantee a healthy generation . For
instance children reared under stleh parfnership are " unlikelylo acqatre gender
corcceptions thct restrict the future fomiy purformance - ( 206 . Similarly tlis
)
,
diffiisioa of gender divided duties would enhance marital affection anA u*ty
The full partrrership befween the father a*d the mother in child care aad
household duties makes the American parents able to ignore their conflicts .
Furtherrrore , fhe Sadrlal increase in men's inrrolvemeat ic the househald is said
to enhance 9$Iallty ard thls , set an ideal happy cooperation in a harmanious
couple or family .
Nct only modern Americaa pareathod can account for a model American
family- Americaî women's status inside the fanily can now be adopted as a
model fsr other women in other sscieties . American sromen is no longer
suhrdinate tc m*n's financial and economic manopoly - The flaurishLg
capitalism in the United States grves wûmen new roles outside the home
I
American ïytlmet's attainment of high education grew steadily now the
,
percentage of womea who have finished 4 years of high school or mûre
, soared
from 36 % in 195û ta reath 76,6 a k 1989 . Women arehitects
,for instaace ,
Sew from 4% tn 197Û te reach 18,4Y* in 1ry0 , ccmputer scientists g.e\Àr from
13,68lo tc 36,59â aad woæen lawyers &om g,7t/ato 19] o inthe same-period
.
Due to tle improvement in the* ecsnomic stafus women ta*-day follonr their
,
ow* ehcices whe]her ta marry cr pcsSone marriage , their p*"-otr nc lenger
cont'ol them - This represents the high rlîç*d of self-co*trol and pursoi"t
liberty and sease of individualism mode.n%fttn enjcy . Regarding àuoiuË
for example young single \Fûmerl have formutated a new iJeology ditrerent
'
from that of their mothers . In the I980's while tke majority of American
mothers approved of the shtement " msrried wu?re* or* *uo{ly happier
than
those who go througlz tife withaat geîting married " south isr
{
I and by
198û's even mcther's view altered fallowing fheir daughiers views
. Actuallv , it
is not surprising that more and more daughters arrd mothers
,h;
statement " There Gre more cdvantages in being singte thsn to beiig-msiTied,,
"g,@i56J t 252 ) . The reost sfiking change of aftit*de-that accotmts fer fke comforfable
conditio* cf women in ttre American family is her free choice of sexual partners.
This is not made at rardom , however . ÂmericÉln \#rmen are Èee to find
suitable sexual patuers rmder the term * coh*bitation " . Cohabitation
maved
*am beios denounced in tke premodern era to be coasidered a legitimate way of
er5oying couple life as an alternative to marriage . The recent Nationat Survey
of Families and Households relates tkat nearly ofall yûung womerr have
yt
-r-
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the social enviro*ment full of moral and physical abuse . Most parents pay their
adolescents great patience and are more likely to understand their physical
and
psychalogical changes and *eeds . They did not consider adolescence a period
of illness as did their ancestcrs , but rather , they believe that adsles€ence is that
transition Èom ehildhaod to adulthaad , adolescence signifies far parents a
central clue for bettel ensrring a healthy prsonaliSr for their sans an*girls and
for preparing fhen for perpefual social $lceess . American parents tolerate a
large share of liberty for tleir yotfh , but they did not at r*ào* . Tkeir daily
teatmeat of their sans asd girls is stamped by permissiveness and confidence .
Still they impose " few pafernal resTrainîs - { Demos 49 tkat t}eir yo*th accept
}
wi$ingly - To control their youth , parents speak to their friçnds parents *oo*,rlt
,
their school and club directors and teachss . If they frnd
such
as using
$],abuse
drugF or drinking alcohol they take surift aetion to asc#ain their regular and
healthy behaviour . These efforts made by American parents are in faciinherited
by them *om their fathers , they , in their turn instr*ct their deseendents with a
set of vahres tlat they shauld transmit ta their future generation . Thus these
characteristics that strvive along family history would guarantee a co*sideable
suecess in the American family .
Tradifirnally , the American family in whatever lcealify , city subçrb or
,
rtxal region , whether protestant or catholic , black or whiie, seëm to have
æurmon segments of ideal values and schemes for a happy A*ify ïfe . In his
research , Quale concentrates on reali$ a number sf famii; stories
. The family
whcm he studied their daily lives ure€re*a.y American lu*iliu* âmo11g
them
there is a namber of black and *fker immigrant families . The importanee
of
Quale's reseæch relies mainly in stadying the set cf values and taetics these
families pHrslre to guaantee a haffionious and happy life for their
members .
lnvestigation leads ta conclude that 1@ all these families try ta ,, tesclt
tleir chiîdren ny b"!!.yrfd arcd exarnFle thîr*portonce af honestjt industry
,
,
Êz*rxihty , *nd du*" ( Quale 2?t . Mâreover, fcr all thesé
families , disciplâe
)
is a central issue of parenth*d this discipline maniftsts itself mainly in
,
an'-afincsphere af mutual communicatian .
:t"u$g
Quale notes that most
tamrhes tTrr"guarantee an ascending progress af each member of the
family
especially the children . For instance the parents let their children express
their
ideas and did not insult them if they share in adult speech . Anotheiimportant
point is fhat An*erican pareats pay greater interest to tl*i* children's
education ,
talents, and their future ambitions.
Baroudi-6
children's choices and practices , fcr they try tc regain their lost prestige which
was ig*ored by their revalting sons and daughters . Sons æd daughters who still
pay respect , love for their parents æd consulted them fcr advice are a tiny
minority as pnt by Carl . N " parental ee*tr*l aver the chaice af marriage is na
ftr{}te thcx c veto " { Cherlin 6S } . The nuclearizatioa af the family structwe
together with the loosening in parental strength in the family seem to be the
eausês ef all sccial evils a nranifestatioa af sacial tension instead of unity and
"
harmany and a celebratian af a harsh and dried individualism Yes ,
self-reliance and personal
iadividualism may have a. pasitive sense
iadependence , however , it is subjective to o:rerlgpk its bad effects , it is a
connctatian or a foreshadcwing of the engraving af the pæents rather than cf a
.
celebr,ation of youthful e*thusiasæ and
cf
liky
Anather sign of decay of the family in America is the uncertainty cf
womes's gaias .Even if American vrome* displays a great share cf liberty, self
control , eccaomic urdepende*ce and seemingly equal status with men, this can
not blind the ptential deterioratia* irr her conditisns inside the family . What is
acknowledged amûng rvûman's prsgresses toward slore eqrÉIlty is her gaining
of power vis à vis mar i* the hausehcld ; however , it is *ot all r*sy for
American lvomen ! Âmerican ïroËrea whether a mcther , a daughter , a sister or
a wife , still yields to male cppressian and dominanc€ . This is obvious evsn
*om the first glimpse . Americaas , in general , attach ta woman classical
negative meanings of feminism such .n weak*ess of characters and inferioriry of
abilities- In the modern setting , clathes designers , for iastance design clcthes
according to a sfict spbolic differentiation ( Borna:r 19? ) , they produce
special models sach as high heeled shoes , r*ffies a:rd skirts which reinforce
r,yornen rmderlying \r€aknsss , while they shape nale clothing madels such as
flat shoes and pants by elements ef s*e*gth . This led Henley to poi*t @ that *
female synbols { clcthes } *ercd to irekibit freedom af movement whereas m*le
symb*ls tendtoproæotefreedrsm efmeveæent" { l9? ).
Wamer i* the American family are feafed as a*equal ta man and would
remaia at this level of inequatity , This fact is put further by Cherlin whc refleet
the popular opinicn viewi*g that " w*r*erc a*d mevt hcve dffirent abitities ,
personclities æd g*ahs in W " ( Cherlin 199 ) . This view finds argume*t in the
st*dy made by Richædson l98l , he notes that women is appareatly weak in
the Âmericaa family for her cttera*ces diFer *om men's utterances . Âfter
sfudyiry the titerature concerning vacabulary , pra*tr:rciation , grammar ,
seatence structure , and intonation , he nctes that unlike men lyhcse language is
definite , serious a*d porrerful , ursman's language is quiet weak relyrng *n the
*this isveryexciting" !) or
useof i*tensifiers **chas: sû, quiet, such,very(
Baroudi-7
on the use of tag çrestions such as io
and less definite styles .
{
* It is hot isn't it "
,
?
) and otlrer polite
Americanlryoman's status seem to degenerate with the srrvival of some
negative male behavicrn zueh as wife beating . \Àdfe beating is widely
denounced in the American family ; however , the sex geader system helps to
susfair it . The ma*ifestafion af manhocd according to this system is male
aggressio* whereas the role af the female is to abscrb that aggression @orman
,
1e3).
It is clear fhat women are still disdained in the social setting in the
American farnily . Sacially, \rûmerl are not coasidered fit af mân's mutual pure
. Âmerican \ilromen , compared radth other wûmen in other
Eurapean cormtries seeÊr ta be living belosr the standæd of equality those
wûmen have realized \ilrith man . Seemingly , it is very a\ressme for American
Itrcmsn to leave this co*dition si*ce her persanality is still shaped by male
dominance and ma*b imposed segreents cf thought . These facts block her &om
my attempt she makes to gain morre equality .
if
In fact the status of American chil&en aad youth is nct better than that af
'women . Divorce rafes are i*
Sadual increase ia America What divorce
directly implies is single pareathcod . The eumber of American children who
are deprived of tàe compa*icnship of their two biologicat parents ( a father and
a mother ) gte* steadily to iavolve more than one tbird af aÏl Americm children
under the age t8 in 1986 . Slhat is *egative about single parenthood is the fact
that the Earent will face challenges i* reriag aad providing far the children . In
the United Sfates , usually motkers assrrffie fhe duty of chitd custody , and owing
to the fact that the Ënancial capacities of mothers is limited , it would nat resist
the additional brrden of child custody { Cherlin 3?-3S } .
Cbildfen whc lack normal eerly family ties are mûre likely to have paor
experiences of socialization and live unsatisfied aftenrârds - The child wha is
deprived af his/her mather is rmable of good commrmication , in case cf distress
helshe wauld lose ca*fidence and security and could nat cape srith difficalties ilr
a pasitive way since the child has no prcmineat medel in his mind ar clear
experience acquired with a oseeurify ef attaehme*t o to a tender present
mafher in aehral day
life,,-, In a recent study , Main { 1973 ) repoqted that
"Infants who were rir:rËP a#sched
rheii mçtthers were io"puraVà
frieædly {ozçsrd *n xr*familiar pers*n " { Borman 67 } - One car} suggest here
that children whose mothers work ontside the home to enhance their incoms
would be less caaprative a*d very shy . Ctnrently , in America a large majority
*
*d
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of maflers wsk out-side theirhomes , in 1970
,SToloof mothers of schoals aged
children alrd 36% of mothers of infan* *i pr**hool aged
children lvere
eS.gfored
caadition
s€esrs
very
harmftl
rci
po*ioJcf
tais
, .Pit
children whose
cbild cre i*% latge part abnormal . Singte parents are generally
less efficient ,
less lovàg and less comfortable . This deteriorates fheir
future ties with their
chifdren and qves negative psychologrcal social adjusanenf
Borman 7s }
children raised by sr*gle mothers are il-danger$ u*il<e those {
*ào
eqicying
narmal parenthood , the former wauld be ; lels maseuline ',
ûr the long
less saciologpa[y adopted , deliaquent aad unsuccessful
,
at school . on the
othgr hand single fathgrs taking care of girls proves prablematic
, for it is
embarrassiag fcr the father ta bay female clcthes oi dir"o*ssexuality
and
menstruafialr with his adalescent grd 79 .
{ }
*
;*;
The lûûs€ni*g in family ties , the ædÈal marginalizatian
of parental
a*thority the uncantrolled practice sf lib€rty by yci*s in
addition to the
'
negafive
of single parenthacd * u .**olt oi di roro or the death of
parents gives dramatic results an futtre American ge*eration
, the yauth .
Figwes and events usually are strrking , figures ,*id the
emergenee af two
s*cide deatâs a:rd an **ouri"g cc*s*ltation for psychatc$cal
îiïijt]s_
,
help among youth
.
Firstly youth suicide rates has soared dramatically in the late
l9g0's .
Among teenagers the figure dûEbled ta reach T,sYedeaths p€r
y; per 10{},000
'
persons between 196S
and 19?5 however since lg75 the rate reaehed 9 deaths
per IsG'ff) ' Suicide is naw the first cause sf death .lrnrrg
the youth follawing
teenagers agng &om 12 to 19 committed suicide in
l9g4
(:Ttd-*t/TTd!K0
Uherlm 88 ) . The canse cf this increase whrch is stiil
s*arilrg a*wadays is
linked mainly to " the
avaitabitity cf rtre cryns , eËaregrng
fsmiry
patlerns , tke bre*kdowrz ix traditi*xa| x*biliztng
ixstitutions * { gg } . This sad
condition is sometimes
attributed to the excessivË materialism and
weakness
cf religicus strcagth in Araerican family life . ycufhs did notthe
fur instance
respect or did not comprehend at all religion ( 34
)
.
secondly there is an inereas€ in the number cf yo,rtkst!:Jét$t psyebiatrists
.
siece the 198$'s
- The percentage of adalesc"ot, ugiog *om 12 1! 16 who had
consulted psychiatrists far help within the previaus year
daubled , scaring g.cm
ZYo ta 4a/a - These rates usually are at*ibuted
urith the famdial bad conditions
that these ycuth endare . The increase happens mostly ir
faraili*t)**r..J
marâial disarder - It il meaningftt that yeuths whc live
\rith o*y a mcther are
the great majcrity ef thase w?r* cansslt psychia*ists ( 9t)
,
) these i"""
lv
;*-/;
,-
WtrWCiÊsd/
Borman , Kaf.he4æe M , Daisy . auan , ed sarah Gideor*se . women in
the Workplace : Effects an Families . Nerv Jersy : Ablex , lg84
.
F Cherlin , Andrew J . The Chanefug Amsricalr Family and public policy
Washington : 1988
F
.
Demos , John . PaS Pr:effit asd P€rsonal r The Famillr and the Life Course
in Âmerkan Historv . New York : 1986
F Gondon , Michael . The American
3'd ed. New
Fasily
ir
.
Social
- Historical Pers$rective
Yalues fhat Make us strang
the
" . New york : Dan euale , 1996, sec. ? .
Soath , scott J and Stewart E. Tcl*ay . The Changing American Family
New Yor* : lVe$view ,1992
.
.
V]*rTcyC@
t
.
York : Matins , 1983 .
F Quale , Dalr and Diase Medved . The Ameriean Famillr ." Discovsing
F
.
Demas , Jchn . The American Familv in the Past . Nerr York : Brown and
Campa:ry ,1976
.