THE AMERICAN FAMILY
GROUP MEMBER

Vũ Ngọc Chiên
Phan Thị Thanh Hiền
Ngô Đình Phượng Loan
Phạm Thị Bích Phương
Trần Thụy Vĩnh Trâm
THE AMERICAN FAMILY
1. Family Structures
1. FAMILY STRUCTURES
Mother: Homemaker – The one took care of children
Children: Often under 18 years old
Father: Breadwinner – The one earned the money to support the family
Family
(Tradition)
Present:
About ¼ American family is nuclear but mother holds jobs outside the home
About ¾ American family are:
*/ Extended family: A family includes: father, mother, children, aunts, uncles, grandparents,..
*/ Single-parent family: Only father or mother lives their children
*/ Blended family: Previously married spouses with children remarry
*/ Part-time parent family: Parent is only with the rest of the family for weekend
1. FAMILY STRUCTURES

The emphasis on Individual Freedom:
*/ Family as a group whose primary purpose is to advance the happiness of individual members. The needs of each individual take priority in the life of the family.
*/ Members do not like to be controlled by other family members
*/ Members have their own decisions without telling to family memebers
*/ Parents give their children a lot freedom because they want to teach them to be independent and self-reliant.
1. FAMILY STRUCTURES

Marriage:
Few marriages are arranged in US. Most parents have little control and not much influence.
Most of Americans believe people should fall in love and decide to marry someone they can live happily with
Happiness is based primarily on companionship again evidence of the importance of an individual’s happiness
People have the attitude “If the marriage doesn’t work, I can get a divorce”. People only want what is good for themselves even if it’s not the best for someone else.
2. MARRIAGE, DIVORCE
AND CHILDREN
b/ Divorce:
A divorce is easy obtain in most parts of the US. They think that it is easier to fill out paperwork than to put in the time and effort to make the marriage work.
2. MARRIAGE, DIVORCE
AND CHILDREN
Main reasons for divorce
Communication breakdown
(67,5%)
Infidelity
Lack of commitment
Financial problem
b/ Divorce:
Cohabitation:
American tend to choose cohabitation or living without marriage. They don’t have to worry about the legal effects of divorce and leaving is as easy as packing.
Cohabiting couples have twice the breakup rate of married couples
2. MARRIAGE, DIVORCE
AND CHILDREN
c. Children:
American emphasis on the individual => it may cause children have more power than they should.
Parents tend to emphasis on material things, needs than on the child’s social and family responsibilities.
Parents think that it may be better off living one parent than with two who are constantly arguing and children are not embarrassed to say that their parents are divorced
2. MARRIAGE, DIVORCE
AND CHILDREN
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