Family Membership, Past and Present

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Abstract
Changes in household composition, in the demography of kinship and in the relationship between the family and other institutions have contributed, through their impact on the socialization process, to the greater emotional significance of the family in the present compared to the past. Changes in ideology have also reinforced the belief that family relationships have become more important for individual development, self-definition and satisfaction in life. In showing the causes for this development, however, I do not support either a sentimental view of the contemporary family nor indicate that the family is successful in satisfying the demands which its increased importance imposes upon it. It is precisely this disparity—between expectations structurally and normatively encouraged and the ability to satisfy them—which is central to understanding the contradictions in contemporary family life in both its traditional and non-traditional forms.

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