Societal Trends and the Family

In our society today there are many trends that we didn't have just a few years ago. As we look at these trends we wonder what impact they have on the family or if they even have an impact on the family at all.

Some of these trends that we studied in class this week were; Cohabitation, Premarital Sex , Childbearing Age, Age of Marriage, Divorce Rate, and Fertility Rate. Statistics show that Cohabitation, Premarital Sex, Childbearing Age, and Age of Marriage are all going up. While the Divorce Rate is stabilizing and the Fertility Rate is going down. How do all of these effect the family? Instead of getting married people are just cohabiting or just having premarital sex instead of getting married. There is no reason to get married when you think you are already receiving the benefits of getting married, because all it really is just a piece of paper. It is more than just a piece of paper! Studies have shown that children do better when they they are raised by a mom and dad who are married. When people eventually decide to get married they are older, which also makes the age of childbearing go up. When the age of child bearing goes up it then effects the Fertility Rate. The older you are the less opportunities you have to bear children. On average throughout the world people are only having one child. This is a huge problem because this means our population is going to start to decrease.  

In the world today many people are putting off having a family to pursue personal and career goals. This, in a way, is very troublesome because families are the very building block of our society. They bring growth and stability to the economy. Families create a stable learning and growing environment for children to be given the best opportunity for success. In "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" it states "THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity." This means the family is a essential part of our existence. The reason we are here on earth is to gain experience like our Father in Heaven to become like Him and we can't do that if we don't have families of our own. At the very end of the proclamation it says "WE CALL UPON responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures, designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."  In times like today where the family is being questioned of its importance, we need to stand up for it before it is too late.

Additonal Sources:
Demographic Winter Documentary
LDS.org