The changing family in a changing world: America first?¹

Abstract

The rapid and revolutionary changes in the American family that have taken place at an accelerating rate since World War II surely represent an extraordinary phenomenon in the history of modern societies. It is true that similar transformations have been occurring in other industrialized countries, and, in the absence of directly comparable data, it is impossible to be certain about comparative rates of change. But there can be little doubt that the alterations in American family life are as precipitous and pervasive as those in any other modern nation. Yet, despite the saliency of the phenomenon, the forces that stimulate and sustain the change are far from clear. Indeed, this may be the first time in recorded social history that so rapid and radical a change in that most basic human institution, the family, has occurred in the absence of major disasters like war, famine, epidemics, or economic collapse. But even when unaccompanied by a major social upheaval, such a profound and relatively sudden change in the structure and role of the family in the society is likely to have significant consequence in other spheres, most notably in the development of children and youth. In this paper I endeavor to bring together in brief compass such scientific information as is available on three aspects of this phenomenon: (a) the nature of the changes that have been occurring; (b) possible causes and consequences of these changes; and (c) possible implications of the changes for policy and practice.