How do you think the dynamics of the American family has changed since WW II?
108531
Many, many more children grow up without either a mother or a father.  A child today now has two homes:  mom's house and dad's house, and depending on who has custody for the weekend, that's where the child lives.  All of this leads to instability about a child's place in the world.
124545
Not knowing your particular situation, I can share my experiences with moving and hope there will be some relevance.  My father was in the military and we moved every on an average of every 2-3 years.  It was difficult to leave friends and start over again.  That being said, now that I am an adult, I can see the positives that being a part of a military family has had on me.  I am much more open to any sort of change (which is so incredibly important in the workplace, you would be amazed at the number of people that freak out when any little changes are introduced and how long it takes them to acclimate) and I have been places and seen things that others that live where I do now will never do.  Although moving is hard now, there will be some positives that will come out of it, and now with internet, keeping in touch with friends is easier than ever.
297402
Excellent observation.\n\nPretty soon there will be only very wealthy and poor individuals/families.  There is no job security anymore so how can anyone buy a house or other objects related to the "American Dream"?  The American dream has evolved into a nightmare.
1120878
What a question!\n\nSociety must really have changed for the worse.  When I was young, my parents would never have worried about us being out.  Being out of the house was a good thing.  It meant we were being active, not sitting in front of the tv getting fat and lazy.\n\nCrime was negligible.  We would always be riding our bikes, swimming, playing at friends' houses, or practicing some sport.\n\nI swear to god, I'm gonna move to Europe.
272503
yes, i agree with you times are definatly changing with the what they see on TV to what they see, hear about, and maybe even do in school...not to mention the responsibilty's that this time and age entale it could be that they are taking care of themselves and/or siblings or the very "grown-up" situations that they have to face everyday also good parenting of i guess our times could be a source for change not wanting their kids to grow up like they did, and alot of teens are taking a stand on what they believe whether it's moral or religious and such i guess the list could go on and on but don't get me wrong there are still alot of kids/teens that still act their age or less lol but the good in alot of ways out ways the bad
188109
i would say:\n\nin the past the world was less crowded and the family played a vital role in the life of the person. Parents used to work less, spend more time with their kinds at home.\nWhile NOW parents and kids meet hardly at lunch or dinner, speak mostly about life problems and money issues, every body is rushing....\nThat's why friends (young, no experience, empty headed), TV, Internet, clubs,... etc substituted Home.\n\nyou see, development has it's disadvantages too..
495910
Basically, in the "olden days," the roles of mother and father/husband and wife we clearly defined. The male was the bread-winner, went to work every day, and made money, while the mother stayed at home and tended to the family and the household. But now, the opportunity for women to have professional careers has changed the structure of families with two working parents. Also, in modernity, it's almost financially impossible for an average, middle-class family to live on one salary: this, combined with the women of today's general desire to be in the work force, has changed the structure of the modern family. Now, all kinds of questions are raised: who will stay home and watch the kids, if both mom AND dad are at work? Should one parent sacrifice their career to stay at home and tend to the kids? If so, is it FAIR that one parent has to sacrifice, while the other can accomplish their dreams? The ultimate struggle of career/family has reached its ultimate peak with the changes that modernity has brought to the households of today.
387269
World War II: The Impact at Home\n\nThe quick fall of France to the German army in 1940 shook the strong pacifist sentiment of the American public. Suddenly, Great Britain alone stood between Nazi Germany and the United States. Once the United States was fully committed to the war in December of 1941, patriotism soared in American society. Americans' willingness to carry out blackout and civil defense drills; to recycle metals, paper, and even cooking fats; to work longer hours, but to have fewer consumer goods to buy with their salaries demonstrated the nation's strong support for the war. There were political changes as well, as the country began to shift to the right. \n\nhttp://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture21.html\n\nWhat effects did WWII have on women in America?\n\nWomen began to do the jobs that the men used to do. They worked in factories, steel mills, and on fighter planes. A woman who worked in an industrial or manufacturing job was refered to as "Rosy the Riviter".\n\nWomen married earlier in life, had more children and relied much less on their husbands after the war. The divorce rate in the United States and Britain skyrocketed, compared to previous years. Women held higher paying jobs than in pre-war years, and this caused some conflict when men were discharged from the military and wanted their old jobs back, which were now held by women.\n\nWomen went into the workplace and never looked back. They took over factory jobs, drove trucks, flew military aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean to England, and numerous other jobs that had traditionaly been open only to men. Once the men returned from the war the women were more independant than ever and would never be content to sit at home again.\n\nWomen played the role of helping fabricate weapons and bombs and all the equipment the soldiers would need. Women never set foot on the battle field but they also were nurses and assistants and that helped alot since they needed medical treatments\n\nhttp://www.faqfarm.com/Q/What_effects_did_WWII_have_on_women_in_America
14
IMO... our lives are much more complex than our equivalents from 50 years ago and thus it's more likely for married people to grow in different directions over time (values, needs, etc.). Add to that how easy and acceptable it is to get a divorce, and how quick we are to dispose of things that we no longer want, and you get an increasing percentage.\nI wouldn't be surprised if in the not too distant future the average length of a marriage drops to ~5 years and the average number of marriages per person increases to 2+.\nA parallel to consider: how many different circles of friends do you have and how often have you joined new ones and left others behind over your life? (grade school, high school, college, jobs, etc.). We are a nomadic species. :)
1078288
A couple of things.  One, welfare.  At first it helped people get on their feet.  Then it became a handout.  Two, divorce.  With visitation and living in two homes, neither parent is there to teach the kids to work.  Three, affluence.  Our kids have way too much.  Most of them think money comes from parents, not from work.  Four, morals.  Since we can't talk about morals, moral people are on their own.  Pride for work well done doesn't mean very much. Americans want it done quickly and cheaply and that's it.  Five, entitlement.  Especially with kids.  Somehow the older generation has handed them the idea that they somehow deserve things without having to do anything for it.
406717
Our society isn't geared to having any old family values anymore, so when you hear someone came from a large family or has one they automatically assume that 1) everyone's on welfare or 2) the parents were uneducated and or irresponsible.\n\nSociety also tends to think that children are not as valuable as they were when family actually meant something; children are just another tax deduction by today's standard.\n\nI think large families are great. I'm an only child and I wish I had brothers and sisters to divert my mom's attention when I got in trouble haha =)\n\nI also think that people tend to generalize that large families are not as caring or responsive to their children, and that the kids end up growing without the security a smaller family could offer. I say that no matter what the size, it depends on how the family is as a unit (I've seen smaller families just as dysfunctional if not worse than some large ones).
217275
I understand your question as I've noticed the same phenomenon....it appears that true asians living in American tend to close the ranks and turn inward...in other words, they still clink to the tradition of marrying their own kind. I believe with time the younger generations will succumb to the culture and pressures of american society and will begin to more often inter-relate. I haven't seen a lot of evidence of it yet however...
349665
If it was an Arab who lives in the States I would ask them how their life has changed since 9/11.  Like have they been treated differently, what is that like and how have they coped.
177390
Retired last year and things started to go bad. She was use to me being gone either to work or on deployment and she had her time and could do things she wanted when she wanted. Once I retired, I was around alot. This changed her life too. We were able to recover our marriage when I began doing volunteer work with the American Legion and the local Boy Scout Council. This got me out of her hair a few hours a day and she sometimes goes with me on campout or to Legion events. Thankfully things are going well again.
887246
Did the war effect people's attitude, and was this attitude expressed in music? If so, as you say, it was the attitude of those who didn't go to war that changed. I'm just brain-storming here. Those who changed with respect to their music were generally younger. Did these younger people resist their parents' teachings more after the war, or were the parents less strict about passing there religion onto their children? What would make the parents do this - a greater respect for freedom? People don't change themselves so easily, but did they become less strict, thereby giving their children messages on a less obvious level, encouraging to do things that they, themselves, would not do? I'm not sure how old Hugh Hefner was, but I think he was young at the time he started playboy. If the younger ones were more free to express themselves without restraint, and this freedom was expressed dominantly in the media, this would itself effect the younger people - something like positive feedback. Just off the top of my head.
1026224
American's are bombarded with so much information that they forget their manners and behaviors and resort to quick fixes. Adding a family into the mix makes things even more difficult. Technology, while it has provided Americans with plenty of luxuries, has also turned many into a 'work shy' nation.
479301
When I was a child in the 50's I think we relied on our parents more for entertainment etc as we didn't have all the after school activities etc that there are today.Parents were definately the head of the household whereas today life seems to revolve around the children.There also seems to be more freedom to access the world via affordable travel so that families today are very well travelled.The one thing that has not changed is the way we all love our own families even though lots of things are different today than they were then.