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Old 05-28-2014, 10:15 PM
 
Location: Duluth, Minnesota, USA
7,641 posts, read 18,070,462 times
Reputation: 6913

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Procreation, sex, and marriage were at one time more linked than today. In the absence of reliable artificial, non-invasive birth control techniques, and well-paying industrial jobs, this made perfect practical as well as moral sense. One grew up and married at a young age and immediately had a family.

Today, the "traditional family" is just one of many "families" that one can belong to. Marriages tend to end in divorce at rate almost equal to marriages that last. This brings blended families into the mix, as well as when two parents that already have children from other partners marry. Many single mothers stay unmarried most or all of their lives, leading to a matriarchal family structure and a lack of a male role model as traditionally found in the father. Some households consist of two partners of the same sex and children adopted, conceived naturally, or conceived artificially.

Yet what lies ahead?

It has been clear for decades that the traditional nuclear family unit is in decline. I suggest three possibilities for what may happen in the future:

1) Polyamorous unions: These already exist on the fringe of our society, and people are just beginning to recognize they exist. In no state are they recognized. This will change, as "polys" become more and more common, especially among the generation following the Millennials. Multiple men, women, and their children will live in a loosely-integrated family unit. Expect it to be "Heather has two mommies and three daddies". This will be especially popular in times of economic crisis, as it facilitates the pooling of resources.

2) Open marriages: Couples will still marry, but their relations will be not strictly monogamous but "monogamish" (a recently-coined word that has been making the rounds lately). They will tolerate or even encourage their partners to see other men or women openly while remaining the dominant partner. This may increase with more states recognizing same-sex relationships as "marriages", which many sources report have traditionally been more open than those of straights.

3) Singles: The improvement of artificial intelligence, the acceptance of pornography and sex toys, the increase in broadband speeds, and the development of some weird devices for home use will encourage more people, especially the poor, obese, and/or ugly to choose the single life. Truly immersive virtual reality sexual contact will be enabled through the addition of tactile and olfactory components to pornography. Some will live in their virtual reality worlds almost full time, as some people do today.
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Old 05-30-2014, 12:55 AM
 
Location: Bronx
16,200 posts, read 22,963,555 times
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This should not be posted in the history section because the future of procreation and family has nothing to do with the future of history, well maybe with the past.

However my take on the future of family in America is that more and more people will continue to marry within their class. Example a woman who is poor will most likely not to marry up as previous generations did, and also more and more men do not want to marry down. Most will probably want to marry within their class income strata and wealth. I feel sorry for future of many women in this country who finish college and expect an high earning man to be in front of their knees!

The single parent rate in America will increase, especially amongst white American women. Single parent problem will no longer be an black problem and nor longer an urban problem but a problem for majority of Americans in general as union of marriage and nuclear family declines.

Women and men will get married later which will create mixed and blended households that's if both men and women had kids from previous relationships. Some men and women will get married to people who already have families. Some kids will live or trade families with parents on a weekly basis which can create identity issues. But so far I have seen and witnessed women with kids who have multiple father figures such as an uncle or grand father so the need of a biological father is not needed in most cases

A polyamorous relationship is a huge possibility. Just the other day a woman I dated ask if she still wants to date me even though she is pregnant for someone else. I'm like no, but this seems to be a reality in the coming future for women wanting kids, but still maintaining two different relationships with a boyfriend and with a biological father.

Also open marriages might create more happiness for spouses and might be an answer to saving most marriages. Single people will also increase due to people establishing careers late a decade after college and do not have proper finances to get married. Again people will remain single longer, both men and women and will get married later on.

For some working couples putting two checks together is better than having one. With the decline of the U.S economy some couples, most notably females will forgo marriage in order to maintain and receive snap and welfare aid from the government while having a live in boyfriend of some sort. With women and men doing this is allowing more income inequality to take hold and creating further more poverty by depending on the government dime.

Last gay marriage will be accepted and maybe normal in most of the country that is liberal to moderate. Even in parts of the South gay marriage might just be recognized as civil union to a certain degree or if not at all.

Last edited by Bronxguyanese; 05-30-2014 at 01:12 AM..
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Old 05-30-2014, 01:37 AM
 
Location: Berwick, Penna.
16,214 posts, read 11,271,446 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bronxguyanese View Post
This should not be posted in the history section because the future of procreation and family has nothing to do with the future of history, well maybe with the past.
I have to disagree; the emancipation of women is by far the most wide-ranging societal change of the present time, but when combined with industrialization, urbanization, and the perceived threat to many aspects of the traditional value system and power structure by those who would "lose ground", the upheaval is so broad as to make speculation as to what will emerge very difficult.

Which is not to say that the previous system was all that great either.
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Old 05-30-2014, 06:09 AM
 
9,981 posts, read 8,552,790 times
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no idea why "the future of the family" belongs in a History forum.
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Old 06-01-2014, 03:08 PM
 
Location: Gotham
1,514 posts, read 2,114,827 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Snowball7 View Post
no idea why "the future of the family" belongs in a History forum.
Perhaps it's suppose to be ironic.
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Old 06-03-2014, 10:58 PM
 
Location: Duluth, Minnesota, USA
7,641 posts, read 18,070,462 times
Reputation: 6913
Maybe it could be moved to Great Debates? -OP
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Old 06-04-2014, 10:28 AM
 
18,881 posts, read 27,334,389 times
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Mods will decide, where it belongs. Truly, future of the family can not be discussed without history of the family, aye?

I think, "family" as such will stay, only as a voluntary, liberated union of people, that chose to create their own "cell" within society. Liberated from any legal, financial, religious, or other bonds, imposed onto such a union by society. My opinion is, that is what is killing marriages.
Laws, religions, cultural inhibitions will change, will come and go.
Desire of 2, or more, to be together, because it makes them happy, or feels right, this is what will stay. Should be called a "family", or something else, I do not know. But this what I understand as a true one.
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