The Family is an essential component of cultural values and ideals. They instill this in their children and play an important role in shaping urban surroundings. Modern society is changing rapidly owing to the growth of urban centers, which have greatly impacted restructuring family dynamics. Parson contends that the duties that the family performs might alter based on the requirements of society (Bukodi & Goldthorpe, 2022). For example, there are two types of families. Pre-industrial and post-industrial families. Pre-industrial families were extended families that served as a unit of production, with fixed status positions within the family based on assigned status. This is because the entire family lived in the same house and ran a family company, so they did not have to relocate. The post-industrial family was an isolated nuclear family that served as a unit of consumption (Bell, 2020). This means that the family unit is expected to purchase the things required to keep the economy running. Because it is a nuclear family, they are geographically movable and can relocate to cities with more job opportunities, allowing them to contribute to economic growth. Individuals in the family can be socially mobile; thus, their place in society might be determined by their achievements rather than their ascribed status. The functions of the family adapt to meet the requirements of society at the time; therefore, the family, as a unit of consumption, benefits society as they relocate to areas with more work opportunities and, thus, more income. Functionalism’s understanding of this is valuable since it emphasizes the family’s important role in meeting society’s requirements. Functionalists such as Wilmott and Young argue that this viewpoint is not totally correct because the nuclear family was not the only family type following the Industrial Revolution. For example, they discovered that extended kin networks remained significant in East London as late as the late 1970s, contradicting what Parson claimed (Harris, 2020). It is via this that the family can play an important part in society since they are a unit of production, producing things that are sold and contribute to the economy. Parsons’ argument is thus out of date since it fails to address how the functional fit hypothesis, which still exists today, might make other family types seem inferior to nuclear families. In this paper, I intend to examine what role the family unit has in this ever-evolving urban life.
Urbanization on Family Structure
The family is the core of society, and urbanization drives forces shaping these societies even now. It is not merely the landscape that transforms as towns expand; it includes changing aspects, including family relationships. This change is primarily due to the family dynamics, even though cities are full of successes and problems that must be addressed. The latter significantly establishes itself majorly because urbanization comes with diverse job opportunities and changing demands that necessitate a change in gender roles. The way society hitherto perceived communication between various gender groups also changes as urbanization comes with other societal stresses. It is not merely the landscape that transforms as towns expand; it includes changing aspects, including family relationships. According to research by Sim (2023), exploring numerous urban impacts and unveiling the complex causes of why family models are evolving. The study found that this change is primarily due to the family dynamics, even though cities are full of successes and problems that must be addressed. The effects of greater urbanization are broader than those of relocating people since they also influence roles, relationships, and even family structure. The implications of this study can be seen in the multiple ways that families negotiate with urbanization dynamics, as shown by how they can adjust themselves to changing cityscapes. As urbanization is universal, its impact on family life can help us understand how society transforms (Sim, 2023). Furthermore, urbanization alters interpersonal relations and assistance, making it a worldwide phenomenon that shapes the constant structure of families.
Gender Roles and Family Dynamics
Society changes, and so do family jobs and responsibilities; they adopt a distinct structure to meet the needs of city living. In analyzing the family in an urban setting, it is discernible how a city changes attitudes and beliefs about families, from urbanization’s effects on the family unit to the impact on gender roles. From civic engagement to how urbanization affects education and the fundamental dynamics of a family, it is clear that the central part of all these changes in the family unit can be traced back to urban life (Buchecker & Frick, 2020). The relationship between home life and urbanization is essential to the inhabitants of these homes and cities. The cityscape is not a place of habitation alone but an ever-changing site characterized by gender dynamics and traditions. As such, with society’s changing values regarding gender, family relationships also change during a busy cityscape. This helps discern the intricate relationship between gender roles and urban family life since it deals with how families navigate and adapt to new roles, as city life is very dynamic.
Cities are places of diversity and creativity but also areas where entrenched gender roles can be observed (Walker et al., 2012). This research reveals much concerning the influence of gender perspectives on family structures and its impacts on different positions and relationships taken up by members in cities. In cities, lifestyles are different than in other places because of the fast life and diversity most people have lived with. Walker et al. (2012) seek to explore all the various ways in which urban families respond and adapt to changing gender norms. Walker et al. offer a more comprehensive picture of the interchange between City life and gender roles, complementing their ideas while pointing out gender dynamics. During the process of their luxury accommodation in cities, families not only reflect changes in society but also contribute to the continuous debate on gender roles. This leads to a flexible family system in cities. Having a flexible family structure implies that there are no defined gender roles that limit individuals to doing only specific jobs.
Social Capital and Civic Engagement
The concept of “social capital” becomes increasingly crucial to maintaining these communities and making their members participate in political processes. All these concepts, namely, families, institutions, and communities, interact in a rather complicated manner to bring life back into depressed urban sections. Analysis of social capital and civic participation in urban renewal demonstrates how families contribute to and influence the renewal of urban neighborhoods (Jang, 2023). This determines whether and how social capital works with civic engagement in urban renewal.
Social capital and civic engagement are intertwined in an urban family setting to create the dynamics of any family in the urban environment. The urban environment needs to be seen as a cohesive, bonded society that encourages public participation from all its members. This is manifested through volunteerism and reflects on the struggles to utilize this social unity to achieve common goals, which the families can influence. Since the urban setting comes with a set of class dynamics, the traditional needs of communal involvement do not serve the needs as the classes are not intertwined (Hana & Pujiati, 2023). Social capital comes in to assist urban families in showing the need for empathy and social support in their environment (Edgell, 2023).
As cities change and respond to problems brought about by transformations, family’s ability becomes crucial for building social capital. This reveals how family-based networks foster significant social links for rebirth in cities (May 2023). Families build relationships, which are part and parcel of elements required when reconstructing cities. This social relationship between family structures and urbanization shows that the concept of social capital is crucial, and it reshapes family structures since families only grow stable in the face of urbanization if their economic value or social status is secure (Jang, 2023).
Urban Schools and Parental Involvement
urbanization has affected how parents relate with their children. They have become less involved in their children’s studies and education since they have to move to urban centers to look for lucrative opportunities (Weathers-Fincher, 2023). In contrast, some have become engrossed in ensuring their children’s success as far as education is concerned, making them more involved in their education. This motivates the children and students to do even better in life owing to changes brought about by urbanization. The latter confirms that parental involvement in their children’s learning is crucial in providing a conducive learning environment (Weathers-Fincher, 2023). Parental engagement is critical to the cohesion and support of urban schools that face various issues and opportunities. There has been a significant evolution in all the intricate ways families living in towns mold their children’s school days.
The urban family has placed more emphasis on the value of education by reminding their children of its significance. Since they live in a competitive environment, many parents have devised means of ensuring their children can compete in the modern world and thus ensure their survival (Erkaboyeva & Ugli, 2022). This has helped young adults overcome obstacles they encounter while pursuing their studies. This has become part of urban life to the extent of creating new opportunities for the greater good of the urban environment. Parents hire tutors to ensure their children get the most personal attention they need to maximize their potential and achieve success (Schrapel, 2008). By pursuing academic excellence for their kids, urban parents play a crucial role in creating a supportive, nurturing environment in these complex urban settings.
The Dynamic Family Life
Throughout the country, families have a significant transformation as people migrate to towns and make changes in the way structures are put up. The fact that families adopt different ways of doing things in cities, suburbs, and rural areas depicts the scope of the impact of this change. This portrays the changes in family life across America by underlining how diverse effects of urbanization appear differently geographically and historically (Livingston, 2023). Due to the inconsistent urbanization rates across various regions, one should consider how social factors influence family functioning with greater depth. Cities are becoming more significant with economic opportunities and challenges, whereas suburban and rural areas have dilemmas. This wide variety of places constitutes an additional layer to the debate, making it essential to consider how family ties develop in different cities. The effects of urbanization on family life are not simply associated with money. They influence the norms, values, and social interaction of its members.
Metropolitan, suburban, and rural families respond to changes in social structures differently. New technologies, economic changes, and social understandings have affected the dynamics of a family in American society since the 1980s. This has made the institution more diverse, with no specific family structure or predominant form. The changes in family dynamics have been affected by several factors like cohabitation, remarrying, and even divorce and separation. Single parenthood and step-families have replaced extended families, changing the outcomes and dynamics of families in America. Livingston found that people tend to react to changes in diverse ways since they must cope with the new social dynamics that shape the core of societal structures and values (Livingston, 2023). He asserts that society’s responses to changes are usually prompted by the need to remain relevant and survive.
The nuclear family is the ideal family type for fulfilling these responsibilities. Murdock presents the point that “in each type of society, one particular type of family will be the norm” in his studies on the family. He contends that the family serves four critical responsibilities to address the demands of society and its members (Murdock, 1950). One of the family’s functions is to provide stable pleasure for the sex urge. This is expressing sexuality in a socially acceptable context, which includes people of the opposite sex who are in a heterosexual marriage. This also eliminates the social upheaval created by a sexual ‘free all.’ The second purpose of the family is to reproduce the following generation (reproduction). This generates the next generation of society in a stable home, without which society would be unable to exist. A third duty of the family is to socialize the young (education), which teaches future generations the values and standards of society while also providing primary socialization. The family’s final function is to provide for its members’ economic requirements. This gives food and shelter to the family. The nuclear family allows society to function efficiently since all of its duties and requirements are met.
Urbanization and the importance of family
Functionalism’s explanation is useful since it emphasizes the importance of the family in meeting all of society’s requirements. Marxists would claim that the nuclear family serves ideological roles for capitalism because the family unit is expected to purchase the things required to keep capitalism running (Ormerod, 2020). This is because the family serves as a consumer unit and instills passive acceptance of dominance. This is because there is a hierarchy inside the family with the parents at the top and the kids at the bottom, which leads them to believe that being exploited by their boss is OK in the job because that is what they were taught to believe is normal. It is also the institution through which the wealthy pass on their wealth to their children, so perpetuating class inequality. Parsons’ argument is thus out of date since it ignores the fact that the nuclear family is not the only family type capable of fulfilling all of the family’s tasks.
Conclusion
Urban areas are dynamic, ever-changing environments that have a profound impact on families and their relationships. Families are impacted by urbanization in many ways; it alters their occupations and even the way they interact with one another. As metropolitan environments change, families in these settings grow resilient and able to deal with the opportunities and challenges that always present themselves. Social playgrounds, public recreation facilities, and cultural centers are just a few of the family-friendly attractions and activities available to families living in metropolitan areas. The family is the core of society, and urbanization drives forces shaping these societies even now. It is not merely the landscape that transforms as towns expand; it includes changing aspects, including family relationships primarily due to the family dynamics, even though cities are full of successes and problems that must be addressed. The latter makes a strong impression, mostly due to the fact that urbanization brings with it a variety of employment options and shifting expectations that call for a shift in gender roles.
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