American Family Trends

The traditional American family consisting of a husband, wife and children is becoming less and less frequent. More people who are not legally married are living together. More and more children are being raised in single-parent families, by both poor women and by women who are professionally employed. Others postpone marriage and childbirth and as a consequence bear fewer children than women who marry earlier. Among the educated more and more couples are deciding to have fewer and fewer children. An exception to this trend occurs among blacks, hispanics and among the very poor. In 1990 the size of the average American family was 3.2 individuals.

Marriages are either civil or performed in the church. Marriage has a legal foundation which means that a Registry Office has a record of it and it carries certain economic rights. When getting married both parties sign the document of marriage, that is, a marriage certificate.

Young people rarely live with their parents. Usually, upon graduation from high school children move out of the family home. To reduce expenses young people frequently rent apartments or a house. Usually two to five young people rent an apartment or a house together and share other expenses.

While young people are getting married later in life, the divorce rate is increasing. Roughly 50% of all marriages in the United States now end in divorce. In cases of divorce the financial support required from the breadwinner will vary from case to case and if agreement is not possible between the two parties the court will decide. The cheapest way of getting a divorce is through the no-fault system, that is, two parties come to an agreement between themselves about the distribution of property. If there is no agreement then each hires a lawyer and the divorce will be very costly, up to $25,000 and more for legal fees alone.

The most ominous trend in American society is the increasingly high number of children being born to unmarried young people in poverty who are being raised without fathers. Two-thirds of black children are now being born in fatherless households. Undoubtedly these children are destined to add to the number of those in poverty and to those involved in delinquency and crime.

An Irish Wedding

Have you ever been to an Irish wedding? I have just returned from one. It is a quarter to five in the morning; the sun has already risen; the birds are busy celebrating the new day and have eagerly been in search of food. But some of the guests have not yet left. They are still prolonging the night: dancing, singing, gossiping, postponing the unfortunate necessity of undertaking a day’s work in the fields after a sleepless night.

Throughout most of her life, Bridget Mary, the bride, has lived in the small whitewashed cottage I have just left. Twelve children have been brought up there but only two are still living at home. The eldest son, heir to the small farm, is helping his father with the farm work (they employ no farm laborers); the youngest daughter is still at school. Two years ago Bridget Mary, like many other girls, went to England to take up domestic work in a hospital and it was while she was living there that she met her future husband, Terry. He himself is an Irish man who used to live in Dublin and now has a job in a light engineering works 2 in England. They got engaged and now they are thinking of buying a small house near Terry’s factory.

The wedding ceremony was performed in the church in the nearest town at half past eight yesterday morning. Another couple were being married at the same time. Nobody worried about the cost of celebrations: four luxurious cars brought bride, bridegroom, family and friends home, and forty people were crowded into the tiled kitchen and the tiny living-room, hung with framed school certificates and religious pictures. An enormous meal was eaten; the wedding cake was cut and toasts were drunk in whiskey or sherry. And while the remains of the feast were being cleared away and the rooms swept, the four cars set out again, taking the married couple and relations for a drive round the countryside.

The evening party was to start at ten o’clock, but by nine o’clock many of the guests were already arriving. A few of the nearer male relatives were looking rather awkward in evening suits with smart ties, and the pleasant, unsophisticated country-women appeared a little self-conscious dressed in their Sunday best for the occasion. By the time I arrived at eleven o’clock, the party was in full swing. Two men squeezing accordions provided the music: the old Irish tunes that have been played at weddings for many years. Half the people in the room were dancing the square dances which have been enjoyed even longer. Drinks were being handed round. And when ever the dancing stopped, somebody would start singing one of the sentimental treasured Irish songs. Sometimes we all joined in the chorus, sadly and solemnly, before getting up to dance again.

Irish weddings have been celebrated in this way for generations. The very old and the teen-agers, the middle age couples, all meet together to keep up the old traditions and enjoy themselves as their ancestors did.

Unit 3.