"The family is the
ultimate source
of social inequality”. Does it still hold?
Pahomova
Julia 10
"A"
The most important element of
social
structure -social institute - is family. The family status is an index
of the
condition of society; it shows the degree of its development. Family
is a very
old social institute, which have different forms. Arguments can't stop
about
what form is more alive able and fit to traditions and national
peculiarity of
a country. In the last century Russian "slavianofils" expected the
males to
dominate in all family decisions making - a patriarchy. Other members
of the
family had to carry out his will. The role of women was to
reproduction and
upbringing the children and to run a farm. But there were a lot of
opponents
against such position.
Modern west civilization
advanced on a
way of development the people's freedom and possibility of social
choice. But
in majority of western European countries there are fewer people who
are
married, and more "free unions" with children, the rate of divorce is
raised.
More and more women can have a
work
outside the house. We can see it in our country. But there are more
than
50-60% of working women. Today, not only for men, but also for women,
professional interests become a serious competition to family one's.
To strength the family
status, the
governments of many countries take special moderations such as:
material
support, holidays for parents who have babies, schools and children
gardens
and so forth.
That's why there are so many
egalitarian families in the world. But it doesn't mean, however, that
each
decision is shared in such families. Mothers may hold authority in
some
spheres, fathers in others.
So I agree with Frederich
Engels that
family is "the ultimate source of social inequality".