Megan Galey
What is Family?

The word “family” is such a subjective word; There are many views on what the

definition truly is. What is the perfect family structure? What are the different gender roles within a family? All of these questions bring opinions and arguments to the surface, because no one wants to believe that their family is “wrong”. Today the definition of family depends on each individual’s personal support environment. Between family structure and gender roles the ideal family is a family that gets along, supports one another, accepts everyone for who they are, and works together to solve problems. This is commonly found in a mother, father, and sibling family structure, with no certain gender roles within the household.

The family structure is such an important part to understanding ones definition of

family. Many people believe the structure to be more of a question of “who is on top?”.
Someone coming from a family of a single mother will answer differently from a person with both parents in a non­divorce environment. When in reality the definition of family structure is the combination of relatives that make up a family. Something that has remained the same over time is the tendency to create some kind of family whether with step parents, grandparents, foster parents, same sex parents, adoptive parents, single parents, and unwed couples. No matter the structure of the family, it’s found that it’s just easier to share the emotional and financial burdens of life within a supportive family. The ideal family structure for a child would be in a stable environment with a mother, father, and siblings; This is also known as the traditional family. The mother’s and father’s relationship would be respectful and divorce wouldn’t be a question. Siblings are a must. According to How Stuff Works:
Understand Family Structures and Dynamics, many only children relish their status, but have

problems with interacting with others, feel enormous amounts of pressure, and may at times feel extremely lonely. In an ideal family, there would be no power struggle and the parents would agree on all matters. Boundaries would be set in the house, but not too many. If there are too many rules, it’s common for the children to rebel more. Different sets of rules come with different ages. For example, a child will be less likely to have a curfew whereas a teenager may need one. Parents should understand that it is there job to look out for their children and keep their best interest in mind; However, parents need to allow their children to make a few mistakes and to learn as they grow. These limitations given by the parents are also determining factors in the positivity of the relationships with the children and parents.
Children want parents who care but are not strict. Parents must know that depending on the age of the child, the child will not always be happy with the parenting. In most cases, if you show concern as well as power, the children will grow up with a well­developed relationship.
Family structures do not work well when one person assumes an abusive dominant power of the house causing stress and pain towards others in the house.

Within the family structure lies the gender roles that the parents and children fall into.

The old­fashioned gender role was that the males were the primary providers, got higher education, and . While the men were at work, females were the ones who took care of the house and children. Today that has changed with the new societal view of women having equal opportunity. There are many instances where women have been able to advance in the workplace, and the men assume the responsibility of caring for the home and children.
Statistically men still make more money in the workforce than women, and this might be due to the fact that women have to carry and give birth to children. In today’s society, people do not subscribe to the gender roles of