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Family relations are the earliest and most continuing of social relationships. As a result, family life experiences deeply affect the competence, resilience, and well being of each of us. Today, social change is not only affecting the population around us but also the family we rely upon in our everyday lives. According to a national web site polling Americans on certain topics about family issues, "There is a pervasive unease about American family life and what will become of the next generation" (Public Agenda). .
While most people seem to be satisfied with their family life and certain they will succeed on growing healthy families, many are not so sure about their neighbors and their kids. The structures of family relationships have been altered by social transformations such as education expansion, non-family employment, urbanization and migration, and income. Although there are many factors that pertain to the causes of family problems today, there are two major causes. The first is families today are not structurally complete. According to Robert Lauer, structural problems are interrelated to the divorce rate, the number of single families, and by the number of reconstituted families in which there is a stepparent-stepchild relationship. The second cause of family problems is supportive problems. Supportive problems involve the emotional support or lack of support for each individual family member (Lauer, p460.) Lauer explains that supportive problems are characterized from family violence, which includes child and spousal abuse. Both of these problems sooner or later will diminish the quality of life of the family unit. .
Growing Economic Trends.
More and more families are struggling to make the connection of work and family fit together. There are many issues that working families face such as when if ever will the parents go back to work, child cares issues, finances, stress, marital strain, division of labor, and many more topics.