Chapter 14
In America, the family setup is changing. Two parent households are reducing as divorce cases, cohabitation, and remarriages are on the rise. Family structures and the role of women in homes has transformed. Family setups have become less traditional (Golombok)
Saudi Arabia, an Islamic community, holds traditional family structures. Men are allowed to marry up to four wives. Since the society is not open to women pursuing careers, women focus on marriage and having children. Divorce is permitted when in unhappy marriages as much is it’s found to be unattractive. Usually, men get custody of the children (Miller et al. 7)
Population and Urbanization
Chapter 20
With a population of 1.3 billion people, China is the most populated country in the world. The government introduced the ‘one child per family’ policy in 1979 to control population growth. The policy required parents to obtain birth certificates before the birth of their children. As much as a family should decide on the number of children to have, the policy is a better way of controlling the population in China. The government can provide social amenities such as education and health to its people. Over the last 50 years, standards of living in China have risen. Access to natural resources such as natural gas and water has improved (Smil).
With a population of over 1.3 billion people, the Chinese government can use other population control methods. These include birth control programs and economic changes. Economic development would hinder population growth. A birth quota system would monitor the implementation of birth control policies (white et al. 1035)
Conclusion
America upholds a nontraditional family setup. It is mainly monogamous with couples of same and different genders entering into marriage. Divorce is common with custody of children decided by the court system. In Saudi Arabia, marriages are mostly polygamous, with men having up to four wives. In divorce situations, custody of children is given to fathers. In China, the one child per family policy and birth control policies such as vasectomy, can be used in population control. The government can also use birth quotas.
Works Cited
Golombok, Susan. Modern families: Parents and children in new family forms. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Miller, Grant, and Kimberly Singer Babiarz. “Family planning program effects: Evidence from microdata.” Population and Development Review 42.1 (2016): 7-26.
Smil, Vaclav. China’s Environmental Crisis: An Enquiry into the Limits of National Development: An Enquiry into the Limits of National Development. Routledge, 2016.
White, Lynn, and Stacy J. Rogers. “Economic circumstances and family outcomes: A review of the 1990s.” Journal of Marriage and Family 62.4 (2000): 1035-1051.
