| Chapter Intro: | Introduction |
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According to Gordon et al. (1996), “the fastest growing family category in American society, in relative terms, is that of families headed by single fathers” (p. ix). Another study showed that the percentage of stay-at-home dads has increased 70% since 1990 (Conlin, 2001). With mothers working outside the home, high divorce rates, and the rise of househusbands, the face of the American family has changed significantly. The result of this change has been unprecedented.
Today, there is not a universal conception of a family. Due to the reasons discussed, there are no longer clear delineations for the roles men and women in the family. The roles described by de Tocqueville have in some cases been blurred, in other cases completely switched, and in other cases have become the responsibility of only one person. Because women are actively taking part in the public sphere, men are being called to take a more active role in the private sphere. Today, men and women share the caregiving responsibilities that generations ago were unquestionably the duty of women. As seen by the rise of househusbands, in some cases the roles are completely switched—the man has become the sole caregiver in the household. Finally, due to the ever increasing number of single-parent homes, many people find themselves responsible for everything related to the needs of the family.
While more and more women enter the workforce, and more and more men find themselves taking increasing responsibility of their children, families continue to change and caregiving responsibilities continue to increase with the number of elderly needing care. Today more than ever before, Americans are living longer lives and need more care. An article from the Denver Post reported: