Coming to an understanding of divorce is technically challenging and very emotional. Sociologists examine the macrolevel of families to develop several theoretical aspects of divorced families. The structure of families in America today has revolutionized and created diversity within a family due to divorce. How has divorce redefined family composition? Many have different judgments, attitudes, and knowledge that will place limitations on how a person will answer this question. Two different people would say that divorce has redefined the family composition positively or negatively. However, a neutral person would simply accept that family arrangements have changed and been redefined. The United States Census Bureau defines a household as “a group [of] two or more persons (not necessarily including a head of the household) residing, together, and related by birth, marriage, or adoption. A family can be made up of one of these groups, more than one, or none at all. The household group count includes households, related subfamilies, and unrelated subfamilies. Family composition is redefined due to remarried families with stepchildren, single-parent families, or other family forms caused by divorce. This form of family also redefines the roles of each family member. However, children are most affected by parental separation due to excessive dependence on older siblings. Dr. Bren Neale and Dr. Jennifer Flowerdew, both affiliated with the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, conducted research on the non-beneficial effects of divorced parents on children. As they stated in their academic article in “New Structures, New Agency: The Dynamics of Child-Parent Relationships After Divorce,” “siblings can play a significant role…middle of paper…there may be the possibility there of a new marriage that changes the family structure. Remarried families may consist of multiple layers of a stepparent or children from the previous marriage. Because divorce is becoming too common, people have become more accepting of divorce than they were just a few generations ago. According to a Gallup poll conducted in May of last year 2013, older Americans are changing their moral attitude towards divorce. “The overall change in Americans' views on divorce is also largely the result of changing views among those 55 and older.” When people are exposed to a divorce, they will later adapt to this concept. Whether it is to redefine family composition in a negative or positive aspect, divorce has become socially accepted. Beliefs, attitudes and knowledge are taken into account to determine how divorce redefines family composition.
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