From: Yearning for family transcends borders, Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek,
California), August 6, 2006 Sunday, STATE AND REGIONAL NEWS, 20060806-CC-0806-
Yearning-for-family-transcends-borders, 4059 words, Jackie Burrell, Contra Costa Times,
Walnut Creek, Calif.
This article focuses on the shift to overseas adoption in American families. It cites certain statistics but does not show how they were actually collected.There were no indications as to the quality or methods of these statistics. The article does not seem to have any specific theory, but it does have the overall feeling that international adoption is a positive thing, both for the American families and the orphans that are being adopted.
From: A Taste of Family Life in U.S., but Adoption Is in Limbo , The New York Times, January
13, 2007 Saturday, Late Edition - Final, Section A; Column 1; National Desk; Pg. 1, 2107
words, By JANE GROSS, TERRYVILLE, Conn.
This article focuses on the increasing difficulty in international adoption because of technicalities, fraud and beauracracy. There are again some statistics cited but no method as to how they were collected, though it seems to have been from an employee from an American adoption agency knowledgeable in the system. The article does not focus on facts as much as it does on the feelings and dealings of international adoption. There are many personal accounts. It is more qualitative than quantitative.
From: The other mother: Birth mothers don't get respect, support for selfless act, Tulsa World
(Oklahoma), December 3, 2006 Sunday, LIFESTYLE, 20061203-TU-1203-The-other-
mother, 1405 words, Jennifer Chancellor, Tulsa World, Okla.
In this article there are no statistics, it focuses on the emotional challenges of the birth mother while going through the process. It also defends these mothers and calls for some change and proliferation in the available counseling for these women. There is no underlying theory or practice in this article, but it focuses on the well being of the birth mothers. It a way of bringing attention to emotional health of these birth mothers.
From: Growing family, Tulsa World (Oklahoma), November 5, 2006 Sunday, Final Home
Edition, Family; Pg. D1, 1639 words, JENNIFER CHANCELLOR World Scene Writer
This artcle, like the one above, is not statistcally based, it is more of a personal account of the growing families in America. It shows one account of a family that had its own biological children and then decided that adoption was a good continuation. There are no statistics and no underlying theory, only personal accounts.
From: Madonna Overseas Adoption Follows Trend, Associated Press Online, October 19, 2006
Thursday 9:57 PM GMT, , ENTERTAINMENT NEWS, 1216 words, By JOCELYN NOVECK,
AP National Writer, NEW YORK
This article can be seen in conjunction with the article titled Yearning for family transcends borders. It focuses on the increasing trend of overseas adoptions and how this affects the family dynamics in the US. It turns families multicultural and multiracial. This specific article does have some statistics but does not reveal the source or method of acquisition. It shows this overseas adoption as a popular trend and publicized through celebrities. There does not seem to be any underlying theory or practice.
In all of these articles cited there is a deficit in statistical information or sources of statistics. It seems one must take the facts in these articles at face values, but regardless it the focus of the articles is not the statistical information within them. They all focus on more personal accounts. It is evident that in some of the articles the author seems to have some bias, as in the article pertaining to birth mothers. The author is clearly an advocate for more counseling and some type of transition from open adoptions. In general, all the articles focused on the adoption of children, and more specifically on overseas adoptions and how that changes the family dynamic. Again they are not particularly quantitative reports but more qualitative personal accounts. It is not correct to say that these few personal accounts can represent all experience in adoption, nor should one think of these articles in that light. Rather, I feel these articles can be taken for what they are: accounts of positive and negative experiences with adoption, both domestic and international. But the overall attitude towards adoption in these five articles seem to be a positive one.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Entry #1 Decline in Family
Popenoe cites many different statistics to assert his claim that the family is in decline. He begins by defining the term family as he uses it throughout the article: a group of people tied domestically, economically and support each other. He refers to the size of families, which have been decreasing because of adults’ decisions to have less children, the decrease in the number of people who are actually marrying, and women marrying at a later age as well as having children at a later age. He also mentions that many people, especially women are leaving their family before marriage and establishing a more autonomous state for themselves, and to him this affects their views and attitudes towards marriage. Popenoe also looks towards the increase in the female labor force, and even more towards the dramatic increase in divorce. He focuses on the changes in the mentality of people, in their views towards the institution of marriage which he argues has turned toward a more affectionate union than one of economic convenience. A shift from the traditional cultural view of marriage and family has also affected and spurred this decline in family.
Cowan obviously has some critiques on Popenoe's analysis, mostly concerning his haphazard citing of statistics without explaining or researching their relevance to the issues stated. Cowan seems to think that the main cause of family decline is not on a personal level but instead on a societal and polititcal level. He thinks all sociologists should work to see a bigger picture and try to find the cause of the moral and value changes that have been occurring in the American family. I agree that the political and economic changes in the 20th century can be considered one of the most detrimental affects on the family, and more sociologists should focus on this in order to persuade positive changes.
Stacey follow's Cowan's suite and criticizes Popenoe's methods of analysis. She first disagrees with his definition of family and proceeds to state that he has wrongly categorized the family as an the oldest institution. He has also tried to reconcile many of the arguements surrounding gay and feminist opposition by defining family as a domestic tie between people. She disagrees with this too. She then continues to say that his basis for comparison is fundamentally incorrect. Basically she wants him to compare apples with apples and oranges with oranges, which she thinks he completely disregarded. Summing it up, Stacey believes that Popenoe constructed his arguement falsely in order to fit his ideas and beliefs. But not to discredit his arguement totally, Stacey also agrees that family is in decline, but she advocates for it.
I would be categorized as one who believes the family in America is in decline, but looking at these three arguements, I believe they all need to be either reevaluated or combined somehow. I agree with Popenoe in that there are changes in the values and beliefs about family life which have negatively affected it. The autonomous ideals prevailing in our society today definitely take away from the cooperative, group ideals of the family life. But I would also have to agree with Cowen that there is a need to look beyond the changes in the beliefs and ideals towards the cause of these changes, which I also agree are caused by changes in larger institutions: economics and politics. Stacey's point that the family must be redefined is also noteworthy. True family has a historic context, but the situations and beliefs of current day call for a reevaluation of this definition. However, I do believe that it is necessary to preserve some of the historical characteristics of a family when forming a new definition, because regardless of whether the heads of the household are heterosexual or homosexual, there are certain beliefs and values that are essential to keeping them together.
Cowan obviously has some critiques on Popenoe's analysis, mostly concerning his haphazard citing of statistics without explaining or researching their relevance to the issues stated. Cowan seems to think that the main cause of family decline is not on a personal level but instead on a societal and polititcal level. He thinks all sociologists should work to see a bigger picture and try to find the cause of the moral and value changes that have been occurring in the American family. I agree that the political and economic changes in the 20th century can be considered one of the most detrimental affects on the family, and more sociologists should focus on this in order to persuade positive changes.
Stacey follow's Cowan's suite and criticizes Popenoe's methods of analysis. She first disagrees with his definition of family and proceeds to state that he has wrongly categorized the family as an the oldest institution. He has also tried to reconcile many of the arguements surrounding gay and feminist opposition by defining family as a domestic tie between people. She disagrees with this too. She then continues to say that his basis for comparison is fundamentally incorrect. Basically she wants him to compare apples with apples and oranges with oranges, which she thinks he completely disregarded. Summing it up, Stacey believes that Popenoe constructed his arguement falsely in order to fit his ideas and beliefs. But not to discredit his arguement totally, Stacey also agrees that family is in decline, but she advocates for it.
I would be categorized as one who believes the family in America is in decline, but looking at these three arguements, I believe they all need to be either reevaluated or combined somehow. I agree with Popenoe in that there are changes in the values and beliefs about family life which have negatively affected it. The autonomous ideals prevailing in our society today definitely take away from the cooperative, group ideals of the family life. But I would also have to agree with Cowen that there is a need to look beyond the changes in the beliefs and ideals towards the cause of these changes, which I also agree are caused by changes in larger institutions: economics and politics. Stacey's point that the family must be redefined is also noteworthy. True family has a historic context, but the situations and beliefs of current day call for a reevaluation of this definition. However, I do believe that it is necessary to preserve some of the historical characteristics of a family when forming a new definition, because regardless of whether the heads of the household are heterosexual or homosexual, there are certain beliefs and values that are essential to keeping them together.
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