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.