Just a couple of months ago, the world became fixated by the news that Britain’s Prince Harry, sixth in line to the throne, had become engaged to the American actress he had been dating. Countless news stories reported the few scant details of what was publicly known about the couple as well-wishers around the world filled the Internet and social media with heartfelt comments of congratulations and joy.
In a world where the traditional 2 parent family is quickly losing ground as the dominant family structure, this fairy tale announcement was met with universal approval and little if any criticism. In fact, progressives tended to focus their coverage on two ground-breaking firsts for a member of the monarchy. His fiancé was both divorced and biracial.
Despite these firsts, the accepted traditional formula of marriage for British royals remains the same. Traditional marriage between a man and women prior to cohabitation followed by the expectation of children. Ironically, in today’s world, this formula has long been discarded by the very subjects Prince Harry presides over. In Britain alone, there are almost 2 million unmarried couples raising their children together today.
Traditional family advocates have repeatedly raised concerns about the disadvantages children suffer when raised outside of traditional marriage. However, recently, longtime studies have shown that while there is an increase of violence and a decrease of financial stability in families raised by single parents or cohabitating parents, the overall well-being of the child of a traditional 2 parent marriage is only slightly higher statistically.
In fact, according to Paul R. Amato, it is almost impossible to blame the family structure for any of the struggles of the children raised in nontraditional relationships. He said, “Most behaviors are determined by numerous social, cultural, individual and biological factors. No single variable, such as family structure, has a monolithic effect on children’s development and behavior.” And while recent studies show an increase in cognitive, emotional and social problems, the difference is so slight, it almost begs to be ignored. Should it be?
It’s no surprise that concern about the falling numbers of the 2 parent married family is not found on public platforms. When reviewing the popular opinion-based issues on a well-known website , the only mention of marriage or family in the top 50 issues of our day, is centered on LGBT marriage and family rights. This seems to reaffirm what we already suspect, that nobody seems to care that the middle class has rejected the traditional idea. So why keep talking or advocating about it?
Amato and others make a case for caring about such minuscule differences. They point out that a small statistical percentage becomes substantially larger when viewed from the scale of an entire nation. When considering that a return to the more stable traditional family structure means that millions of children will be less likely to experience cognitive, emotional and social problems, at the very least, it motivates us to get the discussion going.
More importantly, a healthy discussion today may also help us better advocate for the future generations who will be affected by the family traditions and structures our culture embraces right now. When we consider the millions affected today and multiply that number exponentially to account for future generations, the staggering numbers start to look much more serious. And what is a preferential trend today may become the crisis of tomorrow.
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