Family decline in the United States and England

After the Enlightenment Age and the industrial revolution, now on the eve of the 21st century, the Western society is facing with predicaments in various spheres, with the transformations occurring in cultural and social domains in the last few decades bringing about a deep influence on the structure of family. Thus, family is now the main concern of the ethicists in the West. One of the most important consequences of the redefinition of family, decline of the traditional family, and appearance of modern family is the emergence of new social movements. Referring to Western literature, especially in the United States and England, and to the related statistics, this paper elaborates on the instances and aftermaths of the decline of family such as abnormal families, marriage, divorce, abortion, and illegitimate infants. The statistical results show that the decline of traditional families in the West resulted in a critical situation.