With divorce rates and family breakdowns increasing globally, it is generally accepted that families today are not as close as they used to be Discuss the causes of this problem and offer some possible solutions to it

Divorce and family breakdown were virtually unheard of just 100 years ago. Now,

however

, almost half of all marriages fail.

This

phenomenon is symptomatic of the growing distance between family members in modern society. In

this

essay, I intend to explore the sources of

this

problem

along with

some possible solutions to it. Chief among the causes of

this

problem is the modern lifestyle. Today’s parents have to work harder than those of previous generations to support their

families

. Traditionally, one parent assumed the role of breadwinner,

while

the other – typically the mother – acted as the homemaker. Recently, though,

double income

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families

have become the norm.

Consequently

, an increasing number of children now grow up in a parentless environment. Little wonder,

then

, that they feel alienated. Another contributing factor is the passive and solitary nature of many modern forms of entertainment. In order to resolve

this

sense of alienation within

families

, I believe we must first address its root causes. Perhaps the most effective method of doing

this

would be for governments to offer financial incentives to parents who choose to remain at home and take care of their

families

. Admittedly,

such

incentives would probably not fully compensate couples for lost income;

however

, they would at least soften the hardship of living on a single income and provide an alternative for parents who would rather remain at home but are unable to do so because of financial constraints. One

further

measure would be to promote more interactive leisure activities in the community through public education campaigns. In conclusion, I believe that

this

is clearly a problem of

such

complexity that no solution is likely in the short term.

However

, I believe that the measures outlined above would constitute a good first step.