With divorce rates and family breakdowns increasing globally, it is 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 are collapsed.

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. In today's society, more opportunities are opened to both genders,

thus

, parents attempt to work hard as much as possible to have solidated statuses in

this

large society and

also

to support their families. Traditionally, one parent assumed the role of breadwinner

while

the other- typically the mother- acted as the homemaker. As the pace of life constantly revolutionized, double-income families have become the norm, and the implication of

this

is a greater number of children being born and growing in a single-parent home or parentless environment. Little wonder,

then

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

this

alienation within families, I believe that we must first address the root causes. Perhaps the most effective method of doing

this

would be for the governments to offer financial incentives to those who decided to stay at home and take care of their kids. It is an indisputable fact that

such

subsidies from the government could not fully compensate for the lost income,

however

, it would at least soften the hardship of living on a single income and it would be the best way for those who would rather stay at home but unable to do so in light of the financial constraint. One

further

measure would be to promote interactive activities in the community through public education campaigns. By way of conclusion, I firmly believe that

this

is clearly a problem of

such

complexity that no solution is likely in the short term.

However

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