“The family is the ultimate source of social inequality”. Does it still hold?
Pahomova Julia 10 "A"
The most important element of social structure -social institute - is family. The family status is an index of the condition of society; it shows the degree of its development. Family is a very old social institute, which have different forms. Arguments can't stop about what form is more alive able and fit to traditions and national peculiarity of a country. In the last century Russian "slavianofils" expected the males to dominate in all family decisions making - a patriarchy. Other members of the family had to carry out his will. The role of women was to reproduction and upbringing the children and to run a farm. But there were a lot of opponents against such position.
Modern west civilization advanced on a way of development the people's freedom and possibility of social choice. But in majority of western European countries there are fewer people who are married, and more "free unions" with children, the rate of divorce is raised.
More and more women can have a work outside the house. We can see it in our country. But there are more than 50-60% of working women. Today, not only for men, but also for women, professional interests become a serious competition to family one's.
To strength the family status, the governments of many countries take special moderations such as: material support, holidays for parents who have babies, schools and children gardens and so forth.
That's why there are so many egalitarian families in the world. But it doesn't mean, however, that each decision is shared in such families. Mothers may hold authority in some spheres, fathers in others.
So I agree with Frederich Engels that family is "the ultimate source of social inequality".