One of the first and foremost problem in our society is the Family. Ever since the beginning of civilization, family served as the main support for physical, emotional, and psychological guidance. Nevertheless, it is also said that these days the family and its function for helping individuals in their formation of normative values have declined due to a combination of an encroachment from other players such as the media (aka mediatization) (Hjarvard, 2008), and external factors such as the failing economy and disparity between the different classes of society (Cherlin, 2016). On one hand, it is said that through the process of mediatization, the roles of traditional institutions (e.g. religion, family, and school) are gradually becoming subsumed under the logic of media, thus making them more independent on these new forms of expression. On the other hand, the external factors in the economy and culture, has also made the problems within family relationships more persistent as it correlates to a radical shift in the familys social structure as characterized by an increase in the number of cohabitating couples as compared to those engaged in traditional marriage systems. From this perspective, it could easily be seen that the increasing dominance of mass media couldve led to the increase in the number of couples who are cohabitating together. Nevertheless, based on the seminal work done by Cherlin (2014), he identified that one of the greatest reasons for this shift in the family structure is education. In his study, he was able to identify there
exist a marriage gap between individuals who were able to finish a 4-year Bachelors degree as compared to those who were only able to finish a high school degree or lower. Nevertheless, looking at a much wider perspective, the author of this article believes that while education could present as one of the strongest factors for the increasing marriage gap, it is the overall structure (i.e. the economy and culture) which creates the disparity in terms of the opportunity for education and employment. Thus, leading to a shift in the traditional structure of the society, a phenomenon called by Durkheim as Anomie. In line with this, this article would focus on the work of Vance, as an example of this phenomenon of normlessness, especially with regards to the traditional family structures. The next sections would also incorporate the works of Macionis, Wilson, Brooks, and Cherlin, in order to discuss particular topics in class and race, relating to the topic on the ongoing shift in family structures. The said section would also include a discussion about the plight of the working class as discussed in Brooks lecture, and what we can do to be able to increase our level of happiness. Lastly, the author would also suggest ideas about the role of the state as an over-arching traditional institution and the potential policy programs that it could initiate in order to reduce the numbers of couples who are cohabiting together, and thus increase the likelihood for a family to develop a much more conducive environment for the development of a childs well-being.