About the future of the family. I get a lot of questions about that.
The rainbow family, that’s complete rubbish. Even those who promote it don’t believe that such a model can survive beyond the support of governments and the media.
Then there is the conservative view. This is based on the fact that we have experienced and are experiencing a model of the ‘traditional family’ that is proving to be functional and pleasant (if not perfect). We can appreciate the benefits of the traditional family without accepting the myth that this way of life has always existed and is somehow ‘natural’ or even universal. And without claiming that it is a model that must be adopted by all.
They are essential for assessing the future:
- Biological givens. These are expected to remain the same.
- The tendency for the economic aspect of relationships to become less important and the emotional aspect to become more important.
- This is a trend that has been going on for several centuries and does not seem to be changing.
The whole world is moving towards a greater diversity of lifestyles. This is the case in all civilisations, except perhaps Islam.
All this suggests that in Europe a large proportion of the population will live in what we call the traditional family. That is, a couple living together as a man and a woman, in most cases with children. A stable relationship that lasts for decades, possibly a lifetime.
Then there will be a group (perhaps comparatively large) of people who will stay single or go on various dating relationships, relatively short term, or a wilder combination. There will be some children growing up here too, but considerably fewer.
Traditional-family style will be related to higher social status, but the basic division will be biological. Much of what goes on in the brain seems to be largely heritable – including the ability to form and maintain relationships. Government policy may increase one group or the other, but only to a certain extent.
That’s just one scenario, of course. However, at the moment it looks quite likely.