• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.137-155
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• 2011

Rethinking the Value of Family. This study compares and contrasts positive and negative viewpoints concerning the family. Currently, a resurgence in positive viewpoints has exposed the untruths and myths put forth concerning the family on the part of those with a more pessimistic viewpoint. However, those with negative viewpoints still have not acknowledged that the family is an important part of human lives. In this study, the "equal family" (a family where tasks are split evenly among, say, the mother and father with regard to both vocation and household tasks) is criticized as an alternative to the "unfair family", as the "equal family" structure fails to go beyond the liberalization of family relationships to create a virtuous structure worthy of emulation by the children in the family. This is true in spite of the fact that the "equal family" structure has done much to improve individual freedom in the lives of its members. In conclusion, this study posits a third family structure, the "life family," as a new alternative to the other two models. The "life family" recognizes the family's central role: as a safe haven for raising children and building human esteem through close long-term relationships.