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

　　it seems today families are becoming increasingly unstable and members in it are more alienated then before, due to the up-going divorce rates and the transformation of the society. In this essay, I will try to give some possible causes of this trends and present solutions if there are really some of it. The major causes of these trends are believed twofold.

　　In the first place, during the past few decades, people have been experiencing the sweeping trends of gender equality; this change enables most of the women to work and supervise, vote and be voted in most of the countries; not only their social position has been lifted up a lot, but because of the financial independency they have gotten, they become more confident in ** decision both in the workplace and in their families. Consequently, it brings more quarrel, as the dominant position of men has been shaken.

　　In the second place, in the past few decades, people have also witnessed the overwhelming world-wide industrialization as well as the revolution of the information. These two primary changes bring devastating result to the original extended families. For one thing, families as a single work unite are no longer suits the need of the factories, as they are too large. For another, people do not need to rely on the elderly for skill learning as they can get almost everything they want to know from the information highway. Thus, the nuclear families appear.

　　Before coming up with any possible solutions, I would like to get down to the fundamental and see whether we really need some solutions for these trends. Rather than considering this trends a disturbing issue, I would believe this trends itself, is already the solution to the causes I mentioned above. The transformation of the families from extended one to nuclear one necessarily provides the suitability and makes families better performed its functions to the society and to any individuals; however, when nuclear families are not capable enough coping with the problems brought by the trends of gender equality, it breaks into another form by performing divorce. Therefore, I personally believe that we have already had the solutions which are working well; thus, any extra effort on the seemingly harmony of the society and families is a waste of time.

　　In conclusion, it seems the reasons for these trends are well clear thanks to the gender equality campaign and the global industrialization as well as information revolution. However, I believe that this phenomenon would remain almost the same condition for a period of time even if we look for extra methods to help it; as the society needs time to make adjustment to itself and this is an inevitable effort.

　　Total: 65 mins

　　453 words