Published January 1971 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's-Eye View By U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd American Family Life in Trouble In our modern, affluent, and rapidly moving world, the stable family institution appears to be in trouble. One of the topics discussed at the recent White House Conference on Children was the imminent danger now being faced by the American family in its effort to remain a viable institution. The statistics are startling: one out of four U.S. marriages ends in divorce; the birth rate was down from 30.1 births per thousand in 1910 to 17.1 in 1969; and half a million teenagers are running away from home each year. There are several reasons for the difficulties in the family. Increased mobility has been responsible for many families moving from rural to urban areas, causing greater separation from relatives than in less urbanized days. This trend away from large kinship families has created a more isolated "nuclear" family. The parents in these homes are faced with many additional roles, which in earlier days were provided by grandparents, uncles, and in-laws. The pressures of these new roles have contributed to many broken homes. Also, many of the teaching functions of the traditional American family are now given to schools, government, and even industry. Children are no longer sent to work at an early age due to the affluence in our modern society. Many youngsters today are isolated from the realities of the working world sometimes until they are well into their 20's. Another factor changing the family has been the new working role of many women. With 40 percent of U.S. women now employed, less time is spent at home. And increasing social and civic obligations have further decreased the family's time together. The result has been children who have been hindered emotionally and psychologically by their parent's neglect and over-permissiveness. Many recommendations came from the White House Children's Conference that were designed to save the family as an institution. Among them were the establishment of a National Institute for the Family, universal day-care centers, health and early learning services, the creation of a cabinet-level Department of Family and Children, and an independent Office of Child Advocacy. It is hoped that these institutions could be used to reemphasize the importance of preserving the family as the basic unit of our society. The traditional strong family ties that welded our nation together in its early days must survive if the Republic is to survive. JAN 20 1971