Family is the smallest social unit of society that connects marriage, blood ties, and ancestral
roots. While the nuclear family consists of the mother, father, and children, the extended
family consists of grandmothers, grandfathers, and relatives. Its foundation is built on loyalty,
respect, love, compassion, and sacrifice. While love, respect, and sacrifice are the most
important factors in the family, it is felt that there are significant differences between the
family structure of the past and those of today. Perhaps the first place where inequality
between men and women was born is the male dominance that has characterized long-lasting
marriages from the past to the present and still maintains its effects in our society. I believe
that women were most damaged in society within this mindset of the past family concept,
where thoughts like “the man knows, the man does, the man provides for his home” rose up,
and women were expected to look after the home and child and remain silent even if they
were right. We see the highest dimension of sacrifice in marriage within a family. The effect
of this society, where women appeared ignorant, on the family is observed in all stories where
women remained silent for the sake of their children and to prevent the concept of family
from breaking down; in these cases, the concept of marriage and family lasted a long time. Of
course, it would be very wrong to evaluate all of them in this way; this is a way of thinking
that applies to a certain segment.
Taking my own family into account, things where women are oppressed and silenced do not
happen in all families. A family structure where everyone offers compassion, respect, and
sacrifices to one another continues for many years. Family structures where men and women
appear equal, where only their areas of responsibility are different and they are aware of this,
progress more happily and for a longer duration. This psychology of long-term happiness and
love also affects the birth and growth of more well-adjusted and happy children, as well as
their behavior when they form their own families in the future. Briefly, I can call it a
psychological gene transfer. Instead of immediately throwing a broken item in the trash,
choosing to repair it rather than replacing it becomes one of the examples of sacrifice and
loyalty in our lives, ensuring the continuation of the beauty that item offers us. Having
mentioned the past this much, I want to talk about the family structure of the present and the
future. First of all, there are very big differences. I think the biggest difference that separates
the family structures of today and the ongoing future from the past family structure is
intolerance.
The intolerance people have for each other, spouses for each other, children for their parents,
or vice versa—parents for their children—and the decrease in the sense of patience certainly
damage the foundation of the family structure today and in the future. In contrast to women’s
behaviors in the past, the increase in their education levels and their ability to stand on their
own feet are completely tearing down the system of male dominance in society. While this
has often become a success in terms of women’s freedoms, the dynamics of the future family
structure are mostly changing. The long-lasting family structure, where male dominance was
accepted in the past and women remained silent, is now resulting in the termination of most
ill-fated marriages and family units as women defend their own rights and rebel against
injustices. We can summarize the behaviors brought about by this trend as follows: People
now prefer to throw things away when they break, rather than repairing them with
patience and devotion.
To summarize the subject; when we look at the past, the concept of family was a more sincere
and precious concept, but now we see that it is not valued or cared for as much as in the past;
patience is decreasing and intolerance is gradually increasing. For this reason, the concept of
family is being damaged from its roots. Family is not a concept limited only to getting
married and having children. Values such as love, respect, loyalty, and compassion being
present within the established family are among the most important elements required for the
survival of the family. While the differences in family structure from the past to the present
are like this, my greatest advice and thought is this: A man and a woman first start the family
structure, which is the most basic and smallest unit of society. The children they bring into the
world by deciding together then start another family. For this reason, every child raised with
respect and love starts more respectful and compassionate family structures. Behavior is
everything.
About the Author
