The Unfinished Revolution: How a New Generation is Reshaping Family, Work, and Gender in America

by Kathleen Gerson

These narratives show how families can take divergent pathways even when they appear to share a similar form. Although static concepts such as “homemaker-breadwinner,” “dual-earner,” and “single-parent” tend to dominate the debate about family and gender change, children can have different experiences and different responses to growing up in families with apparently similar “structures.” Over time, similar “types” of households can follow different paths, and children reared in different types of homes can share a similar outlook on how well or poorly their families fared. Children take account of the context in which family relationships unfold, and the lessons they ultimately draw from their experiences depend on the longer-term consequences of their parents’ and others’ choices. In the long run, children view their families as pathways, not as static types.