Familieliv: ægteskab og kønsroller i samfundsudviklingen

This paper investigates the family: its patterns, importance and function in society, and analyses the changes it has undergone throughout time, focusing on the traditional, modern and late modern periods. The analysis is guided by the following research question: How is changes in society reflected in marital and gender relations? As a result of this question, the paper focuses especially on the relationship between the sexes, analysing if roles between men and women have changed throughout the three time periods mentioned above, or whether traditional norms and values are still present in today’s society. Throughout the paper will explain what factors separate the traditional, the modern and the late modern society, with special emphasis on the family. Furthermore, based on historical sources, it investigates how marriage and the relationship between the sexes have changed, and finally it evaluates the reasons for the possible changes. The paper concludes that while the family still represents the framework surrounding the individual, and represents a place of comfort and security, the traditional family structure has changed significantly in the late modern society. These changes are explained by a larger individualization of the family, industrialization, and the greater independence of women in the late modern society.