B) What do men usually do? And women?

Unit 1. FAMILY TIES

What is a "traditional" family nowadays? With more and more couples choosing not to get married, and with the number of divorces and second marriages increasing, the idea of the "traditional family" of two married parents and an average of two children is rapidly disappearing in some countries. Here are some statistics from the English-speaking world.

Families	in the USA	in the UK	in Russia
Marriages that end in divorce	50%	33%
Families with only one parent	25%	25%
Children who live in a single-parent home at some time	50%	33%
Children whose parents aren't married	33%	40%
Single parents who are men	10%	10%

_ 1. How do you think that the same statistics would be different in Russia? Complete the table and discuss the statistics about families in the three countries:

There are	more fewer	single-parent families unhappy marriages children living in single-parent homes single fathers…	in the USA in the UK in Russia	than	in the USA in the UK in Russia
as many		as

The USA The UK Russia	has	the lowest the highest	number of percentage of	…	of all
the same	as …

^[ 2. Tell the group about a family you know. Make use of some key words in your answer. Begin with: Well, …

my immediate family	is relatively	small: just big:	my his her	parents, mother, father,	my his her	brother(s) sister(s) uncle(s) aunt(s) grandparents	and me. and he. and she.
the family of my friend

& 3. Read the text below and answer the questions:

A) Would you like to have a small or a big family? Why?

b) At what age, in your opinion, should you start thinking about marriage?

MODERN FAMILIES IN BRITAIN

The family in Britain is changing. In the past, people got married and stayed married. Divorce was very difficult, expensive and took a long time. Today, people's views on marriage are changing. Many couples, mostly in their twenties or thirties, live together without getting married. Only about 60% of these couples will eventually get married.

By the year 2020, it is estimated that there will be more single people than married people. Fifty years ago this would have been socially unacceptable in Britain.

People are generally getting married at a later age now and many women do not want to have children immediately. They prefer to concentrate on their jobs and put off having a baby until late thirties.

The number of single-parent families is increasing. This is mainly due to more marriages ending in divorce, but some women are also choosing to have children as lone parents without being married.

On average 2.4 people live as a family in one home in Britain. A lot or young people leave home between the ages of 18 and 25 when they go to university, get a job or get married. They often share a flat or house with some friends.

Old people don't normally live in the same house as their children and grandchildren. They usually live in their own house or flat, or in an old people's home.

& 4. Read the text about household chores in Britain and think about the following questions:

A) What are the different roles men and women play in housework in your family?

b) What do men usually do? And women?

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1448

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