Wilson BrownChip DunkinWriting 1027 April 2014Successful Marriages in America: The Role and Importance for SocietyIn rereading the American chapter Harmony in the Home: The Myth of the Modern Family, ideas of the past and present The meanings of what a family truly is are brought to light through some shocking statistics. “Among Millennials born after 1980, only 30% say that having a successful marriage is “one of the most important things in life.” An in-depth look at this statistic raises questions about the mindset of this new generation and the role of marriage in the development of future generations. Today's modern view of traditional marriage is one that most affiliate with in a new and ever-changing society, an almost ancient idea of ​​1950s American homes. Gender roles have also changed as women become more relevant in today's workforce, exerting an extreme impact on the time-honored relationship of marriage. This inevitably changes parenting and the way children are raised. Parenting, of course, begins with the father and mother associated with raising a child. In an Atlantic article, by Richard Reeves, the main goal is to analyze how this new generation of Mellenials views marriage. Reeves began by examining the “marriage gap,” the difference between marriages from a socioeconomic perspective. The findings were that college graduates were more likely to have a “successful marriage” than those who failed to obtain a general education (GED) or high school diploma (Reeves). When considering a successful marriage, however, there are more factors than simply whether the two spouses are together and happy. The role they play in raising a child can take place in two forms: the first is a traditional marriage in which the main situation is that of a single parent. This problem doesn't have so much to do with mothers in these situations but with fathers or the lack thereof. These poorer families tend to adopt the traditional view of marriage where the father is the primary breadwinner of the family instead of a HIP marriage. This lack of money and a father figure often leads the children involved to seek a sense of community that they find in gangs and other socially unhealthy environments. Gangs and other criminal routes, however, do not limit themselves to only targeting children. This leads to violence that impacts not only family members but also the wider community, causing a cycle of absent fathers and out-of-wedlock births. The best solution to this problem is to involve fathers in children's lives in a positive way, ending the cycle of violence and poverty.