Pg. 236 Directed Freewrite

I believe that family structure is heavily affected by economic structure. I believe that the financial freedom that D’Emilio describes allows for many freedoms in the way we live. “Economic independence has allowed for the homosexual identify to emerge” (pg 229). Once people are able to support themselves, they are more free to be themselves and not be confined to certain societal norms. D’Emilio explains this perfectly and he states “Sexual identity is not the same as homosexual behavior” (pg 229).

People have been documented for centuries as having homosexual feelings but they always had to mask their identity in order to survive in American society. I find it interesting when D’Emilio examines olden America. Procreation was seen as an essential occurrence needed to occur for financial survival. The transition from farm life to city life has greatly decreased the birth rate. I wonder what other factors could come potentially affect the family landscape. Does our greater tolerance of non-Christian faith have the potential to change traditional American conduct?

What effects would a depression in our current times have? I think that children could be seen as a financial burden because of high education costs and increasing living costs. Even if children are a financial burden on a family, I ponder whether increased birthrates positively impact America as a whole. With more babies being born, there are more chances for Nobel Prize winners, distinguished doctors, and astronauts to be born. Or do increased birthrates harm America’s economy because of excesss tress on our limited resources?