Animals will have more offspring if their environment is safe and their basic resources are plentiful. In humans, this rule isn’t so black and white. People that live in a relatively safe environment with plenty of resources are avoiding marriage and procreation. In rich countries, not taking into consideration the growing number of foreign immigrants, the decline of population growth is staggering. This paradox can only be explained by the rise of individualism. Men and women aren't willing to adjust their own lives by succumbing to sacrifices such as financial burden, emotional dependency, and losing their own freedom in order to marry one another or procreate. If we look in depth at this situation it is possible to argue that this individualistic trend of society is caused by the advance of capitalism, which, according to conservative views, is threatening human values such as morality, identity, will for cooperation and patriotism. In fact, there is an invisible revolution happening in the heart of these rich societies. Perhaps the rise of individualistic behavior is a sign ofhuman evolution leading the individuals to an outstanding new page of social development; perhaps it is an evil that must be repressed.
In America, women have increasingly chosen to join the workforce over full time motherhood. During the Second World War, while most American men were battling in Europe and the Pacific, women were providing the labor to the war effort and receiving a compensation for it. After the war, women were able to provide for themselves financially and also contribute to the growth of the family’s lifestyle. Over time, the patriarchal values were giving space to a more egalitarian society. By the end of the second century, women had already conquered financial, emotional and sexual equality. The clash of individual interests was created by the equality of gender. Modern women target career success, financial and emotional independence, while suppressing the instinctive need of motherhood. In order to be successful and independent, women must prevent early marriage or pregnancy. Men also have individualistic views regarding marriage and procreation. They believe that marriage and procreation would prevent financial success, increase the number of responsibilities, decrease their amount of freedom and, ironically, decrease their sexual activity. In wealthy nations, 50% of marriages end in divorce and most marriages are happening at a much older age. Unfortunately, statistics also point to the fact that the longer it takes for an adult to get married, the harder it is to have a successful marriage. This data exposes the increased individualism of adults over the years.
It is notorious that traditional marriage is being threatened by the influence of this new generation, and along with the demise of marriage, falls all the advantages that the institution brings. It is believed that traditional marriage strengths the identity and morality between individuals and the whole society. Traditional values keep immorality in check and, at the same time, protect the social unit. A successful society that prizes the traditional values is a lot more resistant to change. The lack of variations in behaviors or actions creates a more predictable society, it makes the future more certain and less foggy. Traditional marriage values the image of the man as the breadwinner and the woman as the home manager and the fundamental tutor of the family’s children. Data supports that a woman at home during the years of child growth, provide higher social and motor advantages for the child. Also, the constant support and love provided by the mother helps the child to develop an important bond with the parents. Conservatives believe that a child grows with a high sense of identity, tends to value the family structure, and learns to voluntarily cooperate with others. The level of love that the child has for the parents will be the foundation for the future protection of the family structure, the protection of the family traditions and the protection of the homeland. In other words, inside the family is where an individual’s identity grows and flourishes. Traditions are passed on inside this group. “Inside of the family is where the standard of moral and the standard of living is set. There lays the development of the good memories and the love for the home land.”
It is important to understand the history and the essence of capitalism to be able to answer fundamental questions such as when, how and why the traditional values gave space for the rise of an individualistic society in wealthy nations. Throughout history humans have adopted many forms of government, from agricultural societies around 5000 B.C. to the globalized capitalism of the twenty first century. In today’s rich Western societies, capitalism is the type of government. This system works based on beneficial trades. Everything has a value, from the labor to the land. Most of the people use their workforce as a trade for a symbolic paper, money. In general, the more valuable a person’s work, the more money that person will receive. First, people instinctively trade the money for basic needs such as shelter, food, and clothing. More money provides a higher capability of obtaining a more comfortable shelter, a better quality of food, better clothing and also better access to healthcare. In other words, the more money a person has in the capitalist system, the better their lifestyle and life expectancy. In an ordinary home, the household income will dictate the level of lifestyle and health care availability to its members.
In defense of individualism and the new face of human behavior, it is important to expose that individualism doesn't threat morality, much less, cooperation and identity. In today’s environment, the government enforces application of laws and punishes immoral behavior. The population must manifest to the state the need for application or formation of rules. The conception of right and wrong is relative. For one group of people, something could be immoral, but completely ordinary to another group of people. The democratic state makes laws based on what is believed to be right or wrong by the majority of people. Traditional views give way for a more structural system, the state. Regarding identity, individualism not only encourages self-identity, but also promotes it. The rise of individualism in the democratic society fosters the perception of the individual and not the group. A person doesn’t have to depend on the group in order to find out what he or she really wants, a person has the ability to find out on their own without popular prejudice or distracting suggestions. Regarding cooperation, some changes are evident. In traditional families, cooperation is the result of a need to fulfill an obligation to one’s family and in individualistic societies, cooperation happen based on the future gains to the individual. The use of social connections is shared by both societies. Patriotism is threatened by the rise of individualism. The choice of the homeland will be based on the individual advantages offered. For the individual, it makes more sense to stay inside of a group that has cultural similarities. Protecting the homeland is to protect the core of the self-identity.
Traditional family has worked for a while, in a period where capitalism wasn’t so globalized, when the system didn’t favor the individuals as much. Today, if a country rejects this new norm of capitalism it will be crushed by other countries. Today’s individuals have to compete for space against individuals from different countries. There is no space for the reduction of working efforts. The couples that take the risk in returning to traditional ways suffer a huge disadvantage in today’s society. The kids of a traditional marriage, where only the father works, will have fewer resources when compared to kids in a household where both families work, resulting in a higher household incomes. In the technological era the funds to supply a child with expensive gadgets, tools and special schools are indispensable. College tuition in America has increased 205% over the last twenty years. Even without children, individuals must constantly evolve in their profession in order to stay needed in the workplace. All that demands time and money. Couples can help each other in the fulfillment of their individual careers, just like a business partnership, both compromise, both collaborate with one another and both will prosper.
In contrast to the traditional marriage era, what will keep the marriage solid now won’t be the pressure of society or the financial dependency of the woman, but the level of advantages it will bring to both individuals. Women are not willing to give up their independence, much less, be dependent of on a men. They aren’t interested in belonging to a society that will judge if they have casual sex, avoid having a child, or get a divorce. The males aren’t responsible for being the sole bread winner. The lifestyle of today’s society has become too expensive for only one income per household. In order to fulfill the financial requirements necessary to have a good lifestyle as couples, the male would have to work a lot more, if he was lucky enough to find that kind of job. For as long as capitalism is the system of government in these wealthy nations, traditional marriage is inefficient and obsolete.
Cooperation is what will keep tomorrow's society united. Individualists will find cooperation in order to succeed. Capitalism favors individualism, but also favors cooperation. People must join forces in order to succeed. If an individual finds a mate not compatible regarding individual goals, but is attracted to the other, the relationship will be reduced to a good friendship or casual intercourse. If the mate is compatible with same goals and are attracted to one another, a marriage should be considered. If the marriage doesn’t keep presenting advantages for both individuals, the marriage will likely result in failure. As history has teached every individual: A person must to look for a good partner in life not only emocionaly, but also reasonable financially.
True love will be found between couples that are together not because of financial needs or pressure of society. They will be together because both benefit from the relationship. They exchange love, respect, sex and financial success. Many will decide to not have children because it doesn’t make financial sense or because they are too selfish to compromise their time and money for the effort, but the minority that decide to have children, will do so purely by their own will. These couple will be awesome parents that will dedicate their whole life to the success of their offspring; they will be willing to exchange the time that they used to have for hobbies for the presence of a child. These types of parents will be the future of the society. They will be the ones that will pass it on in the genes, the ideas and the biological love of the child through the next generation. Government and religions do more harm than good for the evolution of this new kind of society. The first, give incentive to irresponsible parents to have children in order to have tax breaks and the second, the religion, threatens or promises rewards to incapable or unwilling individuals to bear children thinking that they are obeying God’s will or they are ensuring their place in heaven. Let the population decrease. Let’s leave marriage for the willing ones. Let’s leave the future children be raised by the minority group of individuals who have the talent of raising a child with responsibly, unconditional love and unlimited dedication.
