by Stephen Hammel

Created on: June 22, 2009

Family values of the 80's and 90's were considerably different than those of the previous decades, and to a great extent, this was the intention of the generations that came of age during those years. As children of the "free love" movement of the 1960's, these children were often unplanned, and more often than not, products of broken homes. The reality is, as children of the 1960's came of age in the 80's and 90's, they purposefully diverged from their parents' behaviors that they saw as dysfunctional.

Since nothing happens overnight in reference to societal change, one must look to the previous decades to evaluate the causes driving societal change in the 80's and 90's. Women's liberation movements, oil shortages, high divorce rates, the need for mothers to enter the workforce, and really bad fashion all played into the hands of those starting families in the latter decades of the 20th century. All of these influences directly impacted the family they grew up in, and most had a profound impact on how the next generation would be raised. Looking at education, marriage, and work, one can gather a pretty fair understanding of the values shift that took place.

No more was the nuclear family of the 1950's the dominant memory from childhood. The 1960's saw a rebellion against conformity to the norm, and the concept of premarital sex came to the forefront. Choices were made for the moment, life was lived in the "now," and the vestiges of marriage out of responsibility for a pregnancy drove many to wed, despite a lack of profound respect and mutual love for each other. This is evidenced in the divorce rates of the 1970's, and in an overall rejection of the idea that marriage lasts "'till death do us part." Young people who suffered through these broken contracts became known as "Generation X" and demonstrated a lack of belonging, a fear of commitment, and started looking out for themselves, rather than creating a union with another. Video games started taking the place of organized sports, and the success of the individual overshadowed the happy marriage, kids, and white picket fence as markers of a satisfying lifestyle. A well-paying job, sporty BMW, and embrace of the self embodied the 1980's, leaving the traditional family at the wayside.

It used to be that working in the trades, earning a respectable living serving others, was the major track of the man. A select few had what it took to go on to the university, and those with college degrees were

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