1.The Modern Family

Passage 1 The Modern Family

Father leaves forwork in the morning after breakfast. The two children take the bus to school, andmother stays home cooking and cleaning until father and the kids return home inthe evening. This is the traditional picture of a happy family living inBritain. The past 20 years have seen enormous changes in the lives andstructure of families in Britain. The biggest change has been caused bydivorce. As many as 2 out of 3 marriages now end in divorce, leading to asituation where many children live with one parent and only see the other atweekends or holidays. There has also been a huge rise in the number of womenwith children who work. The large rise in divorces has meant many women need towork to support themselves and their children. Even when there is no divorce, manyfamilies need both parents to work in order to survive.