Family science

Read the postings from your classmates and respond to different postings.(250 word response) Disability and social class are two sociodemographic variables that greatly impact family life. Each play a key role in the basic functioning of the family, as well as the individuals within the unit. 14% of Canadians live with disabilities, the big number is largely in proportion to the growing aging population. Disabilities range from visible (physical, mobility, vision) to invisible (cognitive, hearing chronic pain), and the way in which these disabilities impact family life range as well. If the child or children have a disability the parents usually endure an intense period of coping and a sense of loss/grief of the projected and anticipated 'normal' future for the children. Along with coping stressors, there is also an additional layer of financial stress; complex care for the child which affects two-parent earning households. If the parent(s) has a disability there is usually a stigma associated with such parenting, which not only affects the parent but also the children of these situations; due to external influences. Parents with disabilities are also more likely to be single and unemployed which decreases the amount of emotional and financial support. Additionally, there is the dark statistic of women with disabilities being the most likely group to be abused than any other group. In fact, all persons with disabilities are more likely to be abused than able-bodied individuals. However, not all families with disabilities struggle in the same way or to the same degree. When the family works together as a unit no matter what their disability, they will be stronger in the end. Especially after the initial shock of a disability diagnosis, there is often a buildup of support which leads to reward, resilience, and emotional growth. The gap between social classes continues to grow on a global scale; the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. It is an important factor in family living because of the opportunities available; there are generally more opportunities for the wealthier families such as access to higher education, sports, and other extracurricular activities. Financial stress also targets the less wealthy families to a point of inhibiting certain activities and then to the extreme of finding it difficult to provide the basic needs to the family (food, housing). Any family can survive off the foundation of love; however, the financial difficulties associated with differing classes adds stress and worry to these families in need. There is also a sense of insecurity to the children growing up in the poverty end of the classes. Additionally, in school and in life in general there are stigmas surrounding social classes that marginalize and minimize the families within these groups. Money primarily distinguishes the social classes; however, it cannot define the individual family members or units. Although these sociodemographic variables are typically interpreted as negatives and detrimental to family living, that is not always the case. Just because these family unit function in different forms and at different paces, it does not mean they are less in any sense. Disabilities and social class affect family life in a sense of altering the traditional definition of family living.