However, there is a new sitcom that represents the new kind of American family and that show is the Simpson. The Simpson family could be considered as the average American family. Homer the father figure of the household and his responsibilities are financially supporting the household and he is the primary source of income. His wife Marge is the foundation of the family, always trying to maintain the household and to rear her children. She has no job and is a commonplace housewife. This is in sharp contrast with the 1980's Cosby show, where the wife had a job and she wanted a career in her job. Since most viewers regard the Simpson show has being the ideal family in North America, some people have begun to question if the family will eventually return from the modern day family to the traditional family. In my opinion, the traditional family cannot survive the pressure of the modern society. The financial pressure on the family is too much for one income to handle. Even in certain episodes, the program showed circumstances of their financial troubles. The media has almost dictated the trend of family in which people showed followed. This is evident in a census taken in the United States regarding family. Most families wanted a small family usually 2-3 children (most sitcoms have two to three children); most of the heads of the family are blue-collar workers and so on. The television and media in general have the ability to control what people view as correct and acceptable, so if the media portrays families like the Cosby to be the norm, society will start to take in that direction. The surge of women in the workforce did not come until the 1970-80s when programs like that came out.
Another important reason for the change in the structure of the family is socialization. In the past, children were socialized different; they were socialized according to the gender roles they were expected to perform in society.