The Neutral Zone, end of the Family unit?

[Vanyel]

Everyone works, yes they do. Raising a child or children IS work even with replicators a baby needs watching 24/7. With the technology available in the future, one parent can indeed stay home with the children. Taking a sabbatical from Starfleet or other job to raise a child would not be a problem.

 

[MacLeod]

It's not a problem today either, with parents granted maternal and/or parental leave for X weeks, of course the length and entilements of that leave can vary from country to country.

 

[jimbotron]

Taking a sabbatical from Starfleet or other job to raise a child would not be a problem.

A couple in Starfleet went on sabbatical in Brothers. They ditched their children on the Enterprise. Don't people usually take sabbaticals to spend time with family or something? They were dumped on Riker, one kid nearly killed himself, and the other was told it was all his fault. Parenting fail.

 

[Smellincoffee]

The scholars, artists, and philosophers all seem to be flying Starships.

With the technology they have, what 'housework' remains to be done, other than rearing children? There are no dishes to clean, because replicators vaporize them, and they produce the food. I wouldn't be surprised if children were largely raised by the state in 24th-century Earth, with children sent to nurseries and daycares shortly after birth. Parents would spend their days at work and children at school, presumably. I imagine most families consisted of one child, at least on Earth. In that case, "family" doesn't mean much: do it for a generation or two, and there are no cousins nor siblings for many, so the familial experience is just...sleeping in the same house as your parent(s).

Ugh, what a depressing vision.

I don't recall anything in the show indicating that children were raised by the state. To the contrary, parents were shown interacting with their children repeatedly on TNG.

It's not my vision, but it seems to be the way the modern world is going. I took partial inspiration from the French childcare system, since the state is so strong in daily life there.

 

[T'Girl]

the very basis and foundation of the entire franchise.

The core of the franchise is adventure in outer space. The "utopian" future is a relatively small side plot within the show.

If any of the series actually devoted itself to the depiction and exploration of a utopian society as it's primary focus, it would be doubtful such a series would remain in production for very long.

 

[T'Girl]

(yeah i know, two in a row)

Did any of the main characters have parents who were pointed out as not being wed?

With some of the character it was make clear that the parents were a married couple, both having the same family name, or were referred to a husband or wife.

In some cases it wasn't spelled out.

But were any of the character's parents made clear to be unmarried? None immediately come to mind, this would indicate that the traditional family unit was alive and well.

 

[PhoenixClass]

The scholars, artists, and philosophers all seem to be flying Starships.

With the technology they have, what 'housework' remains to be done, other than rearing children? There are no dishes to clean, because replicators vaporize them, and they produce the food. I wouldn't be surprised if children were largely raised by the state in 24th-century Earth, with children sent to nurseries and daycares shortly after birth. Parents would spend their days at work and children at school, presumably. I imagine most families consisted of one child, at least on Earth. In that case, "family" doesn't mean much: do it for a generation or two, and there are no cousins nor siblings for many, so the familial experience is just...sleeping in the same house as your parent(s).

Ugh, what a depressing vision.

I don't recall anything in the show indicating that children were raised by the state. To the contrary, parents were shown interacting with their children repeatedly on TNG.

It's not my vision, but it seems to be the way the modern world is going. I took partial inspiration from the French childcare system, since the state is so strong in daily life there.

Fair enough, but 24th century society is very different from ours, so the comparison is limited by what is shown on the show, whether explicitly or implicitly.

 

[scotpens]

(yeah i know, two in a row)

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious, but you know there's a 24-hour window to edit or add to your own posts, right?

Did any of the main characters have parents who were pointed out as not being wed?

Well, in TWOK there was David Marcus. But not that I recall in TNG.

 

[T'Girl]

Fair enough, but 24th century society is very different from ours, so the comparison is limited by what is shown on the show, whether explicitly or implicitly.

While the technology is of course different, the society, the social forms, don't seem really too awful different.

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious, but you know there's a 24-hour window to edit or add to your own posts, right?

And the two posts were less than three hours apart. Occasionally I don't get a EDIT button at the bottom of my postings, usually it's when I'm using a tablet in a wifi environment.

 

[Makarov]

The typical family unit seems intact to me, judging by Picard's brother Robert and his wife & kid. Just ignore what happens to them in Generations.

 

[PhoenixClass]

Fair enough, but 24th century society is very different from ours, so the comparison is limited by what is shown on the show, whether explicitly or implicitly.

While the technology is of course different, the society, the social forms, don't seem really too awful different.

I agree with you generally (at least when it comes to human families). I was just disagreeing with Smellincoffee.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I love what the novels have done with Ralph Offenhouse, actually:

Spoiler: novels

He is now a Federation politician. At first he was ambassador to the Ferengi - which makes perfect sense for him - and now he's the Secretary of Commerce.

So it looks like he put his financial wizardry to good use after all!

 

[robau]

Troi once referred to marriage as archaic, for what that's worth. I wonder how many actual marriages take place as opposed to two people simply having children. It's not like there's any tax incentives in the utopia. Religion doesn't seem to play much of a role either.

 

[T'Girl]

I was just disagreeing with Smellincoffee.

And I would never take that away from you.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Let's also please not equate the 'Traditional family unit' with 'Family'. The concept of what a family means is something that comes from the people trying to build one, not something that tries to replicate some fantasy from the 1950s.

Yes, in the 24th Century in Starfleet you probably don't see a lot of white picket fences and 2.3 children where the mother eagerly awaits the return of her husband with dinner on the table. But you have family units who mean every bit as much to each other as the people who had those white picket fences, and neither image of family is better or worse than the other.

And, question. You see the government getting involved in child care as a bad thing, but you're totally in favor of the government deciding what constitutes marriage? I say let marriage be a personal thing totally separate from the government and offer free child care to working families.

 

[T'Girl]

'Family' ...not something that tries to replicate some fantasy from the 1950s.

And for thousand of years before that across the world, and of course in the decades since "the 1950's".

Let's also please not equate the 'Traditional family unit' with 'Family'.

"Traditional family unit" refers to family in it's most commonly found forms, although (as you point out) not it sole forms.

You see the government getting involved in child care as a bad thing

Personally it would be a matter of degree, for the most part it should be as minimal as possible.

but you're totally in favor of the government deciding what constitutes marriage?

Government does (most places) decide what constitutes "legal" marriage.

I say let marriage be a personal thing totally separate from the government ...

Interesting idea, you mean no official government recognition of marriage at all?

... and offer free child care to working families.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, last year 20 percent of American families do not have a single person working.

While I'm not against individuals with specific problems obtaining assistance, the idea of universal free child care would be something I wouldn't support.

Would your idea require the child to go to a government child care facility, similar to the way in American if you want tax payer funded education your child usually has to go to a public school?

Or would the money be tied to the child who then could be sent to a private child care provider?

 

[2takesfrakes]

Just to address the question of "why have government sanctioning marriage," there are many benefits - pertaining to tax relief and so on - that make it worthwhile to continue having Uncle Sam sign off on it.

 

[T'Girl]

It's also easier to obtain bank loans, mortgages, car loans and low interest credit cards, if you're married. Especially if the marriage involves two stead incomes.

(apparently it also gets your parent off your back)

 

[PhoenixClass]

While I'm not against individuals with specific problems obtaining assistance, the idea of universal free child care would be something I wouldn't support.

What about that policy do you find objectionable?

 

[T'Girl]

If individuals and families are capable of handling the matter, why bring in government?