The family is the most vital unit in society but lately more families are becoming dysfunctional or collapsing. Dysfunctional families can lead to abuse and harm children, spouses, and the elderly. Family break-up includes divorce and family members leaving. Poverty, stress, social problems like addiction and gambling can cause family collapse as parents may act violently. Lack of religious education can also weaken family structure by removing restraints on behavior. Steps to overcome break-up include providing low-cost housing, increasing parental involvement in social activities, and raising awareness through media about the importance of strong family bonds.

1. Family Break-up
 The family is the most vital unit in society. It is
also a very important
institutionthat contributes towards
the development of a nation, besides
determining the patterns of social life of the
future.
 Lately, an increasing number of households are
becoming dysfunctional orcollapsing
altogether. This is not just a problem for the
individuals involved but has become a wider
societal problem because dysfunctional families
can lead to household violence including
mental, physical and sexual abuse of children,
husbands, wives and the elderly.

2.  The collapse means the break-up of a family
unit. This includes divorce, children or other
family members who leave or run away, and
other chaotic situations that continually afflict a
family. In such families there exists no harmony,
love, respect or healthy co-operation among the
members.

3. Factors that Cause Family Break-up
1) Poverty or stress can cause the collapse of the family
or household.
 Parents or individuals facing pressure, including
financial strain, often act violently towards their
children or spouse.
 Having many children means high expenses to meet
daily needs.
2) Social problem, or the negative effects of alcoholism,
drug addiction and gambling, can also bring about
family dysfunctionality.
 Parents or individuals in these cases often lack
judgment and act violently towards their family
members.

4. Factors that Cause Family Break-up
 Lackof religious education is claimed to
weaken family structure. A religious or spiritual
foundation can restrain individual behaviour
within acceptable limits and encourage an
attitude of care and responsibility towards
others, which in turn helps to hold a family
together.

5. Steps Taken to Overcome Family Break-up
 Antidotes to the family break-up are difficult to
secure because many factors are involved and
the head of the family has a pivotal role. If the
family head is the cause of the problem, there
may be no solution, from within or without.
Nevertheless, amongst steps taken now are:

6. Steps Taken to Overcome Family Break-up
1) Providing more low cost housing so that low-
income families can have a properbasis for
their lives.
 This not only provides facilities needed by the
children but also contributes towards the
development of morality, emotional and
physical well-being, so that they may become
fully developed human beings.
2) Intensifying parental involvement in social
activities so that they appreciate the
importance of the family.

7. Steps Taken to Overcome Family Break-up
3)Encouraging the mass media to highlight the
causes and effects of the collapse of the family
as a unit in an effort to raise the awareness of
individuals and society about the importance of
strong family bonds.