I agree with Vick that many of the negative changes we've seen in society the past four decades have roots in the breakdown of the traditional family. That being said, society adapts and it will continue to adapt and it may be that Mother Nature (or human ingenuity) will find a modified solution to the "stay-at-home Mom", go-to-work Dad" family.
There are some measurable quantifiers that show a change in western society during that time including increased crime and lower average academic scores. There have been similar rises and falls in the past.
The women's rights movement increased the independence of women (and self-image, legal status, dignity and respect). It does not come without a cost. There has been some cost to children, to men, and to women themselves. The institution of marriage has changed. Is it better? worse? Probably both. The idea that you stay in a marriage only as long as you wish is enpowering. It is also selfish. The positive effects of both parents in the home seems quite obvious.
Maybe there will be some future societal paradigm that adjusts for this in some unexpected way.
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