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What are the different types of family that exist? In earlier decades, the most common and most accepted family structure in the United States was the nuclear family, where a (usually married) mother and father would raise their biological children. In 1960, for instance, 73% of children lived in nuclear families. Today, there are many types of family structures in the U.S. and the idea of a typical or normal family is falling out of favor. By 2015, around 46% of children were being raised in a nuclear family structure. Several types of family structures, especially single-parent and step-family structures, have been on the rise in recent decades.
Family Structure: Nuclear Family
A nuclear family structure is what many people immediately think of when asked to imagine a family. Nuclear families feature a biological mother and father living together and raising their children together. Some nuclear families may include adopted and/or foster children while still fitting into the same structure. The nuclear family has long been upheld as the gold standard for raising children, though research has cast some doubt on this claim, showing that some other family structures can be just as healthy and successful at caring for children.
Same-Sex Family Structures
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A counterpoint to the nuclear family structure that has become more common in recent years is the same-sex family structure, in which children are raised by two mothers or two fathers. Often, these children are adopted or are biologically related to one parent. With the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States in 2015 and increased societal acceptance of LGBT rights, same-sex families have become more commonplace. Despite concerns that these families would generate worse outcomes for children, research has shown that children raised by same-sex parents do as well as, or in some cases slightly better than, children raised in nuclear families when it comes to things like educational achievement and emotional wellbeing.
Polyamorous Family Structure
Another fairly new family structure that is not yet widely recognized is the polyamorous family structure. Polyamory is the practice of having two or more romantic partners who may or may not be romantically involved with each other or with other people. In some cases, such families will raise children together so that the children have, for example, two fathers and a mother, or two mothers and two fathers. The legal logistics of such families can be tricky, as different regions have different legal restrictions on who can be listed as a baby's parents on a birth certificate. On a social level, polyamorous family structures can have their challenges, but the parents and children who live with these structures have reported a number of benefits like stability, higher overall income, and a sharing of the challenges of parenting.
Single-Parent Family Structure in the U. S.
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Single-parent families, like same-sex families, are on the rise in the U.S. It is increasingly common for a single parent to raise biological, foster, or adopted children without another parent in the family. In the majority of cases, single parents are mothers, though there are also many single fathers raising children in the U.S. When comparing different family structures, there are some potential challenges that single parents face. Having a single income, for instance, can make it difficult to afford to raise children. A lack of support from a partner or co-parent can also put emotional and psychological strain on single parents. Despite those potential difficulties, it is becoming more common for people, especially women, to choose to become single parents, rather than becoming single parents due to the breakdown of a marriage or the death of a partner, and many single-parent households thrive and provide excellent care and stability for children.
Family Structure: Extended Family
Types of family structures can be difficult to define in detail because there is simply so much variation in how a family can function. Extended families, for instance, are a type of family structure that can come together in many different ways. An extended family is one in which children are raised by family members other than parents. In such families, parents are often present, but so are other family members like aunts and uncles, cousins, and grandparents. In these cases, care of the children is usually carried out by several or all adults in the family rather than only the parents. There is no one structure for an extended family. Such a family might consist of parents, their children, an aunt, and a grandfather, or perhaps children, older cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents, but no parents. Children raised in extended families often benefit from a wide support network.
Childless Family Structure in the U. S.
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One of the more unusual family structure examples is the childless family. While many people expect a family to include children, there has been a relatively recent push to recognize couples without children as their own kind of family. Couples who cannot or choose not to have children often benefit financially by not having children and tend to report high levels of satisfaction with their lives. It is common for such couples to play a big role in the lives of any nieces and nephews they may have.
Family Structure: Step-Family
Step-families, sometimes called mixed or blended families, are another family structure that is on the rise in the U.S. Step-families are formed when two people, at least one of whom has children from a previous relationship, get together or marry. The children who become part of this blended family are called step-siblings, while the adults become step-parents to their non-biological children. Step-families, like all family structures, can have their challenges. For instance, it is likely that the children will spend at least part of their time with their other parents in joint-custody cases. It can also be challenging for both parents and children to adjust to a new step-family structure, especially in cases where children have to travel long distances between their parents or adjust to new rules and expectations brought by their step-parent.
Family Structure: Grandparent Family
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The final recognized family structure is the grandparent family. This is a family where children are raised by their grandparents rather than their parents. Usually, grandparent families come about when parents are unable to care for their children for a variety of reasons. Like any family structure, children raised by their grandparents can thrive and have plenty of love and support. This structure can also come with challenges, however, depending on the specifics of the situation and other factors like the grandparents' income levels.
Children: Biological, Adopted, Foster, and Step
It is important to note that in any family structure, children can have different relationships with their family members. Many families raise biological or blood-related children, especially nuclear, extended, single-parent, and grandparent families. Many also raise adopted children, either instead of or alongside biological children. This is common in nuclear, same-sex, single-parent, and polyamorous families. Foster children may live in any kind of family structure on a temporary or permanent basis. Step-children are generally found in step-families, but such relationships might also exist in polyamorous or extended family structures. All of these relationships have different terminology attached, but they are all real relationships that make children an essential part of the family.
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