Different Types of Families: A Portrait

Gallery
Nuclear Families

Approximately half of all families with youngsters under age 18 are composed of two
biological parents and their children.

Single-Parent Families

Single-parent families make up 27 percent of households with children under age 18.

Cross-Generational Families

Approximately 670,000 families with children under age 18 have a family member age
65 or older living with them.

Roughly 2.5 million children under age 18 live with one or both parents in their
grandparents home.

Adoptive/Foster Families

Approximately 120,000 children are adopted each year.

6.3 children per 1,000 live in out-of-home foster care.

Never-Married Families

About 1.5 million unmarried couples have at least one child under age 15.

Blended Families

About 20 percent of children in two-parent households live in blended families.

Grandparents as Parents

Approximately 1.3 million children under age 18 live with their grandparents.

Same-Sex Parent Families

Some 2 million children have parents who are gay, lesbian or bisexual.

Family Structures
The following types of families exist today, with some families naturally falling into multiple
categories. For example, a single parent family who lives in a larger, extended family. While
these types of families are distinct in definition, in practice the lines are less clear.
Nuclear Family
The nuclear family is the traditional type of family structure. This family type consists of two
parents and children. The nuclear family was long held in esteem by society as being the ideal in
which to raise children. Children in nuclear families receive strength and stability from the twoparent structure and generally have more opportunities due to the financial ease of two adults.
According to U.S. Census data, almost 70 percent of children live in a nuclear family unit.
Single Parent Family
The single parent family consists of one parent raising one or more children on his own. Often, a
single parent family is a mother with her children, although there are single fathers as well. The
single parent family is the biggest change society has seen in terms of the changes in family
structures. One in four children is born to a single mother. Single parent families are generally
close and find ways to work together to solve problems, such as dividing up household chores.
When only one parent is at home, it may be a struggle to find childcare, as there is only one
parent working. This limits income and opportunities in many cases, although many single parent
families have help from relatives and friends.
Extended Family
The extended family structure consists of two or more adults who are related, either by blood or
marriage, living in the same home. This family includes many relatives living together and
working toward common goals, such as raising the children and keeping up with the household
duties. Many extended families include cousins, aunts or uncles and grandparents living together.
This type of family structure may form due to financial difficulties or because older relatives are
unable to care for themselves alone. Extended families are becoming increasingly common all
over the world.
Childless Family
While most people think of family as including children, there are couples who either cannot or
choose not to have children. The childless family is sometimes the "forgotten family," as it does
not meet the traditional standards set by society. Childless families consist of a husband and wife
living and working together. Many childless families take on the responsibility of pet ownership
or have extensive contact with their nieces and nephews as a substitute for having their own
children.
Stepfamily
Over half of all marriages end in divorce, and many of these individuals choose to get remarried.
This creates the stepfamily, which involves two separate families merging into one new unit. It
consists of a new husband and wife and their children from previous marriages or relationships.

Stepfamilies are about as common as the nuclear family, although they tend to have more
problems, such as adjustment periods and discipline issues. Stepfamilies need to learn to work
together and also work with their exes to ensure these family units run smoothly.
Grandparent Family
Many grandparents today are raising their grandchildren for a variety of reasons. One in fourteen
children is raised by his grandparents, and the parents are not present in the child's life. This
could be due to parents' death, addiction, abondonment or being unfit parents. Many
grandparents need to go back to work or find additional sources of income to help raise their
grandchildren.

Variety of Structures
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to what is the best type of family structure. As
long as a family is filled with love and support for one another, it tends to be successful and
thrive. Families need to do what is best for each other and themselves, and that can be achieved
in almost any unit.

Family Types
Children's growing competence and development is largely influenced by
family life and family relationships. Children's well-being continues to depend
on the quality of family interactions.
Children of today are growing up in a variety of households and different
family systems. A number of these different families will be examined:

Only child families

Large families
Single parent families
Blended families
Gay & Lesbian parent
families
Adoptive parent families
Grandparent families
Family type plays an integral role in children's development. Family theories
outline the interactions which occur between family members. For more
information on the theories of families, click on the link below.

Family Theories
Only child families
Many couples are now choosing to have children who will never have any
siblings. Literature suggests that these children are often viewed as
being spoilt, selfish, lonely and maladjusted, however, research does not

agree with this negative view. Only children appear to be bright and
successful, self-confident, self-reliant, resourceful and popular with
other children. "A major reason for this may be that only children have
somewhat closer relationships with parents, who exert more pressure for
mastery and accomplishment" (Berk, 1996, Pg 505). Only children often have more
pressure placed upon them by parents to excel in tasks and have often high
expectations for school and sporting results placed upon them. Only children
miss out on the growing and learning and forms of socialisation which comes
with having siblings. Only children have the advantage of not having to fight
for their parents attention and may have the opportunity of more one-on-one
interactions. The one-child family has both pros
and cons, as does every family lifestyle (Berk
2000, Papalia & Olds 1995).

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Large families
Children of large families obviously experience
different conditions from those in smaller or one child families. Children in
larger families have the advantage of having relationships with siblings. These
relationships and interactions gives them the opportunity to have
companionship, emotional support and assistance while they are
growing up. Children in larger families often experience degrees of rivalry
and may need to fight for parents attention. The positive interactions that
occur between siblings contribute to perspective taking, moral maturity, and
competence in relating to other children (Berk 2000).
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Single parent families

The number of one-parent families have become more
common in recent years. There are a number of varieties of one-parent
families; those resulting from divorce, parents who never-married, as well as
a widowed parent. In single parent families the other parent not living with the
family may have little or no involvement in the child's life or may be highly
involved. We are going to look more closely at single divorced parents and
never-married single parents.

Single divorced parent families

The largest percentage of single-parent families are headed by divorced
female parents. "The assumption has been made that the trauma from divorce
is likely to result in poorly socialised, cognitively deficient children who
experience poor parent-child relationships" (Hammer & Turnover, 1990, Pg 194). In
many situations this may be the case but no relationship can be generalised.
"Research has also been undertaken on healthy single-parent families where
it was found, in general, that the physical and mental health of the children
appeared to be good" (Hammer & Turnover, 1990, Pg 194). It has been suggested
that children living with their mothers are more healthy than those living with
fathers. The majority of children show improved adjustments by 2 years after
divorce. Yet for a few, persisting emotional distress and declines in school
achievement still exist (Berk 2000, Hammer & Turnover 1990).
Never-married single parent families
It is believed that a cultural shift towards later marriage has contributed to a
rise in never-married motherhood. "It has been thought that children in these
kinds of families are shielded from marital strife, children of never-married
mothers show slightly better academic performance and emotional
adjustments than do children of divorced or remarried mothers. But they do
not do as well as children in first marriage families compared with children of
two parent reared families" (Berk, 2000, Pg 577). Although compared with children
of two parent families, these children may experience less attention, difficulties
in interactions with other children, a lack in school performance and
behaviours associated with the lack of a male parental influence (Berk 2000,
Hammer & Turnover 1990).

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Blended families
The blended family is one in which either parent brings with them children
from a previous marriage. "For some children, this expanded family network is
a positive turn of events that brings with it greater adult attention. But for most,
it presents difficult adjustments" (Berk, 2000, Pg 581). It is clear that there are many
difficulties in accepting a step-parent into the family, especially one who may
have different child rearing practices, from which the child is used to.

Research has found that children of remarriage are likely to experience

difficulty in accepting the marriage. This extends from some children having to
- deal with the loss of a primary parent to acceptance of a new one. Other
feelings experienced may include divided loyalties, confusion in terms of
belonging, confusion due to membership in two households and
unreasonable expectations due to the whole adjustment process. But how
well children adapt is related to the overall quality of family functioning (Berk
2000, Hammer & Turnover 1990, Papalia & Olds 1995).

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Gay and Lesbian parent families

A larger percentage of the homosexual population are rearing children. The
actual number of homosexual, or gay parents is not known. Families headed
by a homosexual parent or gay or lesbian couple are very similar to those of
heterosexuals. "Gay and lesbian parents are committed to and effective at
the parental role. Some research indicates that gay fathers are more
consistent in setting limits and more responsive to their children's needs than
are heterosexual fathers" (Berk, 2000, Pg 576). In lesbian families quality of
mother-child interaction is as positive as in heterosexual families. It has
been found that children of lesbian mothers regard their mothers partner as
very much a parent. "Overall, children of homosexuals can be distinguished
from other children only by issues related to living in a non-supportive society.
The great concern of gay and lesbian parents is that their children will be
stigmatised by their parents sexual orientation" (Berk, 2000, Pg 577).
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Adoptive parent families

There are a number of different reasons for the emergence of adoptive parent
families. Other than partners being infertile, there are situations where parents
don't want to risk passing on a genetic disorder, or who are older and single
but want a family. Limited numbers of healthy babies are available for
adoption in Australia and because of this more people are adopting from
foreign countries. Adoptive families cannot be categorised as they are all very
highly diverse, and each family can face a multitude of common challenges.

"Different heredity means that adoptive parents and children are less alike in
intelligence and personality than are biological relatives - resemblances that
can contribute to family harmony" (Berk, 2000, Pg 575). All adopted children and
adolescents - whether born in a foreign country or the country of their adoptive
parents experience some degree of emotional stress. Feelings include those
of abandonment and not knowing exactly where their origins are. "Adoption is
a satisfying family alternative for most parents and children who experience it.
The outcomes are usually good because of careful pairing of children with
parents and guidance provided to adoptive families" (Berk, 2000, Pg 576).
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Grandparent reared families

The number of grandparents rearing grandchildren has increased over the
past decade. "Usually, grandparents step in because of substance abuse,
emotional problems, or physical illness prevents the child's parents, most
often the mother, from engaging in competent child rearing" (Berk, 2000, Pg 584).
This situation can cause a lot of emotional distress for both the child, adjusting
to a new situation and for the grandparents who have been suddenly placed
into a child-rearing situation. "Previous family experiences have left their mark,
in the form of high rates of learning difficulties, depression, and antisocial behaviour" (Berk, 2000, Pg 584). Children in this environment usually
receive a lot of love and also experience the required parental guidance (Berk
2000).

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