Scribd
Upload
149 views1 page

Family Structures

The traditional nuclear family structure consists of two married parents raising their biological children, but alternative family forms have become more common. Beyond the nuclear family, extended family networks of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins also play important emotional and financial roles. Some common modern family structures include single-parent families, blended families with step-parents, adoptive families, families with parents of different races, foster families, gay or lesbian parent families, and immigrant or migrant worker families who relocate frequently.

Uploaded by

Gemelyne Dumya-as
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
149 views1 page

Family Structures

The traditional nuclear family structure consists of two married parents raising their biological children, but alternative family forms have become more common. Beyond the nuclear family, extended family networks of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins also play important emotional and financial roles. Some common modern family structures include single-parent families, blended families with step-parents, adoptive families, families with parents of different races, foster families, gay or lesbian parent families, and immigrant or migrant worker families who relocate frequently.

Uploaded by

Gemelyne Dumya-as
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

Reading: FAMILY STRUCTURE

The traditional family structure is considered a family support system which involves two married individuals
providing care and stability for their biological offspring. However, this two-parent, nuclear family has become
less prevalent, and alternative family forms have become more common. The family is created at birth and
establishes ties across generations. Those generations, the extended family of aunts, uncles, grandparents,
and cousins, can all hold significant emotional and economic roles for the nuclear family.
Different kinds of family structures:
• Nuclear family: A family unit consisting of at most a father, mother and dependent children. It is considered
the “traditional” family.
• Extended family: A family consisting of parents and children, along with either grandparents, grandchildren,
aunts or uncles, cousins etc. In some circumstances, the extended family comes to live either with or in place
of a member of the nuclear family.
• Step families: Two families brought together due to divorce, separation, and remarriage.
• Single parent family: This can be either a father or a mother who is singly responsible for the raising of a
child. The child can be by birth or adoption. They may be a single parent by choice or by life circumstances.
The other parent may have been part of the family at one time or not at all.
• Adoptive family: A family where one or more of the children has been adopted. Any structure of family may
also be an adoptive family.
• Bi-racial or multi-racial family: A family where the parents are members of different racial identity groups.
• Trans-racial adoptive family: A family where the adopted child is of a different racial identity group than the
parents.
• Blended family: A family that consists of members from two (or more) previous families.
• Conditionally separated families: A family member is separated from the rest of the family. This may be due
to employment far away; military service; incarceration; hospitalization. They remain significant members of
the family.
• Foster family: A family where one or more of the children is legally a temporary member of the household.
This “temporary” period may be as short as a few days or as long as the child’s entire childhood.
• Gay or Lesbian family: A family where one or both of the parents’ sexual orientation is gay or lesbian. This
may be a two-parent family, an adoptive family, a single parent family or an extended family.
• Immigrant family: A family where the parents have immigrated to another country as adults. Their children
may or may not be immigrants. Some family members may continue to live in the country of origin, but still be
significant figures in the life of the child.
• Migrant family: A family that moves regularly to places where they have employment. The most common
form of migrant family is farm workers who move with the crop seasons. Children may have a relatively stable
community of people who move at the same time - or the family may know no one in each new setting.
Military families may also lead a migrant life, with frequent relocation, often on short notice.

You might also like