The current federal definition of family does not reflect the variation of family and households that exists. There have been shifts in family restructuring and compositions that need to be taken into account. The common forms of families include single parent, nuclear parent, reconstituted families and extended families. Single families are comprised of a single adult with one or more children in a single domestic circle. Nuclear families are made up of a couple with biological children under a single home. Reconstituted families, on the other hand, are made up of a couple under one household that shares parental roles, though only one is the biological parent. Finally, extended families are nuclear families residing under one home with relatives.
Evolution of Family Definition
The Census Bureau definition of family has remained unaffected since the year 1930. Census reports up to the year 2010 define family as a “householder and one or more other people living in the same household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage or adoption.” The definition from 1930 has an analogous relation to the 2010 definition. It goes on to state that a family is “persons with relations to the head in any way by blood, marriage or adoption.” Previously, in 1920, a family was defined as a group of peoples, who are “related by blood or not, that cohabit together as one household and share the same table.” A singular person living alone is also considered as family, and even inhabitants of hotels and institutions are considered as one family despite the number. The 1900’s recognized the extensive definition of family and stood for any horde of persons that in cooperation inhabit a dwelling area, part of it or even a personage living alone in any dwelling place. Even if lodgers and staff of a hotel frequently slumber there, they are considered as a single family, as they occupy a single place of abode.
Previous definitions before the 1900’s of the term family, according to the Census Bureau, are closely related to today’s definition. For example, the 1860’s version, it stated that a family is one person abiding distinctly in residence or part of it, imparting themselves or other persons that abide with them in residence (David, 2015). Also, a widow who is residing alone or distinctly imparting herself or even 200 persons living together under the provision of one person who is considered as the customary head, are numbered each as one family.
The 1870 version was more refined, and the constituent of eating together was introduced as a defining factor of a family. The definition stated that under any condition or figures, persons residing together under a similar roof are often endowed at a similar table and that there is a family in the connotation of the law. This established the sense of household and consequently, it was distinguished from the term family. In 1960, the notions of family and household were further separated (David, 2015). According to this concept, a household consisted of a collection of individuals, who slumber under a common residential unit and have a similar pact for the preparation and intake of food. The household is made up of associated family assemblage. Though some household members may not be directly linked regarding ancestry to the principal family, they should be incorporated into the household of they dine and sleep in the same residential unit.
The current State of Affairs
There has been an overall evolution of family structure over time, and these official descriptions do not reflect these changes. There have been changing outlooks on marriage, childrearing and the responsibilities of both men and women (Tricia, 2015). For example, it is common to see households made up of cohabiting couples that are not married and same-sex couples that would not fit the traditional definition of families. The Census Bureau has been investigating novel ways to describe and assess American’s cohabiting arrangements beyond the traditional family and non-family definitions. Terms such as cohabiting and unmarried couples are slowly being integrated into its analysis.
A person’s living organization commonly varies during various phases of life. In a conventional outlook, an individual usually starts a family by exiting from a previous household and venturing to create a new one by cohabiting with friends or by residing individually. They then develop a household with a partner and bear children. During old age, the structure may change due to loss of family members or an individual may experience living solely. Contemporary living has however seen some individuals abide by a different pattern (Tricia, 2015). The family structure of a population is particularly sensitive to the age pattern of a population. The age patterns signal a change in the social and economic outlook of a country. An example would be an economic recession, such as the current one, that would in tandem cause more adult children to stay at home longer. The number of divorce rates may also rise, and many single person families increase in number. The current lenient social convention on marriage has seen a lot of unmarried individuals putting up households.
The United States has particularly experienced a shift in the various types of households over the last 30 years. The first notable change is the drop of family households and the increase of single individual households. For example in 1970, around 81% of households were family households, but the number dropped to around 68% in 2003. Americans are now delaying marriage and may even decide not to get married at all. The divorce rates are higher than they were in 1970 and more elderly persons are living alone after the demise of a spouse ( Sheela and Steven, 2014). As of 2003, the percentile of U.S households with a single individual was 23 up from the 17% percent in 1970. The shift has also been experienced in European Countries due to the similar rationale. Most of these changes were experienced after the baby-boom generation of the 60’s. At around 1970, 89 percent of women between the age brackets of 25 to 29 had been married even once, but as of 2003, only 60 percent of women in the same age group had been married. The decisions made do in tandem affect the current and future composition of families and households.
Conclusion
Family sociology is important in understanding the roots of family systems and family. Currently, debates exist on whether there is a downfall of traditional family systems. However, it should be noted that there has been a concurrent evolution of family structuring and social beliefs that should be taken into account in the transitive definition of a family.
References
David, P.(2015), Statistical definition of family unchanged since 1930,United Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2/5/2018 on: www.census.gov/newsroom/blogs/random-samplings/2015/01/ statistical-definition-of-family-unchanged-since-1930.html
Sheela, K. " Steven, R. (2014), Breaking Up is Hard to Count: The Rise of Divorce in the United States, 1980-2010, Journal of National Institutes of Health. Retrieved on 2/5/2018 on doi: 10.1007/s13524-013-0270-9, 51 (2), 587-598.
Tricia, H.( 2015)The Evolution of American Family Structures, Concordia University-Saint Paul. Retrieved on 2/5/2015 on: www.online.csp.edu/blog/family-science/the-evolution-of-american-family-structures
