discuss about the six major types of family.
Answers
Here Are 6 Different Family Types and Their Unique Family Dynamics:
Nuclear Family
Nuclear families, also known as elementary or traditional families, consist of two parents (usually married or common law) and their children. Nuclear families may have one or more children who are biological or adopted, but the main idea is that the parents are raising their kids together in the family home.
Even though nuclear families seem to be on the decline, 2016 U.S. Census data shows that 69% of children still live in nuclear families. Even though it doesn't always work out that way, to most people this is the ideal family environment to raise children in.
Strengths of Nuclear Families:
Source: pixabay.com
Financially stable, both parents usually work now
Children raised in a stable parenting situation
Consistency
Emphasis on health and education
Focus on communication
Weaknesses Of Nuclear Families:
Exclusion of extended family can lead to isolation and stress
Can struggle with conflict resolution
Nuclear families can become too child-focused, resulting in self-centered children and families neglecting other important things
Nuclear families can be strong and successful, with both parents being great examples for their kids. These kids often have many advantages over other families with less, which can help them get ahead in life. However, like any family, nuclear families have their struggles to face. For example, if parents shut out grandparents and other extended family, chances are their support system will not be strong and getting through hard times can be challenging.
Single Parent
Single parent families consist of one parent with one or more kids. In these cases, the parent either never married, is widowed, or divorced. A paper by Ellwood, D.T., and Jencks, C. (2004) talks about how single-parent families have been on the rise since the 1960s when divorce rates started going up (and so did births happening out of wedlock). They suggest that these changes could be due to many different factors, from changing morals in society to increasing arguments over gender roles.
A mother or father raising kids alone is not that uncommon anymore, and like any other family type single parent homes have their pros and cons. Although fans of traditional families believe that children need both parents, we can see that some single parent families do well while others
Extended Family
While most people in the U.S. would identify nuclear families as being the 'traditional' family type, in different cultures extended families are much more common and have been around for hundreds of years. Extended families are families with two or more adults who are related through blood or marriage, usually along with children.
Typically, extended families live together for social support and to achieve common goals. For example, parents may live with their children and their children's grandparents. This gives the family the ability to provide care for their elderly, and in turn, the grandparents may be able to help with childcare while the parents are at work.
Childless Family
Childless families are families with two parents who cannot have or don't want kids. In the world of family types and dynamics, these families are often forgotten or left out (even though you can still have a family without children). In the past, growing up, getting married, and having children was the norm, but in today's world, more people are choosing to postpone having children or deciding not to have any.
These unique families include working couples who may have pets or enjoy taking on other people's kids (like nieces and nephew) for the day occasionally rather than having their own. They could also be adventurous couples who don't feel like kids would be a good fit
Stepfamily
A stepfamily is when two separate families merge into one. This can go several different ways, like two divorced parents with one or more children blending families, or one divorced parent with kids marrying someone who has never been married and has no kids.
Like single-parent families, step-families are sometimes looked down upon by people who prefer the nuclear family dynamic, but they have become more common over the years. Like all these different family types, stepfamilies also have a unique
Grandparent Family
The final family type and the least common of them all is the grandparent family. A grandparent family is when one or more grandparent is raising their grandchild or grandchildren. While uncommon, according to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, grandparent-headed families are on the rise. They shared that, "Census data indicate that in the United States approximately 2.4 million grandparents are raising 4.5 million children."