Development and Characteristics of the Modern Family

Abstract

Defining ‘a family’ is not so simple as most people might immediately assume; there are many forms of family. In British society a basic family usually consists of a man and woman who have a steady relationship with each other and who also have children; children are essential to the idea of ‘family’, but they need not necessarily be ‘consanguine’—that is, related by blood to the adults with whom they live—although they usually are. A simple group of this kind is called a ‘nuclear’ family. Nearly all ‘nuclear’ families are related to one or more other nuclear families through parent-child relationships; mother will often have parents and brothers and sisters living and so will father. This family is called the ‘extended family’ and can include all known relations.