sociologists would argue that the general concept of family is more diverse and less structured than in years past

Answer 1

Universally, the majority of all cultures have a definition of family which are two types:

1) Nuclear families are organized around the conjugal tie, the relationship between husband and wife. 2) The extended family is based on consanguineal, or blood, relations extending over three or more generations (Peniston 2008).

Therefore, it is easily deduced that the primary form of a social group, even among primates, is described as a family. The importance of family (kinship groups) structures is and has been the basis of social positioning in a larger group or society. Thereby providing for social identification, status, power, inheritance rules, and ownership to mention a few universal concepts tied to family.

One of the issues, when identifying members of a society is to look for the terminology that is frequently used by that society. In modern times, the language to describe a family has become blurred, especially in Western societies. In 1930, the term Household appeared on the US Census, and that definition has not changed. It is clearly different from the Census definition of family (.https://www.census.gov/newsroom/blogs/random-samplings/2015/01/statistical-definition-of-family-unchanged-since-1930.html). Basically, a domestic group, or household, is not the same as a family. Households may also include people who are not related by marriage and blood. (Peniston, lecture 2008).

The Changing American family begins with the concept of “Blended Families” (Peniston 2008). From 1960-2014 the traditional family has slowly changed. We now have other terminology like cohabitating families, single-parent family; both are remarried, which could be more than one remarriage (Peniston 2008, and https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/12/17/1-the-american-family-today/). People in the US more frequently marry, remarry, or repartner many times (Chelin 2009). Chelin (2009) purports that this uniquely American attitude towards marriage is due in part to individual attitudes and behavior. A prime example is (a) putting off getting married and (b) if married, waiting to start a family. There is another feature to the changing of the traditional family (as defined historically by the US Census since 1930). [I need to briefly note here that most religions’ definition of a family predates written history what would be oral history. And these concepts are then found in holy scriptures and some legal codes, like Hammurabi.]

As societal attitudes have changed towards gender description, so has it changed toward same-sex marriage and hence a same-sex couple building a family. In 2014-15 US Supreme court banned states’ attempting to ban same-sex marriage. Hareven discusses another feature states that the complexities of the modern family are due to the changing social-political-economic environment. Understanding the complexities of the individual, family, and society over-time have caused dramatic shifts in the structure and definition of family in the US (Hareven 2000).

So, what does a family look like in 2020? As the social landscape changes, so will the definition of family.