Includes a parent or parents, at least one child and other relatives living together

The traditional family structure consists of two married individuals providing care for their offspring, but this is becoming more uncommon.

Inhaltsverzeichnis Show

Conformity to relevant internationally recognized standards
Relation to previous version

Learning Objectives

Analyze the statistical data regarding types of family composition and living arrangements

Key Points

The nuclear family is considered the ” traditional ” family. The nuclear family consists of a mother, father, and their biological children.
A single parent is a parent who cares for one or more children without the assistance of the other biological parent.
Step families are becoming more familiar in America. Divorce rates, along with the remarriage rate are rising, therefore bringing two families together as step families.
The extended family consists of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

nuclear family: a family unit consisting of at most a father, mother and dependent children.
Family Structure: a family support system involving two married individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring.
extended family: A family consisting of parents and children, along with either grandparents, grandchildren, aunts or uncles, cousins etc.

The traditional family structure in the United States 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.

The nuclear family is considered the “traditional” family and consists of a mother, father, and the children. The two-parent nuclear family has become less prevalent, and alternative family forms such as, homosexual relationships, single-parent households, and adopting individuals are more common. The nuclear family is also choosing to have fewer children than in the past. The percentage of married-couple households with children under 18 has declined to 23.5% of all households in 2000 from 25.6% in 1990, and from 45% in 1960. However, 64 percent of children still reside in a two-parent, household as of 2012.

A single parent is a parent who cares for one or more children without the assistance of the other biological parent. Historically, single-parent families often resulted from death of a spouse, for instance during childbirth. Single-parent homes are increasing as married couples divorce, or as unmarried couples have children. Although widely believed to be detrimental to the mental and physical well-being of a child, this type of household is tolerated. The percentage of single-parent households has doubled in the last three decades, but that percentage tripled between 1900 and 1950. In fact, 24 percent of children live with just their mother, and 4 percent live with just their father. The sense of marriage as a “permanent” institution has been weakened, allowing individuals to consider leaving marriages more readily than they may have in the past. Increasingly single parent families are a result of out of wedlock births, especially those due to unintended pregnancy.

Step families are becoming more common in America. Divorce rates, along with the remarriage rate are rising, therefore bringing two families together as step families. Statistics show that there are 1,300 new step families forming every day. Over half of American families are remarried, that is 75% of marriages ending in divorce, remarry.

The extended family consists of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. In some circumstances, the extended family comes to live either with or in place of a member of the nuclear family. About 4 percent of children live with a relative other than a parent. For example, when elderly parents move in with their children due to old age, this places large demands on the caregivers, particularly the female relatives who choose to perform these duties for their extended family.

The traditional family in the U.S.: An American family composed of the mother, father, children, and extended family.

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Status: This standard was approved as a departmental standard on May 26, 2021.

Definition

Census family is defined as a married couple and the children, if any, of either and/or both spouses; a couple living common law and the children, if any, of either and/or both partners; or a parent of any marital status in a one-parent family with at least one child living in the same dwelling and that child or those children. All members of a particular census family live in the same dwelling. Children may be biological or adopted children regardless of their age or marital status as long as they live in the dwelling and do not have their own married spouse, common-law partner or child living in the dwelling. Grandchildren living with their grandparent(s) but with no parents present also constitute a census family.

Conformity to relevant internationally recognized standards

This standard is compatible with the definition of family nucleus presented in the United Nations' Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 1, 1998. This document provides the following definition:"A family nucleus is one of the following types (each of which must consist of persons living in the same household): (a) a married couple without children, (b) a married couple with one or more unmarried children, (c) a father with one or more unmarried children or (d) a mother with one or more unmarried children. Couples living in consensual unions should be regarded as married couples." Furthermore, it defines child, for census purposes, as "any unmarried individual, regardless of age, who lives with his or her parent(s) and has no children in the same household." (The subsequent discussion clarifies that unmarried includes never married and divorced.)

In its discussion of statistical units, the Final Report and Recommendations of the Canberra Group, Expert Group on Household Income Statistics comments on international usage of two concepts of family which it refers to as the nuclear family and a broadly defined family often referred to as the economic family. The report observes that "nuclear families are defined as parent(s) and unmarried children sharing a dwelling. Sometimes an age limit for children (e.g. 18 years) is added to the definition." This standard fits within this definition.

Relation to previous version

Census family May 26, 2021 to current
The definition of the statistical unit has been modified.
Census family November 16, 2015 to May 25, 2021
The previous standard made no reference to children being children by common-law unions. In this standard, common law unions have been added to the ways in which children can be associated to the census family. In addition, a child having a married spouse or a common-law partner living in the dwelling have been added to the ways in which children are excluded from this statistical unit.
Census family February 20, 2006 to November 15, 2015
In the previous standard, children were defined as "under the age of 25". In this standard, the age limit has been removed. However, only the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics ever used an age-limited definition of "child" in identifying families.The previous standard made no reference to same-sex couples. The addition of the words "a couple may be of opposite or same sex" reflects the established practice of including same-sex common-law couples and recognizes that same-sex couples can also be married.
This standard includes families made up of grandchildren living with their grandparent(s) with no parents present. Such families were not included in the previous standard.
Census family July 15, 1998 to February 19, 2006
This was the departmental standard from July 15, 1998 to February 19, 2006.