family structure united_states traditional family structure united_states considered family support system involving married individuals providing care stability biological offspring parent nuclear family prevalent alternative family forms common family created birth establishes ties generations generations extended family grandparents cousins hold significant emotional economic roles nuclear family time traditional structure adapt influential changes including divorce introduction single parent families teenage pregnancy mothers sex marriage increased interest adoption social movements feminist movement stay home dad contributed creation alternative family forms generating new versions american family nuclear family nuclear family considered traditional family communist scare cold war 1950s nuclear family consists mother father children parent nuclear family prevalent pre american european family forms common include sex relationships single parent households adopting individuals extended family systems living nuclear family choosing fewer children past percentage married couple households children declined households single parent single parent termed lone parent sole parent parent cares children assistance biological parent historically single parent families resulted death instance single parent homes increasing married couples divorce unmarried couples children widely believed detrimental mental physical child type household tolerated percentage single parent households doubled decades percentage sense marriage permanent institution weakened allowing individuals consider leaving marriages readily past increasingly single parent families especially pregnancy familiar america divorce rates rising rate rising bringing families making step families statistics new forming day half american families remarried marriages ending divorce extended family extended family consists grandparents cousins circumstances extended family comes live place member nuclear family example includes elderly parents children old age places large demands particularly female relatives choose perform duties extended family historically certain asian native american cultures family structure consisted grandmother children especially daughters raised children shared child care responsibilities brothers male relatives helped romantic relationships men women formed dissolved little impact children remained mother extended family roles relationships married partners married couple defined husband wife members household sex couples married couples married sex couples married previously recognized unmarried partners sex marriage legally permitted country june supreme_court issued decision illegal cousin marriages illegal states legal states district_of_columbia territories states restrictions exceptions cousin marriages recognize marriages performed state 1940s united_states marriage rate decreased rates divorce increased partners living partners known number unmarried couples united_states increased million number increase sex partners included unmarried couples unmarried partner households homosexual lifestyle popular today generation convenient couples married cheaper simpler divorce rates rise society desire married attractive couples uncertain long term plans parents parents biological mother biological father legal guardian adopted children traditionally mothers responsible raising kids father providing financially family age group parents ranges teenage parents grandparents decided raise grandchildren teenage fluctuating based race culture older parents financially established generally fewer problems raising children compared teenage counterparts housewife married woman work outside home income stays takes care home children includes cooking washing cleaning etc roles women working house changed drastically women start pursue careers time women spend declined hours week hours substantially male partners main financial provider family historically husband trend changing wives start advantage women movement gain financial independence according new_york_times wives earned married households wife worked nuclear families employed outside home men responsible substantially smaller share household duties stay home stay home fathers participate labor market raise children male equivalent stay home popular american society according estimated stay home married fathers children labor force primarily care family members wives work outside home stay home care children children child families child single child biological adopted brothers sisters single children portrayed self centered selfish single children school careers children siblings couples chose children include young couples intend children later plan children caused medical problems death child factors adopted children adopted children children given birth abandoned unable cared biological parents foster care finding permanent residence particularly hard adopted children adopted foster care children adopted average age children years old shows fewer older children adopted modern family models sex marriage adoption child sex parents gay lesbian couples choose raise children nationally female sex couples male sex couples live children years old census households claimed headed sex couples having children july concluded overall results research suggests development adjustment children lesbian gay parents differ markedly children parents single parent households single parent homes america starting common today society children born unmarried couples couples marriages subsequently dissolve children increasingly live parent proportion children living married parent grown parent families mother child families adoption requirements adoption requirements policies adopting children harder foster families potential adoptive families adopt kids family adopt state county agency criteria adoption agencies criteria express importance age adoptive parents agency desire married couples single adoptive parents deal criteria given birth parents adoptive child different criteria adopting children makes harder couples adopt children need strict requirements help protect foster children couples currently million children adopted different types adoption embryo adoption couple having trouble child instead choose sperm egg outside international adoption couples adopt children come foreign countries private adoption common form adoption private adoption families adopt children licensed agencies directly contacting child biological parents male female role pressures traditional father mother roles nuclear family blurred time women movement push women engage traditionally masculine pursuits society women choose sacrifice child bearing years establish careers fathers feel increasing pressure involved tending children traditional roles fathers mothers come question african american family structure family structure african americans long matter national public policy interest report known report examined link black poverty family structure destruction black nuclear family structure hinder progress economic political equality wrote coming destruction black family percent blacks percent black children born outside marriage black babies born mothers television portrayals television industry initially helped create stereotype american nuclear family era baby families popular social topic especially television family shows family leave beaver married children portrayed different social classes families growing america perfect nuclear families changed years passed inclusive showing single parent divorced families older singles television shows single parent families include murphy brown girls common occurrence iconic image american family started early 1930s families generally economical income successfully lifestyle
Family structure in the United States