What is a family

What is a family


What is a family?
A family can be defined in many different ways based upon a person’s opinion. The dictionary defines family in several ways, one of which a family is “a fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.” 1 A family can also be a group of two or more people that are either related by blood or marriage as well as adoption, step or fostering. This also includes newlyweds without children, same sex partners, and couples with dependents. Also, single mums or dads with children and siblings living together are still classified as a family. Over the past century, families have changed in the way that some aren’t structured like a ‘traditional’ family should be. For example today, children are being raised in single parent homes, by their grandparents or even by homosexual parents. At least one person in the family has to be over the age of 15.
There are three major types of families: couple or nuclear families, single-parent families and other families. A couple family is based on a relationship between couples who are either married or in a partnership. The couple can be either gay or straight, and their children or dependents can also be a part of the couple family if they live in the same household. Couple families can also exist of just two people living together in a couple relationship, without children. Lone parent families consists of one person who is not in a couple relationship but forms a parent-child relationship with one or more children in the household. Although there could be a lone living parent living in the household, there must also be at least one child in the household to be able to form a family. Other families are based around the idea of a family relationship that are neither couple relationships nor parent-child relationships. For example a brother and a sister living together without any dependants would be classifies as an ‘other family.’ Other types of families can...

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