Family Types in the UK

• A nuclear family consists of a father and a mother who are married, are in a civil partnership, or cohabit, and their dependent children. These two generations live together in one household.

• The nuclear family was seen as the ideal family form in past decades. It was called the ‘cereal packet image’ of the family after the idealistic images of mother-father and children often displayed on consumer products such as cereal.

• Functionalist sociologists see the nuclear family as the building block of society and are keen for governments to implement social policies that support this type of family.

The nuclear family consists of a couple and their dependent children living in one household.

• A same-sex family is a nuclear family that is headed by a gay couple. Since 2005, same-sex partners have been able to enter civil partnerships, which essentially grant the same rights as marriage except for the title. Since 2013, marriage is also legal between same-sex couples.

• Same-sex couples now have multiple choices in terms of having children. They have the option to have a baby through a surrogate or they may also consider adoption.

• An extended family includes the family members beyond the nuclear family.

• A vertically extended family refers to a family where multiple generations live together (or very close to each other) (Charles et al, 2008).

• Beanpole family: A beanpole family is a long and thin, vertically extended family with multiple older generations but with few children in each generation.

• Horizontally extended families include multiple members of the same generation, such as the siblings and cousins of the parents, who live together (or very close to each other).

• Sociologists use the term ‘modified extended family’ to refer to a modern family whose members live separately but are still close to each other, provide emotional support, and have regular get-togethers. For example, a family where young adults live in a different city or country due to their work but who maintain regular contact with their parents and siblings.

• Lone-parent families consist of a lone mother or a lone father and their dependent children.

• Reconstituted families can be referred to as blended families or step-families. A reconstituted family consists of the parents and their children from previous relationships living together. The parent who is not related to their partner’s biological children by blood is called a step-parent. The couple might have children of their own too.

• Sociologists argue that to a certain extent, the nuclear family is still the ultimate goal for many people. Many lone parents strive to find a partner and create a nuclear family instead of remaining in a lone-parent family. As a result, the percentage of nuclear families in the UK is still rather high.

• Statistics show that most lone-parent families are headed by women. In 2015, 90% of all British lone-parent families were lone-mother families.

• Statistically, there are more step-fathers than step-mothers. This is because more single men marry women with children than single women who couple up with men who already have children from previous relationships.

• There has been a significant rise in the number of one-person households in the past three decades in the UK. In 1996, there were 6.6 million one-person households, which increased to 7.7 million by 2015. Statistics show that now more than 30% of all British households are one-person households (ons.gov.uk).

• People live longer than before. Women statistically live longer than men. Consequently, many elderly women live alone after their partners pass on.

• Many more young people decide to or end up living alone lately as well. This can be for many reasons:

• Some people choose to remain single and/or have no children throughout their lives.

• There are more divorces among young people, which leave them alone.

• Many young international migrants come to the UK to study or work, leaving their families behind.

• Young people may live alone before they cohabit with their partners or decide to get married.

• Some young people choose to have a living apart together (LAT) relationship where they don’t cohabit.

• Sociologists of the personal life perspective argue that friends and other non-blood relations that people share common experiences with have started to replace family members in terms of closeness and support.

• According to Sasha Roseneil and Shelley Budgeon (2006), people who did not live with a partner received more emotional support from their friends than from their families in difficult times or when they suffered from mental health issues.

• Some sociologists claim that instead of replacing the family, friends are simply becoming more like a family. However, people still turn to their biological families for support in most cases.

Some sociologists claim that friends have replaced the family in providing support and closeness.

• According to statistics, there were 69,540 looked-after children in March 2015 in England (ons.gov.uk). Around 60% of these children were abused or neglected by their families before local authorities started caring for them.

• Around 75% of looked-after children are placed in foster care. The foster families provide a short- or long-term home for these children.

• Children can also be looked after in children’s homes. Some of these specialise in caring for children with behavioural or emotional problems, as well as alcohol or drug issues.

• Children and young adults who have committed a legal offence can be accommodated in secure units, which tend to restrict their liberty and freedom.

• Some older people are taken care of by healthcare professionals in residential homes or nursing homes rather than by their families if they cannot care for themselves. 3.2% of people older than 64 lived in residential homes in England and Wales in 2011 (ons.gov.uk).