Nuclear family means

Freebase Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes • Nuclear family The nuclear family or elementary family is a term used to define a family group consisting of a pair of adults and their children. This is in contrast to a single-parent family, to the larger extended family, and to a family with more than two parents. Nuclear families typically center on a married couple; the nuclear family may have any number of children. There are differences in definition among observers; some definitions allow only biological children that are full-blood siblings, while others allow for a stepparent and any mix of dependent children including stepchildren and adopted children. Family structures of one married couple and their children were present in Western Europe and New England in the 17th century, influenced by church and theocratic governments. With the emergence of proto-industrialization and early capitalism, the nuclear family became a financially viable social unit. The term nuclear family first appeared in the early twentieth century. Alternative definitions have evolved to include family units headed by same-sex parents, and perhaps additional adult relatives who take on a cohabiting parental role; in this latter case it also receives the name of conjugal family. Examples of nuclear family in a Sentence • It's deplorable that many of these cases are a result of sexual violence within the nuclear family: stepfathers, uncles, fathers, and grandfathers. We're reaching more and more ...

Recent Examples on the Web From the findings of scholars like Stewart and Schechinger, the 1940s and ’50s was a time where America had narrowed in on Eurocentric ideas of the nuclear family: two-parent heterosexual couples with children. — Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2023 The remaining member of the nuclear family, Buster Murdaugh, 26, lives nearly two hours away. — Steve Helling, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2023 There’s a disintegration of the nuclear family. — Karen Idelson, Variety, 12 Jan. 2023 Freeing adolescent girls from the yoke of self-hatred was one of the most subversive parts of the already subversive 1990s Addams family films, which anticipated coming decades of the conservative movement’s culture-war obsession with the (straight, white, Christian) nuclear family. — Emily Alford, Longreads, 23 Nov. 2022 What are your thoughts on the nuclear family? — Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2022 That’s not to say Bruce and Selina need to play at being a nuclear family. — Richard Newby, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2022 Her aloneness was exacerbated by a West Coast community made up of mostly nuclear families. — Nina St. Pierre, ELLE, 17 Feb. 2023 What has all that automation done to Americans in the decade that most fervidly fetishized the nuclear family and glorified the suburbs? — Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2023 See More These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nuclear family.' Any opinions...

In the Encyclopedia of Couples and Family Therapy, the authors note that "traditional" nuclear families are typically thought of as having a mother, father, and children. However, the term dates back to the early- to mid-twentieth century, when the characteristics of a nuclear family were significantly different from today. For example, compared to today, people in the 1950s married younger, had more children, and divorced less frequently. Custody arrangements post-divorce have also changed. A 2022 study published in Demographic Research found that shared physical custody more than doubled between 1985 and 2014, from 13% to 34%. When parents share custody, family life for children of divorce will look different, particularly if one or both parents remarry. According to Changes in Adoption There used to be a cloud of secrecy surrounding adoption, says Tangel. "In the '50s and '60s, adoption was seen as a way to fulfill that ideal [nuclear family]," she says. "Parents would look to find children who looked like them so that the family would look like two married parents with biological children. We know that's not healthy." Teen Mom's Catelynn Baltierra (Lowell) put a national spotlight on open adoptions when she and her then-boyfriend, now-husband, Tyler Baltierra, placed their baby, Carly, up for adoption in 2009. The Baltierras, Carly, and Carly's adoptive parents continue to keep in touch. Tangel says if the biological and adoptive parents set expectations, this can bene...

The nuclear family was traditionally defined as a family consisting of parents of different genders and their children. If you have ever heard the phrase ‘2.4 children’, this was a term often used to describe the setup of a nuclear family. Societal norms are changing, as is the family structure. The nuclear household with a mum, dad, and children remains the most common family structure in the United States, but it is not as popular as it once was. Understanding the definition of the nuclear family and its history can help you to see if your family structure conforms to traditional norms or not. How are Families Changing in the 21st Century? The History of the Nuclear Family What Does Nuclear Family Mean? To understand this, it is first necessary to understand the historical roots of this family structure. The term nuclear family was first coined by Polish-British anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski during the 1920s. Malinowski believed that the nuclear family was a necessity for society, the setup ensured children received their biological need for care and protection. According to Bronislaw, the nuclear family was needed to pass cultural and societal values from one generation to another. Nuclear family may have first been coined as a term in the 1920s, but this family structure has been present in society since 13th century England. Nuclear families are different from extended families. The term nuclear family is used only to define parents and the children they are rai...

Is there such a thing as a "perfect" family? The American family is a rapidly changing institution. You may have grown up in the stereotypical American family - two parents and one or more children, with a father who worked outside the home and a mother who stayed home and cared for the children and the household. Today, with the entry of so many more women into the workforce, with the increasing divorce rate, and with the growing number of single-parent households, other family structures have become more common. If your own family is not like the one you grew up in, your situation is certainly not unusual. Currently, 30 percent of American families are now headed by single parents, either divorced, widowed, or never married. Some children live in foster families; others live in step-families or in gay and lesbian families. In more than two thirds of families, both parents work outside the home. Even if your own family fits the more traditional mold, your children will almost certainly have some friends who live in households with different structures. From time to time you can expect your youngsters to ask questions like "Why do people get divorced?""How come Jimmy's mother and father don't live together?""Why does Annette's father live with another lady?" Because families are so important to children, parents need to be able to answer such questions with more than mere slogans or quick replies. By asking these questions, children are trying to understand two things abou...