ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLESthan in other family structures. There are no well-
established rules for how stepparents and children
are supposed to relate, or the type of feelings they
should have for one another. Without a clear-cut
set of norms, blended families may be seen as
‘‘alternative lifestyles,’’ but yet they are becoming
increasingly common in modern industrialized
societies where divorce is common.
CONCLUDING COMMENTSThere is considerable accumulating evidence to
suggest that family lifestyles are becoming more
varied and that the public is becoming increasingly
tolerant of this diversity. The data indicate that
traditional marriage itself per se may be less impor-
tant in sanctioning intimacy. The review by Buunk
and Hupka (1986) of seven countries reveals that
individualism, as expressed by following one’s own
personal interests in intimate relationships, was
more prevalent in affluent democratic countries
such as the United States and in most of Western
Europe than in poorer and nondemocratic nations.
This does not mean, however, that people are
discarding the institution of marriage. In the Unit-
ed States, as elsewhere, the vast majority of the
population continues to endorse marriage and
parenthood in general, and for themselves person-
ally. Most still plan to marry and have children,
and optimism remains high that theirs will be a
lasting union despite high national frequencies of
divorce.
Alternative lifestyles are not replacing mar-
riage. Instead, they are gaining acceptance be-
cause they involve, for some, modifications of the
family structure as an adaptation to changing con-
ditions in society. The lifestyles discussed here, as
well as others, reflect the broader social changes in
values, relationships, and even technology that are
found within society as a whole. As Macklin notes,
the family is not disappearing, but ‘‘continuing its
age-old process of gradual evolution, maintaining
many of its traditional functions and structures
while adapting to changing economic circumstances
and cultural ideologies’’ (1987, p. 317). This proc-
ess has merely accelerated during the past several
decades, and these changes have caught the atten-
tion of the general public. College classes and their
corresponding textbooks within this discipline of
sociology are still often titled Marriage and the
Family, as if there were only one model of intima-
cy. Yet perhaps a more appropriate title would be
Marriages, Families, and Intimate Relationships.
This would reflect not only the diversity illustrated
here but would also acknowledge the tremendous
ethnic and class variations that make for rich and
meaningful personal relationships.(SEE ALSO: American Families; Courtship; Divorce and
Remarriage; Marriage; Mate Selection Theories; Sexual
Orientation)REFERENCES
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