ask yourself these questions:Who decides
the definition of family? Do families
always live together? How do we
understand“being married”?Why is a
blood or an adoptive link so necessary?
Nuclear Family.Anuclear family
includes parents and biological and/or
adopted children living together in one
household.The nuclear family is what
manyAmericans mean when they use the
term“family.”The general expectation is
that the nuclear family will be
geographically and economically
independent.According to the dominant
culture of the United States,this means
that when a couple marries,they are
expected to live separate from their
parents and support themselves.Thus,the
nuclear family becomes an important unit
of economic consumption.As the chapter
on the history of theAmerican family will
illustrate,such expectations for nuclear
families are relatively new and unique.Why Marriage and Family?The nuclear family is the most common living
arrangement in white middle-class culture.SIDEBAR1.1
U.S. CENSUSDEFINITIONS OFFAMILYHousehold—Oneormorepeoplelivingtogethermakeupahousehold.Oneof thepeoplewho
owns or rents the residence is called the householder.Two types of household are defined:
Family household—At least two members related by birth,marriage or adoption,one
of which is the householder. Family units that do not include the householder are
calledsubfamilies.
Nonfamily household—A person living alone or householder sharing the residence with
nonrelatives such as roommates or boarders.
Children—Birth children,stepchildren or adopted children of the householder.Own children
is a subset of all children who identify the householder as parent in a household.
Family Groups—Familyhouseholdsplusallrelatedandunrelatedsubfamilies.Apersonmaybe
counted in two different family groups—a woman may be the daughter of the householder
and also the mother of her own daughter living in the household.
Married—Includesbothadultslivingandnotlivingwiththeirspousebutareofficiallymarried.
Unmarried—Includes all never married,divorced or widowed individuals at that time.
Cohabitation—Is indicated as an unmarried partner of the householder.
Adapted from Fields,J.2004.America’s Families and living arrangement: 2003.U.S.Census Bureau.
http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/p20-553.pdf (accessed June 24,2009)©iStockphoto.com/monkeybusinessimages