In the United Kingdom, the concept of family has experienced substantial changes over time, reflecting broader societal changes and evolving cultural norms. ~Traditionally, family structures were centered around the nuclear family model, which still remains the predominant structure within the UK. However, family arrangements have become increasingly diverse and now encompass a wide array of forms, including single-parent households, blended families, and same-sex partnerships.
These changes in family structures have been influenced by a variety of factors. These factors include changing legal frameworks, the increasing social acceptance of varied lifestyles, and economic pressures. As time progresses, the definition of family continues to expand, mirroring the dynamic and multifaceted nature of modern British society.
The Nuclear Family
The traditional nuclear family is the most common family type in the UK today. The traditional nuclear family comprises no more than two generations (parents and children): a father, a mother, and their ‘joint’ biological children live together. They may be married or cohabiting. A feature of this form of family structure is the independence and isolation it holds from other ‘family’ members; it is seen to need to be self-sufficient. As such, the nuclear family is often characterised by a representation of close-knit relationships, where the parents share responsibilities in raising the children, providing emotional support, and managing household duties. This structure emphasises direct parental involvement in the upbringing and development of the children, with a focus on creating a stable and nurturing environment.
The nuclear family has long been regarded as the conventional family unit and the ‘building block’ of society, particularly in Western countries. It serves as a cornerstone for many cultural and societal norms. Christianity, alongside other religious denominations, has reinforced and popularised this belief. However, this restrictive perspective of what a nuclear family represents is gradually being replaced with a more contemporary view, in part because of the decrease in religious belief in many Western countries, including the UK, where those that believe in God, Life after death, Heaven and Hell fell to around 40% of the overall population in the 2021 census from 75% in the 1981 census (Duffy, 2022).
This shift in belief and perspective has, in turn, promoted the growing varying forms that a nuclear family can take. As such, the contemporary use of the term nuclear family can include, for example, same-sex nuclear families, married nuclear families, cohabiting nuclear families, and nuclear families consisting of non-biological children (adoptive or fostered children).
The Extended Family
The extended family is often seen as a nuclear family ‘extended’ by the addition of other relations. It is usually a large group, which may include grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, brothers, sisters and cousins living in the main family home. However, this family structure is primarily characterised by multiple generations and branches of a family living together or maintaining close ties and interactions.
It is also important to note that extended families can vary in size and structure. In addition, their roles and importance can differ depending on cultural, economic, and social factors. For example, two of the main variations of this family structure are that of ‘Beanpole’ and ‘Boomerang’ extended families.
The Beanpole extended family structure consists of vertically extended families which contains fewer children and more adult family members than the more traditional horizontal extended families with multiple natural families living in the same household. In this version of the extended family structure, multiple generations have joined together and are living within the same household but with very limited to no children being produced. The beanpole name has been associated with this structure because the family tree comes to resemble a beanpole rather than the traditional pyramid.
The other variation of the extended family structure, which has become more prevalent recently is that of boomerang families. This is where an older nuclear family is reunited as children return to their parents for economic reasons such as low wages, low savings, high debt, unemployment, or global financial crisis. Family circumstances such as divorce may create boomerang situations. This can provide the space, resources, and opportunity for the returned children to have their own children, forming a more traditional extended family.
The occurrence of extended families in the traditional sense within the UK is limited. This is because, within the United Kingdom, the average household size is 2.36 residents, which is similar to the size it was in 2013 (Office of National Statistics, 2022)—demonstrating the limited growth or change in the number of individuals, adults or children, within a family home. The traditional extended family, or as it can also be known, multi-family household, only forms about 1% of the overall family structures in the UK. One of the reasons is the role cultural and political perspectives play in housing. Within the UK, house ownership is seen as a financial necessity and success criteria, like in other Western countries. As such, extended families often live in separate households but act as one unit that shares resources, with some families living next door or across the street from one another. Another reason for the limited occurrence of this type of family is that extended families are more typical of collective cultures, and the UK is based more on the culture of individualism, where families are seen as sovereign and dependent on themselves only. This contrasts with extended families, where members are interdependent and share family responsibilities, including childrearing roles (Bester and Van Rooyen, 2015).
The Lone Parent/Single Parent family
A lone-parent family structure, also known as a single-parent family, is characterised by the presence of one parent without the presence of another spouse or partner, who is responsible for raising one or more children, be they biological, adoptive or fostered. When this family structure is portrayed, it is often done so with the mother being presented as the primary career. This assumption is statically supported as the single female-parent household makeup within the United Kingdom is around 2.7 million or 85% of the overall lone-family structure, with single male-parent households comprising the remaining 15% or approximately 470,000 households (Office of National Statistics, 2023).
Another assumption often made about the lone-parent family structure is that it is a ‘broken nuclear’ family. Again, this is generally, but not always, because it arises out of the break-up, divorce or separation of a nuclear family (Office of National Statistics, 2023). However, various circumstances, such as the death of one parent or a decision to have a child outside of a partnership, can also lead to the creation of this family structure.
Within this type of family structure, there is often a crossover with the extended family structure, as the dynamics of this structure place the lone parent as the primary caregiver and earner. This creates potential challenges related to time management, financial pressure, and emotional stress, which in turn leads many lone parents to rely on extended family, friends, and community services to help manage the demands of raising children alone.
Same-sex family
A same-sex family structure consists of two parents of the same gender who live together. This family structure may also include raising children through various means, such as adoption, surrogacy, donor insemination, or bringing children from previous relationships into the new family unit. Same-sex married and cohabiting families account for less than 1% of all households (Office of National Statistics, 2023). However, the proportion of Same-sex couple families as a whole has increased from 89,000 in 2013 to 137,000 in 2023 (Office of National Statistics, 2024a).
A unique feature within same-sex families is that this type of family often exhibits a more egalitarian or equal division of roles and shared parenting responsibilities, with both parents actively participating in all aspects of parenting and household duties (Goldberg, 2023). This contrasts with the more traditional gender roles observed in opposite-sex families with more socially divided and prescribed roles and responsibilities (Biblarz and Judith, 2010). This, in turn, potentially provides children with same-sex parents a more diverse range of role models to observe. However, Biblarz and Judith (2010) continue to explain that the quality of the parenting provided, including factors like emotional support, stability, and involvement in the child’s life is more crucial to the child’s growth, development and learning then the influence of the gender of the parents.
Like with the other types of families covered, it is important to note that same-sex families can have a cross-over with them. For example, the above describes a contemporary nurturer same-sex family structure, but there can also be childless same-sex family structures, extended family structures and lone-parent families.
The Reconstituted or Blended Family
The reconstituted family structure, often referred to as a blended or stepfamily, is formed when one or both partners in a relationship have children from previous relationships. This new family unit combines children from different parentage and can include a variety of combinations such as step-siblings, half-siblings, and step-parents. Typically, the reconstituted family emerges after the remarriage or cohabitation of a single parent with another adult who may also have children from a prior relationship.
As seen above, the terms to describe this family structure are often used interchangeably, but there is a subtle difference between a step and a blended family. In a stepfamily household, there are typically two adults and two children, with one child being the biological child of one of the adults and the other child being the biological child of the other adult. No children within a stepfamily are biological to both parents. Whereas, a blended family is a reconstituted family that contains at least one child who is biologically related to both adults in the family unit and at least one child who is biologically related to only one of the adults.
In the United Kingdom in 2021, there were 781,000 stepfamilies, with almost half of these families being categorised as blended households, as stated by the Office of National Statistics (2024b). An interesting feature within the data presented by the Office of National Statistics (2024b) is that most step-parents within these families were male, sitting at around 82%, indicating that children were more likely to stay with the mother rather than the father when the original family breaks down.
An interesting dynamic and unique feature of this family structure is that during initial formation, the boundaries and roles can be fluid, and members must adjust to new living arrangements, shared responsibilities, and potential shifts in family hierarchies. This is partly because in this structure, the adults must take on roles as step-parents, and the children navigate relationships with both biological and step-siblings. During this formation, the reconstituted family structure often requires negotiation and adaptation to establish new routines and develop strong familial bonds. It is also during this formation that children will often move from a secure attachment to an insecure attachment, resulting in a higher likelihood of emotional deregulation. During this time, in order to support the transition from two separate family units into one reconstituted family, there is a need for open communication and flexibility to accommodate the varying needs and histories of all members.
In a reconstituted family structure, there is often a need to effectively coordinate with ex-partners regarding co-parenting responsibilities and uphold relationships with non or joint-custodial parents where appropriate. As a result, children within this family structure may be part of multiple family units, each with its own unique dynamics, transition periods, and challenges. This can lead to a complex and diverse family environment that requires careful navigation and support from all involved. The unique dynamics and challenges of blended families contribute to the rich diversity of family structures, making each one a unique and complex entity.
Grandparent Family
A broader definition of a grandparent or grandfamily is a multigenerational family household. This is a household where people from across more than two generations of the same extended family live together. This includes households with grandparents and grandchildren, regardless of whether the intervening generation also lives in the household. Within the United Kingdom, 402,000 multigenerational family households exist with dependent children, meaning that grandparents are the primary carers of their children’s children (Office of National Statistics, 2024b).
The grandparent family structure is a familial arrangement where grandparents take on the primary caregiving responsibilities for their grandchildren. This often occurs when the parents are unable to fulfil their parental roles due to various reasons such as economic hardship, substance abuse, illness, or even death.
Adoptive and Foster Family
Adoptive and foster family structures, despite their more formal and bureaucratic tendencies, are both integral aspects of the family structure system, each with the same opportunity to provide children with loving, caring and supportive environments to grow up in. However, unlike the other family structures covered, adoptive and foster families each serve distinct purposes and functions. An adoptive family is a permanent arrangement where individuals or couples become the legal parents and guardians of a child who is not biologically theirs. Once the adoption process is completed, the adoptive parents have all the legal rights and responsibilities of biological parents.
On the other hand, a foster family provides temporary care and accommodation for a child whose biological parents are unable to care for them, usually due to various crises such as neglect, abuse, or long-term and severe illness. Foster care is intended to be a short-term solution while efforts are made to either reunite the child with their biological parents when appropriate, other extended family, or find a permanent adoptive home. Foster parents are trained and licensed to provide care, but they do not have the same legal rights as adoptive parents. The primary goal of foster care is to offer a safe and stable environment for children during a transitional period in their lives.
In the United Kingdom, both adoptive and foster family structures are common and play crucial roles in the child welfare system. According to recent data from the Department for Education (2023), there are 83,840 children in this form of family structure.
Nomadic Family
Nomadic family structures refer to social units that are characterised by a lifestyle of moving from place to place rather than settling permanently in one location. These families adapt to various environments and often have flexible social and economic systems that support their mobility. The nature of these structures can vary widely across different nomadic communities, influenced by cultural, economic, and environmental factors.
Within the United Kingdom, around 70,000 families identified as Gypsy or Irish Travellers are the two main Nomadic family structures recognised within the country, with others such as New Age and Scottish or Highland Travellers being included within this number. Roma, often referred to as Gypsies, are traditionally itinerant or nomadic, originating from northern India and migrating across Europe over centuries. Roma families are typically large and extended, linking into several of the other family types covered. However, with that said, they often travel in groups composed of multiple nuclear families, which helps to maintain their cultural traditions and provide mutual support.
Another example is the Irish Travellers, an indigenous minority group in Ireland with a distinct nomadic heritage. Similar to the Roma, Irish Travellers often travel in extended family groups. These extended nuclear family structures are tightly knit.
It is important to note that The UK government recognises Gypsies and Travellers as not only family structures but also distinct ethnic minorities, which provides some legal protections.
The Childless Family
A childless family structure refers to a household composed of a couple without children. This can include same and opposite-sex married couples, partners in a long-term relationship, or cohabiting individuals who have decided not to or are unable to have children.
While most people think of family as including children, there are couples who either cannot or choose not to have children. The childless family is sometimes the “forgotten family,” as it does not meet the traditional standards set by society. This is despite the fact that in 2022, there were 19.4 million families in the UK, with 43% of families or 8.3 million having no children living within them (Office of National Statistics. 2023). The increase in commonality among childless families reflects broader social trends and changing attitudes towards family life. This trend in childless families is seen to be motivated in part by the rising cost of living, housing, and education, with Millennial and Generation Z adults prioritising financial stability and personal goals over raising children.
Reference
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Office of National Statistics,. 2024a. Families and households in the UK: 2023. Office of National Statistics. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/families/bulletins/familiesandhouseholds/2023
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Biblarz, T, and Stacey, J,. 2010. How Does the Gender of Parents Matter?. Journal of Marriage and Family. 72(1). 3-22.
Goldberg, A,. 2023. LGBTQ-parent families: Diversity, intersectionality, and social context. Current Opinion journals. 49.
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