The Nuclear Family

For a group to be called a nuclear family there must at some time be a father, mother and at least one child. This type of family structure is found in almost all societies, although the length of time in which the family remains in this form varies even within the same society. The nuclear family was most popular in the 1950’s and 60’s. The nuclear family can be a nurturing environment in which to raise children as long as there is love, time spent with children, emotional support, low stress, and a stable economic environment. In nuclear families, both adults are the biological or adoptive parents of their children. The nuclear family consists of a married couple and their children. The nuclear family is ego-centred, and impermanent, while descent groups are permanent (lasting beyond the life-spans of individual constituents) and reckoned according to a single ancestor. One’s family of orientation is the family in which one is born and grows up, while one’s family of procreation is formed when one marries and has children. Claims made for the universality of the nuclear family, based upon the universality of marriage, do not hold up--the nuclear family is widespread, but not universal. In societies where the nuclear family is important, this structure acts as a primary arena for sexual, reproductive, economic, and acculturative functions, but it is not the only structure used by societies for these. Take an example 53.7% of Canadians live in two parent, or nuclear families.

There are three types of married nuclear families depending on employment status of the woman and man. In the first type, the man works outside the home while the woman works inside the home caring for the children. 28 percent of all households fit this description. In the second type of married nuclear family, the woman works outside the home and the man cares for the children. This constitutes 2 percent of the families in this country. In the third kind of married nuclear family, both the wife and the husband work outside the home or are income providers. In some situations, the woman might have a home-based business, such as a day care center. Nearly 60 percent of women with children under the age of six were in the workforce during the past decade.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16