The image of the family has changed much over time. The term family was used in the past to describe a household. It included relatives who lived in the same house, along with their servants. Today, the image of the family is much different. Families do not have to live in the same house, nor do they have to be biological relatives. Today’s image of the family is much broader than the past images of the family.
Contemporary families can be loosely defined. Traditionally, the model for a family is defined as containing a mother, father, and usually two children. This is usually how the media displays family, with, of course, the loyal pet. However, this model of a family is not exactly what one encounters when examining real families in our contemporary culture.
The first difference one notices is that the term family is no longer limited to those who live together in the same household. Families extend now past the household limitations. This is mainly because of the mobility that people in society take for granted. It is now easier to move about the country in the present time than it was in the past. It is not uncommon for a family to be spread out across an entire country.
A second difference one notices when examining the contemporary family is that the term family is not limited to biological relations. It is quite common to see a family with adopted children. It is also quite common for people who are not related but have extremely close relationships to consider themselves family. For example, a person will commonly declare another person to be her/his “second mother,” or the “brother/sister he/she never had.” In this sense, the family now goes beyond biological ties and extends into emotional and relationship ties. People will consider other people family just because they share an emotional bond together, typically love.
In the same respect, contemporary families today may not include people who are biologically related. For example, it is now very common to have single parent families. Depending on the family situation, for example if the other parent left the children and single parent, then those children may not consider the parent who deserted them as family.
A third difference one may notice about the contemporary family is how diverse and mixed it has become. Many forms of family now exist, which are not limited to but include: single parent families, gay parent families, step-families, foster parent families, extended families, etc. The family model in reality no longer reflects the model family of mother, father, and children. People with no children can also be considered a family. As long as there exists an emotional bond and a desire to be considered a family, then any form of family can exist.
Finally, a fourth difference that one notices about the contemporary family is the roles that each family member plays. Women are no longer considered the primary caretaker of the household and children. Women are now out in the workforce and often the household duties are split between the two spouses. Children tend to be more independent than in the past, and men are playing a much larger role in participating in the development of the children.
The image of family and how it has changed reflects how our society has changed. As society becomes more mobile, more flexible, and more accepting of differences, so does the image of the family.
