Blackwell Reference Online

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This chapter examines contemporary demographic trends and debates surrounding the family in the US. We begin by describing current trends in marital status, cohabitation, same-sex relationships, and parenting. We then focus on how these trends are associated with the health and well-being of individuals and emphasize that it is not merely the existence of family relationships that affect individual well-being, but the quality of these relationships as well.The US Census Bureau defines a family as two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption and residing together (US Bureau of the Census, 1998b). According to this definition, family households in 2000 comprised 69 percent of all American households, down from 81 percent in 1970 (US Bureau of the Census, 2001). However, while the Census Bureau's definition reveals the legal, biological, and spatial arrangements that constitute a family, it does not capture the myriad meanings attached to the term family. When individuals speak of family, it may mean their long-dead ancestors, divorced people who live apart, unmarried partners, or friends who are so close they are “like family.” In fact, research in the US confirms that there has never been one distinct family; rather what emerges when we refer to the American family is a vast array of possible families. Yet, despite the historical prevalence of different family forms, ... log in or subscribe to read full text