A
traditional nuclear family consists of two married people living together and raising their
child or children. All siblings are full biological siblings. While this is still common, and
more than half of all children live with two parents, the structure has certainly
shifted.
In 1960, the overwhelming majority of parents were married (88%).
That number has fallen to around 69% today. Around 23% of children live with only their mother,
and around 3 million grandparents are raising their grandchildren with no parents in the home.
The number of unmarried parents living together with children has increased since 1960. Compared
to the 1960s, the term family encompasses a much broader spectrum of living
arrangements. Children may live with numerous adults in their home (related and not), they may
live with multiple generations of people, they may live with two parents who are the same
gender, and they may live in a home with various foster siblings whom they lovingly claim as
their own.
The role of women has also shifted during this time. In 1960,
about 38% of women worked outside the home. Today, around 60% do. This mirrors an educational
shift: today college populations are about 56% female compared to the 6% of women who attained a
college degree in 1960. Women are professionals, and this has shifted the culture of families.
If both parents work outside the home, families must either employ childcare or find others who
care for their children in their absence. Some families solve this dilemma by working alternate
shifts or days so that one parent is always home.
Working from home is a
noticeable trend that wasn't available in the 1960s. Thanks to technological advances, over 5%
of Americans now have jobs where they are allowed to work "remotely" via internet
access and stay home. Sometimes this means creatively structuring family and work time so that
all needed tasks can be accomplished.
Other technological advancements have
allowed families to free up time formerly spent cooking and cleaning and doing other things.
Dishwashers, quick and at-home laundry capabilities, microwaves, and even text messaging means
that parents no longer have to spend hours a day on some of these tasks. One thing that seems to
have filled this time is an increase in children's activities. From art classes to riding
lessons to professional pitching lessons to theater camps to travel ball leagues, many parents
are willing to spend a great deal of time, money, and energy on commuting their children to
numerous appointments that simply wouldn't have been possible in the 1960s. A lot of this means
less time spent at home as a nuclear family and much more on the road with family members often
heading in various directions in a single evening.
Much has changed in the
traditional nuclear family in the past few decades and will likely continue to do so as the
values of America are ever-shifting.
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