How “normal” is the nuclear family that most Americans are familiar with?
Nuclear family organization is widespread, but it is not universal. In certain societies, the nuclear family is rare or nonexistent and in other cultures the nuclear family has no special role in social life. In these societies other social groups such as descent groups and extended families assume the functions associated with the nuclear family. Interestingly, groups that rely on the organization of the nuclear family tend to be highly mobile. This includes modern industrial societies and forager societies. Increasingly, the nuclear family household, which might traditionally include two parents and children, is rare in the Unites States. In 1998, non-nuclear family arrangements outnumbered the “traditional” American household three to one.
