Redefining Kinship: Evolving Family Structures

Kinship & Family Structures: A Historical Overview

  • Early human societies lived in small bands, relying on extended family and wider kin for survival.
  • Kinship was created through cooperation, shared experiences, and emotional bonds, not just biological ties.
  • Examples:
    • Ilongot: shared migration
    • New Guineans: sharing grease
    • Chuukese: surviving trials together
    • Inupiat: naming children after the dead
  • Europeans observed Native Americans preferred communal living over individualistic European culture.

The Nuclear Family's Impact & Modern Challenges

  • Modern Western societies value privacy, individual freedom, mobility, and dynamic capitalism, complicating family structures.
  • Detached nuclear families have led to negative consequences such as addiction, suicide, depression, and inequality.
  • A new family paradigm may be emerging with a reprioritization of family in reaction to family chaos.
  • Economic pressures since the 1970s and the 2008 recession have increased reliance on family.
  • Multigenerational households are on the rise (20% of Americans), driven by young adults returning home and seniors moving in with children.

Evolving Family Structures & Forged Families

  • Immigrants and people of color often rely more on extended-family households due to economic and social stress.
  • Black families have maintained a strong commitment to extended family despite historical challenges.
  • Government policies can impact family structures; e.g., tearing down neighborhoods disrupted social connections.
  • New housing trends include "two homes under one roof" to accommodate multiple generations while preserving privacy.
  • Forged families bring nonbiological kin into family-like relationships.
  • Examples:
    • CoAbode (single mothers sharing homes)
    • Co-housing projects (adults living as extended families)
    • Common & Kin (co-housing communities for singles/young parents)

Temescal Commons: Redefining Family

  • Temescal Commons is a co-housing community where members live as an extended family.
  • Members share responsibilities, resources, and support, creating strong bonds.
  • Children grow up with diverse adult role models.

Chosen Families & Modern Kinship

  • Modern chosen-family movement: San Francisco, 1980s (gay men and lesbians during the AIDS crisis).
  • Forged families are formed through shared suffering and commitment.
  • Members provide unwavering support and acceptance.

Weave: The Social Fabric Project & Community Building

  • Weave supports people and organizations building community and providing care to non-kin.
  • Lisa Fitzpatrick worked with gang members, offering them a safe home and support.
  • The Other Side Academy provides serious felons with an extended family and moral accountability.

Diverse Forged Family Examples

  • Organizations create extended-family settings for traumatized vets.
  • Nursing homes partner with preschools.
  • Thread surrounds underperforming students with volunteers.
  • Becoming a Man helps disadvantaged youth form family-type bonds.
  • All Our Kids (AOK-DC): Extended-family-like group supporting youth in need.

Economic & Social Implications

  • Nations with higher percentages of people living alone tend to be wealthier.
  • The market encourages individuals to be mobile and unattached.
  • Affluent individuals can buy privacy and hire support, but may experience emotional emptiness.
  • The crisis of connection stems from the impoverishment of family life.
  • Family inequality damages individuals and undermines the economy.