Defining Family in HDFS 341: Family Studies

Overview of Presentation Topics

  • I. Defining family

  • II. Biases in defining family

  • III. Creating an inclusive definition of family

I. Defining Family

  • The central question: How do you define family?

  • Key Concept: Family form differs from family function

Family Structure Types

  • Nuclear Family:

    • Defined as a core household unit comprising two parents (married, heterosexual) and their biological or adopted children living together, separate from extended family such as grandparents.

Three Ways to Define U.S. Families

  1. The Family as a Social Institution

  2. The Legal Family

  3. The Personal Family

I. The Family as a Social Institution

  • Definition: A social space where relationships among people with common positions are governed by accepted rules of action.

  • Categories of Social Institutions:

    • Government

    • Economy

    • Education

    • Religion

    • Family

  • Quote: “The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.” (Article 16, Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Five Functions of Family (Bogenschneider, 2014)

  1. Family formation and membership

  2. Partner relationships

  3. Economic support

  4. Child rearing

  5. Caregiving

II. The Legal Family

  • U.S. Federal Government’s Definition:

    • “A family is a group of two people or more (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage, or adoption residing together; all such people (including related subfamily members) are considered members of one family.”

    • Definition equates U.S. Census Family = Household.

Changes in the U.S. Census Definition of Family

  • The definition has evolved, especially notable changes occurred post-1930, remaining relatively consistent since.

U.S. Census Definitions Over the Years

  • 1860:

    • Definition includes individuals living alone or with others on a common means of support.

  • 1870:

    • Defines family as those living together under one roof provided for at a common table.

  • 1900:

    • Family expands to individuals occupying a dwelling or living alone; those in a hotel counted as one family.

  • 1920:

    • Defines family as a group living together, related or not, with individuals living alone counted as one family.

  • 1930:

    • Specifies those related to the head of the family by blood, marriage, or adoption.

  • 1960:

    • Describes households as groups sleeping in the same unit with common arrangements for food preparation and consumption.

Impact of the Census Definition on Family Structure

  • The definition has significant implications for how families are categorized and how resources are allocated based on that categorization.

II. The Legal Family - Impact Considerations

  • Family Impact Lens:

    • Assessment of policies or programs on families, seeking to achieve related policy goals and determine eligibility for benefits.

    • Important question: “What is the impact of this policy, program, or practice on families?” (Bogenschneider, 2014)

Challenges to Legal Definitions of Family

  • Definition has increasingly been challenged by complex family structures and arrangements (Manning et al., 2000).

  • Debates center around the legitimacy of various family forms and their inclusion/exclusion under governmental definitions.

Key Legal Cases Affecting Family Definition

  • Obergefell vs. Hodges (June 26, 2015):

    • Supreme Court ruled that denying same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, impacting the legal family definition significantly.

  • Loving vs. Virginia (June 12, 1967):

    • Determined that Virginia's ban on interracial marriage violated the 14th Amendment, which influenced legal family structure and definitions.

Family Privilege Concept

  • Definition: “Benefits, often invisible and unacknowledged, received by belonging to family systems,” with some families receiving legal advantages while others face disadvantages (Letiecq & Landor, 2021).

III. The Personal Family

  • Definition: A group of individuals who mutually define themselves as family; can include chosen or found family.

  • Subjective Nature of Family:

    • Membership may not always depend on blood, marriage, or adoption; relationships are defined by emotional significance.

Inclusive Nature of Family Definitions

  • Fictive Kin:

    • Individuals who are not related by birth, adoption, or marriage but maintain significant emotional ties to family members.

  • Quote from Dr. Paul Amato:

    • “Accepting people’s subjective definitions of families moves us closer to the lived reality of people’s lives.”

Variability in Family Definitions

  • Factors Affecting Family Definitions:

    • Individuals

    • Diversity

    • Place

    • Time

    • Purpose

Creating an Inclusive Definition of Family

  • Proposed Definition: “An intimate group of two or more people who live together in a committed relationship, care for one another and any children, and share activities and close emotional ties.” (Benokraitis & Buehler, 2019)

Additional Inclusive Features

  • Related by connections that can be biological, legal, or emotional (Cohen, 2019).

Textbook Definition of Family

  • Definition: “An interdependent group of individuals who share a history, emotional ties, and strategies for meeting the needs of individual members and the group.” (Adamsons & Sabatelli, 2025).

II. Biases in Defining Family

  • Explanation: Individual backgrounds may introduce biases that affect perceptions of families, leading to an idealized notion of family that does not hold true for all family types (Greenstein & Davis, 2013).

Consequences of Bias

  • Concept of a “gold standard family” creates comparisons that may be harmful to understanding diverse family structures and negatively impact family well-being.

  • Different does not equal deficient.

Bias Definitions

  • NEW INTRODUCTION BY AUTHOR: Discusses nostalgia concerning ideal families and the inherent biases influencing current family definitions (Stephanie Coontz).

  • Key Concept: The nuclear family model has presented a misleading ideal with detrimental effects on many.

Potential Biases in Understanding Families

  • Terms:

    • S.N.A.F.: Standard North American Family, an ideological code that shapes perceptions of family.

    • W.E.I.R.D.: Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic societies, which may not define normative family structures for all cultures.

Cultural Perspectives

  • Ethnocentrism: Evaluating cultures based on the customs and standards of one's own culture.

  • Cultural Relativism: Recognizing that values, practices, and beliefs vary by cultural groups without hierarchizing their importance.

Family Privilege Discussion

  • Definition: Highlights benefits received from belonging to family systems upheld in society as superior, often unseen and unrecognized (Badgett, 2001; Seita, 2001).

Key Concepts Recap

  • Different definitions of family exist based on various contexts and biases that affect understanding.

  • The idea of family privilege highlights inequities between families of varying structures and impacts research, policies, and practices.

  • Key takeaways: Family form does not equate to family dysfunction; biases affect understanding family diversity.

Key Terms

  • Nuclear family

  • Family as a social institution

  • Legal family

  • Personal family

  • Fictive kin

  • Family privilege

  • Ethnocentrism

  • Cultural relativism

References

  • Benokraitis, N. V., & Buehler, C. (2019). Marriages & families: Changes, choices, and constraints (9th ed.). Pearson.

  • Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (3rd ed.). Routledge.

  • Cohen, P. N. (2015). The family: Diversity, inequality, and social change. W. W. Norton & Company.

  • Coontz, S. (1992). The way we never were: American families and the nostalgia trap. Basic Books.

  • Letiecq, B., & Landor, A. (2021). Webinar, National Council on Family Relations.

  • Smith, D.E. (1993). “The standard North American family: SNAF as an ideological code,” Journal of Family Issues.

  • U.S. Census Bureau. Subject definitions. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/technical-documentation/subject-definitions.html#family