Notes on the Nuclear Family and Cereal Packet Family

Cereal Packet Family

• Definition: A stereotypical image of family life, often seen in advertising, reflecting a traditional nuclear family structure.

• Origin: Term coined by Edmund Leach, who recognized its power in the media.

• Ann Oakley's Description (1982): Conventional families as nuclear families composed of legally married couples, voluntarily choosing parenthood of one or more children.

Criteria for a Cereal Packet Family (According to Ann Oakley):

• Nuclear family with one or two biological, dependent children.

• Married couple (excluding lone parents).

• Heterosexual couple (excluding same-sex families).

• Dad as the breadwinner, mum staying at home to care for children/household, possibly with a part-time job.

Media and the Nuclear Family

• Edmund Leach's Observation: Media, especially television, presents a stereotypical image of the family based on the traditional nuclear family roles.

• Soap Operas: Increasingly featuring lone-parent, reconstituted, and same-sex families in storylines, indicating a shift in representation.

Statistics and Trends (2017):

• Total families in the UK: 19.0 million.

• Married or civil partnership families: 12.9 million (most common).

• Cohabitating couples: Fastest-growing family type.

Changing Stereotypes:

• Oakley's Conclusion: Official stereotypes are increasingly seen as archaic.

• Community Shift: Movement towards a more open appraisal of diverse ways of living, both in and without families.

Advertising Industry:

• Historically, advertising heavily featured images of the nuclear family.

• Increasingly using diverse family types due to campaigns like 'Get over it' by LGBTQ charity Stonewall.