ABSTRACT
In industrialised societies, forms or models of families are changing rapidly, but one form, the nuclear family, is generally portrayed by the media as normative, because it is regarded as well adapted to the demands of modern societies. Family life has become a topic for political debate, and various policies have been devised to try to support families. This chapter explores the diversity of family structures and some of the social and demographic changes that impact on family structure and type. Sociologists are in general agreement that the family has several core functions that may be seen as essential to the reproduction and maintenance of society. Family and marriage are also viewed as two of the most familiar, fundamental and enduring social institutions in virtually all societies. Households composed of one biological parent and a step-parent living with dependent children from more than one marriage or a non-marital relationship are referred to as stepfamilies, reconstituted, multiparental families or reordered families.
