ABSTRACT
Alongside an apparent acceptance of the inevitability of divorce, single parenthood and remarriage, the nuclear family is still considered healthier and more normal for its members by many sections of our society. Rather than supporting the many different ways people live and are intimate together, there appears to be an increasing marginalisation of family forms which depart from this norm. This view seems to be integral to governmental and social policy, where beliefs about the detrimental effects of the breakdown of the nuclear family are prevalent. Much clinical literature and research (e.g. Wallerstein and Blakeslee 1989) also focuses on the pain, failure and damage associated with divorce.
