ABSTRACT
Researchers and scholars in the fields of family studies, family science, human development, and education have devoted a considerable amount of time to the study of families and what makes them work. The term “family” is a socially constructed and culturally defined concept. The ideological underpinning of the definition of family has traditionally defined it as a unit composed of a mother, a father, and their children. In recent years, the construct of “traditional” families is being challenged politically, socially, religiously, and culturally, as social trends see more people viewing cohabitation as an option over marriage, raising children in single-family homes, and raising children within same-sex partnerships. The effects of biological research and adoption are also changing the face of family composition as gray areas of who is defined as a “mother” or “father” within such instances continue to provide heated debates among the public sectors.
