ABSTRACT
159How Australians make families in a context of far-reaching change has become a hot issue. Because how we think about things makes a difference, we explore some of the ways we can think about families. Is there only one kind of family? How do people form families? How crucial is the family? We examine critically some of the answers to these questions as well as make suggestions of our own. We then turn to the widespread belief, in a time characterised by ideas like ‘globalisation’ and ‘restructuring’, that the family is in trouble—maybe even dead. Is the family dead or dying? To address this question, we ask whether there was ever a time when the traditional family was alive and well.
