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Alternative Family Vs Nuclear Family Essay

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The nuclear family vs. alternative family structures
1. Introduction
In this essay I will be discussing the family, I will define what is agreed to be a family by looking at how the society has shaped what is said to be or not be a family. I will be discussing the nuclear and alternative family structures.
Talcott Parson and George Murdock both define a family as a social group characterised by common residence, economic unit and reproduction. It includes adults of different sexes at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, that has at least one or more children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults. This is the agreed definition of a family and this definition is problematic because it excludes a whole …show more content…

The family structure includes family forms such as those of lesbians, gay people, single-parent households and also adopting individuals. Alternative families experience a lot of discrimination from the public. Same sex parents are not open about their sexual orientation due to the fact that they fear discrimination such as loss of employment as well as antigay and anti lesbian violence.
These parents also find it difficult to explain to their own kids about their current relationship. Some alternative families are families from which the one parent might bring his/her child from his/her previous heterosexual marriage, although most children of same sex couples are biological children of one of the parents. A large number of same sex children are the result of donor insemination, surrogacy, foster care and adoption. Research has shown that children with same sex parents fare just as well as children with heterosexual parents and also that both the heterosexual and same sex parents experience the same problems when planning to have a baby, problems such as time, parenting, financial and responsibilities. Thomas D. Cook., Melissa R., Herman, Richard, A., Settersen. Jr., (July

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