Traditional family model: what it is, characteristics and variants.
A summary of the characteristics of the traditional family model and how it has evolved.
Do you want to start a family, do you want to get married and have children, what is your family like? These are questions that we can ask ourselves nowadays, but a few years ago these questions were not so normal, since it was understood as something necessary to form a family in a very specific way.
Before, the only possible family model was the traditional one, the only one that was considered ideal and correct, being the most common, and being formed by a heterosexual marriage and children.
But nowadays, given the changes that society has undergone, the possibility has arisen that other forms of couples can have children and in this way form a family.
In the following we will see what is understood by traditional familyand the different types that can give rise to it. We will also mention the most important social changes that have taken place up to the present time and how these have allowed the development and formation of new models of family, with more variety and more adapted to the evolution of the society.
What is the traditional family model?
In the Western society, from the XIX century until the end of the XX century, years 80, the predominant family model and that was presented with more frequency was the traditional or classic one.. This model was characterized by a structure constituted by a heterosexual couple of man and woman with children, and possibly linked, with more or less relationship, with the extended family, referring to members of different generations such as grandparents and aunts and uncles.
Apart from the particular structure, another defining characteristic is that the man and woman had to be married in church, and each member of the couple had a very well defined role and functions. each member of the couple had a very well-defined role and function.. The father, the man, was the head of the family, the one who decided most of the important matters, as well as the one in charge of bringing home the sustenance, the money. On the other hand, the mother, the woman, did not work outside the home but was responsible for housework and the care and upbringing of the children.
Therefore, couples were formed when they were young and soon after they married.They moved in together to start a joint family project. As a general rule, marriage was unbreakable, there was no possibility of divorce and thus the couple always had to stay together. In case they did not achieve the ultimate goal of marriage, in the case of women, they could play the role of caregiver for their parents.
Other features of the classical family to highlight is the constitution of the couple that, added to the heretosexuality of this, that is to say, to the fact that it was a man and a woman who formed it, also had to be monogamous. Thus, there is an affective-sexual relationship based on an ideal of sexual exclusivity..
Likewise, the marriage had to have offspring. Children were had at an early age, usually shortly after their twentieth birthday. The number of children was usually between 4 and 5, forming relatively large families of 6 to 8 members.
Types of traditional family models
The traditional family can present small variations in the structure, thus receiving different names.
The model family, in the first place, is formed by a heterosexual couple and two children of their own; the typical family is formed by a heterosexual couple and the children of one of the members or adapted children if there is no possibility of having them; and the functional family, also known as extended family, is constituted by the heterosexual couple, their children and the parents, siblings and cousins of the couple.
Changes in society
In the current century, the 21st century, there have been a series of changes in lifestyle that have led to modifications in the traditional family model, which is no longer the only possible family form.
Western society has evolved and with it, so has the family.. The most notable changes that have occurred at the social level are the following: women no longer have the sole function of being caregivers, and can now work outside the home. They are thus more integrated into the world of work. In addition, the nuclear family, understood as consisting of father, mother and children, is no longer the dominant model; there is the possibility of divorce; and new family models have appeared.
Similarly, the process of globalization and increased communication between countries has increased the possibility of forming intercultural couples.
On the other hand, there has also has also brought about a change in the conception of female sexuality, which has allowed women to feel much freer.Women are now able to feel much freer, to enjoy it and not have the sole purpose of becoming pregnant. Women also develop a more "masculinized" role, if we understand masculine to mean the characteristics that society tends to associate with men: being more independent and with more decision-making power, and supporting the family.
As far as having offspring is concerned, this is no longer the only option, since there are contraceptive methods available.There are contraceptive methods that can prevent pregnancy if it is not desired. In the same way, other ways of having children have appeared, and Biological conception is no longer the only possibility, being able to adopt or use artificial fertilization techniques.
The concept and formation of the couple is no longer as strict as it was before.Now other types of relationships are possible, such as the union between two individuals of the same sex, monosexual couples, open relationships or polyamory, giving more relationship options and ceasing to be the only monogamous relationship.
Previously we have pointed out that the couple was formed by a married couple, this means that, normally, they had to be married. This tradition has also changed, since nowadays Catholic customs have lost strength, not seeing it as necessary to get married in order to form a family, live together or have children.
Finally, we also see it necessary to mention the change that has taken place in the rhythm of life. The formation of a new family, moving in together, getting married, having children? As a general rule, this is done later, when the person has finished his or her education and has achieved economic stability. Thus, to form a family is no longer the only objective in life.
New family models
As we have already mentioned, the evolution and variations in society have also produced variations in family models, other types of structures and relationships between members are emerging and becoming possible.. This new range of possibilities has given rise to different family models.
Single-parent family model
The need for the role of parent to be performed by a partner is no longer paramount, and it is possible for only one individual to act as a father or mother. This gives rise to what is known as the single-parent family. Therefore, the family would consist of a mother and a father, the family would be formed by a mother or a father and a child or several children who live together and cohabit..
In this way we can find families with only one parent who has divorced, who has become a widower, who has decided to remain single and adopt, to have children through artificial fertilization or who has become pregnant and wanted to continue but without the need of a partner.
Homosexual family model
The new, more open vision of couples and relationships that society has today has allowed families to be formed with homosexual couples; that is, the parents are two individuals of the same sex. In some countries there is the possibility for a gay couple to legalize their union and thus have the possibility of adopting a child. the possibility of adopting a child..
In order to become parents, homosexual couples can start an adoption process; use surrogacy or surrogate motherhood, a legal process in some countries, or in the case of a female couple, practice artificial insemination. In the same way, a homoparental family will also be understood as the one constituted by a gay couple and the children of one of them from a previous relationship.
Thus, at present we can observe multiple and very different family structures. The possibility of creating a family and having children is no longer exclusive to the traditional model of a heterosexual married couple, who share a house and have children together.who share a home and have children together.
Now we can consider as family homosexual couples and their children, single, divorced or widowed parents who play the role of caregiver alone, couples who live separately and have children in common... among many other options that have opened the vision, allowing the family structure, the way of understanding the family, to be adapted to what one wants or how each subject wants to live, and not being the one who must adjust to the predetermined family model.
(Updated at Apr 11 / 2024)