Ask a Teacher

Search



what is a family structure?
Family structure refers to the combination of relatives that comprise a family. Classification on this variable considers the presence or absence of: legally married spouses or common law partners; children; and, in the case of economic families, other relatives.
There is no single right way to be a family and no two families are exactly alike. There are things about your family that you may like and things that you may dislike. This is normal. No one is ever 100% satisfied with their family.

Families come in different shapes, sizes and colours. There are:

  • Two parent families (i.e. a mom and a dad)
  • One parent families (you may or may not see the other parent)
  • Foster families
  • Adoptive families
  • Step families (you may have one or more step-parents with or without step brothers or step sisters)
  • Families headed by same sex partners (i.e. two moms or two dads)
  • Families headed by extended family members (i.e. grandparents, aunts or uncles)
  • Mixed race families
  • Immigrant families
  • Families in which members speak more than one language or belong to more than one cultural or religious group


comments powered by Disqus