Summary

Over the past thirty or so years, major social trends in marriage and work patterns have impacted on Australian family formation and structures. Families are very diverse and can take many shapes and forms, extending across a number of households. This book explores changing family trends and presents an overview of characteristics which define the Australian family in its many evolving guises. Lone parent families, step and blended families, grandparent families, and same-sex families are all examined in the light of major social shifts including the trend toward smaller families, both parents being in the workforce, divorce, later life partnering, the decline in marriage in favour of de facto relationships, women having children on their own, and access to reproductive technologies for gay and lesbian couples. Despite this diversity, 74% of couple families with dependent children are still the norm. What is the future of the family?