“The extended family used to be the most common family unit.”[1] Typically, the extended family unit consists of three generations living together under one roof. This type of living arrangements encompasses parents, grandparents, children and often also aunts, uncles and cousins.
Historically, the extended family provided fostering, pension and economic functions. Children were expected to care for their parents when they were old. This kind of inter-generational contract provided security and stability.
The Nuclear Family
In the 1950’s, the nuclear family replaced the, by then dominating, extended family structure. The nuclear family consists of a mother, father and one or more children.[2] The change from extended families to nuclear families, “came about in the early 20th century, prompted in part by increased wages earned by the working class. This enabled more and more families to be economically independent, and thus to own their own home.”[3]
Modern Family Structures: Pluralism of Household and Living Arrangements
Pluralism
Today’s family structures have undergone the change from the typical nuclear family to modern household structures. This shift is often referred to as the “death of the family unit”.[4]
This phenomenon shows the diversification of household and living arrangements: The proportion of traditional family structure is declining while many other types of families continue to grow rapidly.[5] In general, there is a “shift toward nonfamily and childless households”[6]
Individualization of Lifestyles
The pluralization of living arrangements goes along with the individualization of lifestyles. Individualization means the change from heteronomy to self-determination. According to Ulrich Beck, a German sociologist, the process of Individualization encompasses the phenomenon that people give up historically prescribed social forms and relationships, which leads to a change in values. Our postmodern society allows people to choose their household and living arrangements according to their life style.
Family Structures
Traditional Family:
The traditional family consists of a married couple raising their biological children. This family type is seen as typical in most western countries. It is also promoted by the Christian religion. Marketers often develop advertisements for this kind of family, because it is seen as the basic family structure.
Blended family:
Blended family also referred to as stepfamily, describes “a family that includes children of a previous marriage of one spouse or both”[7].
Single-parent
“Single parent is a term that is mostly used to suggest that one parent has most of the day to day responsibilities in the raising of the child or children.”[8] The number of single parents in the US has steadily increased over the past decades. In 2007, “an estimated 13.7 million parents had custody of 21.8 million children under 21 years of age while the other parent lived somewhere else.”[9] That means that “more than one-quarter (26.3 percent) of all children under 21 years of age lived with one of their parents, while the other parent lived outside the household.”
Same-sex Relationship and Marriage
“A same-sex relationship is a relationship between two persons of the same sex”[10]. The recognition of same-sex marriages goes along with a debate about civil rights, political, social, moral, and religious issues. Today, ten countries legalized same-sex marriages nationwide among which are Canada, Spain and the Netherlands. In the US, individual states recognize same-sex marriages. However, the Defense of Marriage Act, passed in 1996, defines a marriage as “legal union between one man and one woman”[11], therefore not recognizing same-sex marriages on the federal level. “An estimated one-quarter of all same-sex households are raising children, according to U.S. Census data, providing one of the first portraits of gay American families.”[12]
The Sandwich Generation
The term Sandwich Generation labels middle-aged people “because they must attend to those above and below them in age”.[13] The number of traditional families is declining, but the function of taking care of parents has been preserved. Americans, on average, spend 17 years caring for children, and 18 years assisting aged parents. This represents some form of the traditional extended family.
Impact on Family Size
The fertility rate is defines as the number of births per year per 1,000 women of childbearing age. The rate has declined after the baby boomers in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The size of families is influenced by factors such as educational level, availability of birth control, and religion. Today, women more often want smaller families or chose not to have children. In Europe, declining birthrates are causing major problems because the population levels will shrink in the future. Therefore, many European states try to provide families with children with governmental support in the form of family allowances.
Marketer’s Application
The shift from the nuclear family toward nonfamily or childless households is seen in marketer’s choice of advertisement. While a lot of advertisement still portrays the nuclear family as the common family unit, other marketing campaigns are especially directed to meet the needs of non-typical family structures. One example is the targeting of same-sex households.[14]
Traditional Family Advertisement
1
Advertisement targeting same-sex couples
2
Moreover the living form has a major influence on total spending and consumer behavior. Single person-households, for example, spend more on alcohol than those who live in households of two or more people; on average $ 314 per year compared with $181.[15] Marketers observe these trends and develop commercials. Often, they target a specific household, form rather than using the stereotyped image of the nuclear family.
Moreover, the rising number of men and women or couples without children is becoming a target group. Especially, the so-called DINKS (double income, no kids) couples are an important group to target. They are better educated, on average, and have professional or managerial occupations. Thus, their buying potential is higher for goods and services such as travel, expensive clothing and luxury.
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