ARTICLE:The American family has changed at a rapid pace, primarily because of the complexity of relationships of intimate partners (rise in divorces and multiple divorces, same sex partnerships, cohabiting but not marrying, rise of incarcerated parents, adoptive parents and more). The nuclear family, which was once the ideal or American norm is continually falling away to a more layered representation of family, evolving into something that, for lack of better words, is hard to put a finger on. However, researchers who have been studying census data have discovered some key trends for how families are and will continue to change. Some notable trends include; families are becoming more socially egalitarian, and family units see a range of identifications by religion, race, ethnicity and more, all within one family. Atheists marrying Catholics, single parents, interracial marriage or same sex marriage are increasingly diversifying what was comparatively a very rigid structure just 50 years ago. Other trends, mentioned in pervious articles, is the drop of birth rates and for those that do have kids, the rise of single parenthood, with birthrates half of what they were in the 1960s, and 41% of babies born out of wedlock. And that's just a taste.
A very in depth article, looking at the myriad of ways (education rates, high employment for women, births outside of marriage, same sex partnerships etc) that the modern family has evolved.
SITE: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/health/families.html?ref=science
