BUT THE CONCEPT OF A FAMILY THAT CONSISTS OF JUST PARENTS AND CH...

1947, but the concept of a family that consists of just parents and children is much older. This basic

unit of a family’s structure has existed for millennia, but it wasn’t until the 1960s and 1970s that

the nuclear family became the majority situation. At that time, industrial economic booms and

rising wages made it possible for young parents to afford their own homes without living with

extended family members. At the same time, better healthcare contributed to the nuclear family, as

elderly members became more self-sufficient and independent for decades after their children

were grown.

Today, the era of the nuclear family is often glamorized, complete with mom in the kitchen,

dad out earning the paychecks, and the kids building a tree house or hosting a stuffed animal tea

party. In reality, there is no ideal type of family, and today’s definition of a nuclear family can

greatly differ from that it was a few decades ago.