Non-Traditional Families Are The New Normal

Despite the strenuous efforts of the far right in the GOP and the Christofascists to return America to the 1950's - a time that may have been the "good old days" for some in society but an ugly time for many others - a new study shows that the "traditional family" of a mother, father and children locked in a nuclear family no matter how dysfunctional that so worshiped by these folks is no longer the norm.  Indeed, the non-traditional has become the norm for the majority of families.  Whether this is a good thing or not lies in the eye of the beholder, but either way, society and social programs needs to recognize and adjust to the new reality.  Here are some highlights from Slate:

A new study by the Pew Research Center shows that the majority of American kids under 18 are not being raised in a “traditional” family, defined as two parents in their first marriage. Only 46 percent of kids have the Leave It To Beaver lifestyle; the rest are being raised by single parents, cohabitating parents, stepparents, or even grandparents. That's down from 73 percent in 1960.

Defining the nuclear family as “traditional” is somewhat misleading, as report author Gretchen Livingston told Jessica Goldstein of ThinkProgress. “In a lot of ways the 1950s and 1960s were an anomaly in family structure; the birth rate was uncommonly high, people married young,” she explained. “So even though people think of that as the traditional image of the family … it was actually [an] anomaly.”

The takeaway is that the image of a “traditional” family is a figment. Family life is always changing in response to economic and social change. 

These are the sorts of numbers that tend to get conservative hands a-wringing over the supposed problem of “out-of-wedlock” births, which have been rising alongside the number of kids being raised outside of nuclear families. As the report notes, “the share of children born outside of marriage now stands at 41%, up from just 5% in 1960.” But if you dig into the numbers a little, it becomes clear that the supposed scourge of bastardy isn't the primary reason for this shift. Only 34 percent of kids are being raised by single parents, many of whom were once married but are now divorced.

Not that these realities will quell conservative lectures about the near-magical properties of giving birth with a wedding ring on your finger. Younger women who give birth while single tend to be less powerful and less Republican than divorced people are, making them an easier scapegoat. But for the rest of us, this research is a bit of cheer before the holiday. If your family has a second Christmas at Dad's house, or you’re fretting about the etiquette of stepparent gifts, or you live in a family where “Santa” is not mom but grandma, don't despair. You're not weird, as it turns out. In fact, you're the new normal.

 Yes, the far right will rant and rave that society is going to Hell.  What's really gone to Hell is the ability of white Christians - especially fundamentalists and evangelicals - to dictate to others what is "acceptable."   But don't expect their whining to end any time soon.  There's way too much money to be made by the professional Christian class by making money begs to help them battles the evils of society.