"Family"

[davi_el_mejor]

I just read a very interesting article on how the views on what a family is from 2003 to 2010 have changed,

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100915...uX2hlYWRsaW5lX2xpc3QEc2xrA3dob3NhZmFtaWx5bg--

It made me smile and cringe. I don't understand how it can be 2010 and 1910 at the same time

 

[Imdanny]

"But there's a solid core resisting this trend who are more willing to include pets in their definition than same-sex partners."

My family is what it is regardless of what anyone thinks of it.

 

[Jennifer W]

I just showed this to my office mate. Two very odd things about this, as far as we could see. Firstly, her cat is part of her family, but her same sex partner with whom she shares a mortgage and two children isn't (interesting) and secondly, one person in each family has to be the 'householder' apparently.

What on earth does that mean? What's a householder in a family with two equal adults? Is it the male adult, by default? Oldest adult? Highest earning adult? Strongest willed adult? Adult who deals with correspondence about the household? What does a householder do or gain from the title? Why do we need one? What have I been missing out on all these years?! How utterly ridiculous. It isn't 1910 Davi, it's about 1800!

I would be interested to see this study replicated in other countries.

Jen

Edited for spelling!

 

[Jennifer W]

"But there's a solid core resisting this trend who are more willing to include pets in their definition than same-sex partners."

My family is what it is regardless of what anyone thinks of it.

EXACTLY! Why do we need organisations to take it upon themselves to define whether or not other peoples' families are worthy of the title? Curtain-twitching, nose-poking busybodies brought to you by the Department of Spare Time...

 

[davi_el_mejor]

I just showed this to my office mate. Two very odd things about this, as far as we could see. Firstly, her cat is part of her family, but her same sex partner with whom she shares a mortgage and two children isn't (interesting) and secondly, one person in each family has to be the 'householder' apparently.

What on earth does that mean? What's a householder in a family with two equal adults? Is it the male adult, by default? Oldest adult? Highest earning adult? Strongest willed adult? Adult who deals with correspondence about the household? What does a householder do or gain from the title? Why do we need one? What have I been missing out on all these years?! How utterly ridiculous. It isn't 1910 Davi, it's about 1800!

I would be interested to see this study replicated in other countries.

Jen

Edited for spelling!

Agreed Ms. Jen! The crazy cat lady down the street has a better chance of being considered a family than most of my friends in long term relationships.

I wonder how this poll would fare in other countries.

 

[Jennifer W]

I wonder how it would go in the UK. I wonder if belief as to what constitutes a family would be different where same sex marriage or legal union is recognised or if there will still be the same hard core of people who see it this way regardless of the legal position.

What I don't get is that since it's unlikley you'll be required to form a same-sex family against your will, why would you care?

I'm still irritated by the requirement for a 'householder' though.

 

[JewelFreak]

The use of a "householder" tells you right off that this isn't a very well constructed poll; as everyone said, what's a householder these days? Polls & numerical "studies" are not generally reliable. The answers you get depend SO much on how the question is phrased. Results of those as well as statistical surveys completely depend on how the numbers are massaged, as well as the size & makeup of the sample. A ton of them are done simply because there's a grant available for that particular subject & not because they tell us anything of value. I take all of them with a gigantic grain of salt.

--- Laurie

 

[Tuckins1]

Interesting... I have close friends whom I consider "family". I know that by "law" they aren't, but in my heart they are.

ETA- "Householder"?!? Both DH and I have say over what goes on in the house, how money is spent, etc... We are EQUAL. The notion that ONE person is in charge of the house is offensive and ridiculous!

 

[Jennifer W]

JewelFreak, the researchers conducting the study didn't use the word householder. I think this looks like a fairly sound piece of research in terms of methodology, although I absolutely take your point about phrasing questions in social science research.

The term householder came from the article reporting the research in the link and was used by the Census Bureau.

My initial reaction to the article was really, who cares how people define other peoples' families, but I realise that it matters in the context of benefits, housing policy, pension rights and childcare legislation. I forget sometimes how hostile parts of the world are to same sex couples. It isn't legal to discriminate on the grounds of sexuality in many countries, and that includes matters such as adoption, fostering, benefits, marriage, cohabitation, inheritance and tax law. From my perspective as a straight person living in such a country, it would be easy to dismiss the issue, but if I was a gay person living without these legal protections, I can see that perceptions and definitions of family could be crucial if they excluded my own living situation and affected my life so fundamentally.

This is making me thing of the thread about whether you can ignore something annoying on the internet? Usually I can ignore it completely, but this is irritating me more than usual.

edited for grammar

 

[dragonfly411]

"But there's a solid core resisting this trend who are more willing to include pets in their definition than same-sex partners."

My family is what it is regardless of what anyone thinks of it.

This.