Family Structures in The United Kingdom

The traditional family structure within the United Kingdom is quite small compared to other cultures. Furthermore, family structures in the UK often consist of two married parents and one or two children, and family structure is pretty comparable to the cultural norms upheld in the United States. English Family life used to consist of just immediate family living together, and extended family living elsewhere. Although in recent years there has been a shift in this cultural norm as the United Kingdom is seeing many different forms of family structures begin to form. An article mentions that divorce, remarriage, cohabitation of couples and births outside of marriage have become more common. Although family structures are beginning to look different in terms of structure, individuals still place a lot of importance on their families. 

In the past the male of each familial household was considered to be the breadwinner, but as family structures have evolved Cultural Atlas reports that there is now “almost universal support for women in the labor force.” With that being said, women are still the primary homemakers throughout the United Kingdom. This means that women in turn make less money and work less hours. The same article also outlines that even though immediate families are quite small in English culture, this is with the intent of avoiding financial burdens. “Government studies show that most problems facing British families relate to them being financially stretched.” 

When it comes to family planning, there is a trend that shows families are also waiting until later to have children. It is safe to assume that this is happening because many youngsters want to maintain an established career before starting a family. Even though it is very wise to be financially secure before starting a family, the UK is noticing that this is causing an increase in InvitroFeratalization, otherwise known as IVF, and higher rates of high risk pregnancies. 

ReviseSociology reported that the United Kingdom has certainly seen the impacts of globalization in its family structures. The first of which being that there are many couples that are choosing not to have children. This could be attributed to the recent shift in gender roles, and many couples retaliating towards women being expected to be homemakers and contribute to family economics. There has also been an increase in divorce amongst couples, which is related to risk and uncertainty associated with globalization. Additionally, there has been an increase in families that are stretched across borders as a result of migration. The Migration Observatory even reported that net migration contributed to 60% of the population growth in the United Kingdom from 1992 to 2022. In my personal opinion this is a pretty eye opening statistic considering the size and geographical location of the United Kingdom. What do you think? Did you expect the population growth from migration to be higher or lower? Make sure to comment your answer on this post!

As always, I’ll catch you next time!

Xoxo,

Lil