A traditional family is one of the family structure that consists of a man, woman, and one or more of their biological or adopted children.
The man and woman are husband and wife. The traditional family is different than the nontraditional family and it is a blanketed term used to describe all other types of families that are not traditional.
If you have ever seen the television show Modern Family, you have been exposed to several different types of American family pictures.
Traditional and Modern American Family Values
Modern society breeds a contemporary viewpoint about the attributes of a family, but this was not always so.
As recently as the 1950s, commonly-used traditional American family values took a far different approach to matters of gender, equality and the family as a whole.
Despite the disadvantages of those mid-20th century ideals, many of them still have a viable place in contemporary belief systems. It will work best for your family, it might help to examine both the traditional and the contemporary models.
Traditional Values
They represent enduring familial themes and the comfort of conventional homes. The list below includes both common and uncommon values for the standard American family.
- Opposition to pre-marital sex
- Opposition to same-sex marriage
- Belief in traditional home-based roles for women
- Belief in Christian-based values
- Opposition to some elements of feminism
- Opposition to abortion while actively supporting abstinence education
- Belief in adoption as an alternative to abortion
- Belief in programs and public policies are shield children from exploitation
- Belief in father as head-of-household
Contemporary Values
Although progressive families practice conscientiousness in setting up a system of values to live by, they are largely free of some of the limitations present in traditional belief systems. There are some popular ideas for America’s modern families the following:
- Support for the universal living wage model to improve livelihood
- Belief in acceptance of non-traditional families that may include same-sex and polygamous long-term relationships, as well as single-parent families
- Belief in a woman’s right to abortion
- Belief in Planned Parenthood programs that offer contraception
- Belief in government-funded financial aid to families
- Support for sex education in public schools
- Belief in practicing and teaching tolerance, patience, and understanding for alternative lifestyles
- Belief in universal healthcare and family-friendly employment laws (maternity leave, personal leave, emergency family leave)
- Support for freedom of religion
