Study Reveals Australians Abandoning Traditional Definitions of Family

Traditional notions of a family—comprising a mother, a father, and two kids—are being redefined, according to a recent survey of nearly 6,000 Australians. The research reveals a society embracing an evolving concept of family, extending beyond the bounds of blood, marriage, adoption, or fostering, as the government still defines it, to include close friends. Notably, the study found that 67 percent of Australians now consider “unconditional, non-judgemental support” as a key defining feature of family. “Understandings of ‘family’ are shifting over time from a rigid institution guided by obligations, tradition and legal definitions to relationships that are defined by love, satisfaction, and individual choices,” the authors wrote....