New research reveals the diversity of family life in Australia and the need for more inclusive policies to support them.
Nearly one-third of children in Australia are growing up in households that challenge conventional notions of family structures, according to a new report.
The Uniting Families Report published today is a collaboration between UNSW Sydney's Social Policy Research Centre and Uniting NSW.ACT. It seeks to examine the reality of family life in Australia, especially the families in which children and young people are being raised.
The report analyses the latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) and Census data to provide insights into the diversity of families in Australia and how their experiences differ according to their family type. It found while 69 per cent of Australian children live in couple-parent families, more than 30 per cent live in single-parent families, step and/or blended families, multigenerational, and foster and/or other kin families.
"This important research has uncovered a richness to the diversity of family types in Australia," says Dr Yuvisthi Naidoo, lead author of the report from the Social Policy Research Centre at UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture. "The findings highlight the need for more inclusive support systems that recognise the multifaceted needs of different family structures."
Most laws and practices assume that families are couple-parent families. All other family types are treated as anomalies - if they are recognised at all.
"The image of the nuclear family - mother, father and two children - permeates our cultural understanding of family life," says Tracey Burton, CEO of Uniting NSW.ACT. "This report responds to the need for a more nuanced view, challenging current conventions and celebrating the many different ways people create family when raising children."
