Jun 26

Written by: Cullen Bunn
6/26/2008 2:46 PM

The ubiquitous Cleaver family (of Leave it to Beaver fame) is becoming more and more of a minority in 21st-century America. And move over, Donna Reed: the American family is changing faster than ever. Americans now embrace a wider variety of family arrangements than ever before. Heterosexual marriage is no longer the only acceptable lifestyle choice, although the 2000 Census revealed that nearly 52% of Americans still pursue this option. Your own company likely reflects the changing face of the American family.

”Singletons”
Although Bridget Jones was British, 25% of Americans lived alone according to the 2000 Census. Individuals who live alone share many of the lifestyle continuity concerns that all families have, but because they do not have a spouse/domestic partner or children, they require far fewer relocation services.

Single parents
Whether they fly solo by choice, divorce, or partner death, single-parent households are on the rise. The 2000 Census revealed that women are more likely than men to head such families: 12.2 percent of single households were headed by women, as opposed to 4.2 percent headed by men. In such families, relocation-related concerns might center around childcare, custodial rights, or lack of support networks in new locations.

Same-sex couples
While most same-sex couples still lack access to marriage in most states, the visibility and acceptance of such families has increased dramatically over the past 20 years. More and more same-sex couples are able to pursue adoption or a variety of surrogacy or fertility options that provide them with opportunities to have their own children. When it comes to relocation, such families share many of the same needs and concerns as heterosexual families, but may also have questions about whether their relocating company offers services such as job search support for domestic partners. Or, as this family demonstrates, there may be larger concerns about community acceptance.

Multigenerational families
Nearly a decade ago, the 2000 Census showed a significant increase of multigenerational families in America: nearly four million such families. A PBS article notes that this was an increase of about 60% since 1990. Whether they have elderly parents/grandparents or very young grandchildren living in the household, multigenerational families need resources for their very diverse family members: elderly AND child care and activity services, health providers who accept multiple insurance types, and spouse career assistance. When taken together, a multigenerational family’s relocation need s may surpass many employer’s assumptions about appropriate benefit levels.

The Cleavers
In many neighborhoods, you’ll still find the “traditional” two-parent heterosexual household with several children. The biggest change since the Cleavers lived on the block, though, is that both parents often work. Or, if one parent stays home, it’s not necessarily Mom. More and more frequently these days, men are choosing to handle the housework while their wives go off to the workplace. Many employers still formulate relocation benefits around this family type, using the heterosexual two-parent family model as the guideline for assessing benefit needs and program options.

So what’s the upshot of all this? As family structures change, so do family needs. While all relocating families share many of the same concerns about starting over in a new location – meeting people, building a new life, trailing spouse career options – the ever-changing American family has developed new needs: a one-size-fits-all approach based on the Cleaver-family model no longer works.

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