Whose Family Values?

Idealized in mainstream culture, the traditional nuclearfamily, consisting of two married parents and their biologicalchildren, has historically been held as the ideal model for shapingthe collective values of the larger society. But with recent shiftsin family composition, toward a more diverse familial association,what can be said of the values families practice today? Does therise in divorce, co-habitation, same-sex unions, and out-of-wedlockchildbirth indicate a ?values crisis? has taken place in America?To fully consider how values apply to family life requires both abroad and narrow scope of examination ? one that views theindividual family as an inter-related feature of a much largersocio-cultural landscape. This scope must accommodate a diverseperspective of family life in order to appreciate the intricatelywoven ties that bind families together. Additionally, one mustaccount for the unique life challenges and stressors parents facefrom demands associated with work, family and school. Using bothquantitative and qualitative research methods, this study attemptsto better understand the topic of family values among a nationaland local sample of parents.