Progress and gaps: A systematic review of the family demographics and family subsystems represented in top family science journals 2008–2018

Abstract

Recent critiques suggest family science is operating on a narrow definition of family that privileges US/western-centric perspectives and White, heteronormative, and nuclear families. Understanding that self-assessment is key to scientific growth, this study systematically assessed the publication patterns of the top six family science journals across 10 years (2008–2018) along two dimensions: the socio-demographics (continent/country, ethnic-racial group, and LGBTQ) and family subsystems studied (couple, parent–child, coparental, sibling, kin, and overall family context). Of the 3932 coded studies, 85% included North American and Western European samples. Within U.S.-based studies, White samples made up more than half of all research. Less than 3% of all coded studies focused on LGBTQ families. Most research focused on the parent–child and couple subsystems and less than 5% focused on kin or siblings. We provide a critical discussion regarding the need for more representation in family science journals, and recommendations for research methods, publication, and reporting requirements.