Meanings of family among contemporary families

Abstract

Given the existence of different types of families, and with the aim of understanding the meaning that human beings give to the diverse expressions of family that currently exist, a qualitative narrative study using semi-structured interviews was carried out. Members of 3 different types of families participated: homoparental, families with children who are the result of artificial insemination and families that adopted their children. Five categories emerged from the interviews: the meaning of family, acceptance, parenting, social life and attitudes to the family environment. The study finds that human give meaning to their families based on their experiences without differentiating gender, functions or roles. They demand equal rights for the conformation of the different family types and models, demonstrating the need to broaden perspectives on meanings attributed to family.