5 Key Moments in the History of Families
How families have changed in the last 100 Years.
Families play a vital role in all of our lives. The last 100 years has seen the most advancement in our family units, how we create them, how we talk about them and how the law + society recognise their status.
New forms of families have become possible through technological developments, changing social attitudes, and more representative policies and legislations for families. Most significantly, we see changes for LGBT+ parents and those using assisted reproduction. Non-normative, non-traditional families were legally recognised during this time, allowing for more agency and equality in creating families.
Why are these changes important?
As young people we create our understanding of the world through our familial relationships. This can shape our early beliefs about relationships, love and what a family can be. Seeing + experiencing different family forms help us to become empathetic + inclusive individuals.
Families are regularly presented in a binary of either extremely happy (the ideal family) or extremely dysfunctional. The reality is that all families experience highs and lows and probably move around the scale. Recognising this is normality helps acceptance and understanding for all family members.
Families are often politicised - we can trace the evolving social attitudes of relationships and families through these changes - it reminds us that we should always be critical of the status quo and just because something is the legislation, it doesn’t mean it’s always correct.
For the first time, divorces could be granted for ‘irretrievable breakdown’ or no-fault divorces. Couples could separate after two years of separation and an agreement that the marriage had broken down.
Before this, spouses seeking divorce had to prove grounds on ‘The Five Facts’ (e.g. adultery or desertion), making divorce legally challenging and socially frowned upon. This resulted in families existing in unhappy formations due to legal and social obligations.
The next update to the Divorce Reform Act was the 2020- Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act; the previous process was replaced with one mechanism that states that both, or either one, of those in the partnership states the marriage has broken down.
1978 - First IVF test tube baby in the UK
The first assisted reproduction in the UK was a breakthrough moment opening up parenthood to those who experience biological barriers to reproduction.
Since this moment there have been [multiple updates and applications in human reproduction](https://www.fertilitybristol.com/ivf-history#:~:text=The first successful IVF birth,damaged or blocked Fallopian tubes.).
This act removed all legal distinctions between children born to married and unmarried parents, abolishing the status of ‘illegitimacy’ . This demonstrates a changing attitude and prioritisation of traditional, religious families and views on morality.
2002 - 2004 Advancement for same-sex couples
Adoption + Children Act allowed same-sex couples to adopt (2002), the Sexual Offences Act - fully decriminalised homosexuality (2003), **[Civil Partnership Act](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8609/#:~:text=The Civil Partnership Act 2004,any part of the UK.)** (2004) - Introduced institutions similar to marriage for same-sex couples.
These laws came in close succession and created significant opportunities for LGBTQIA+ people and families to be equal. This moment marks advancements but at the same time, we must recognise that it’s only recent history and many people still fight for social equality and acceptance
[2018 - The amendment to the Human Fertilisation + Embryology Act](https://www.mishcon.com/news/human-fertilisation-and-embryology-act-2008-remedial-order-2018#:~:text=The Human Fertilisation and Embryology,in favour of one person.) Permitted single parents to become sole legal parents of a child from surrogacy - recognising lone parents as a family unit and as a choice.
Prior to this, This was updated in two loving, supportive parents rather than a father and allowed same-sex couples to be joint legal parents of a child born through assisted reproduction 2008. The very first act prioritised the role of fathers (demonstrating the traditional view that families needed to have a female and male parent).
OR 2019 - Transgender man gives birth
Freddy McConnell gives birth to a child in a high-profile UK case in which he contested being given the legal status of the mother. Though this is not the first example of a transgender person giving birth, it is the first example of platforming the transgender pregnancy experience in mainstream culture. Freddy's experience is also detailed in a documentary shown at various film festivals around the world.
This piece was inspired by an exhibition by the Centre for Family Research - founded 1966 - which pioneered the study of new family forms