Absolute Nuclear (Light Yellow)
Definition: A family structure consisting only of parents and their children, with no extended relatives living together. Once children marry, they form their own independent households.
Regions: Predominantly in the UK, Ireland, and parts of Scandinavia. This reflects a cultural emphasis on individualism and early independence.
Egalitarian Nuclear (Orange)
Definition: Similar to the absolute nuclear family, but with more equality in inheritance and gender roles between spouses. Children still leave to form independent households, but there’s less rigid hierarchy within the family.
Regions: Found in Spain, Portugal, southern France, and parts of Italy. This structure aligns with Mediterranean cultural norms of balanced familial roles.
Stem Family (Light Blue)
Definition: A family where one child (usually the eldest son) remains in the parental home with their spouse and children, while other siblings leave to form their own households. The stem family ensures the continuity of the family estate.
Regions: Common in central Europe, including Germany, Austria, and parts of France. This reflects a tradition of preserving family property through one heir.
Incomplete Stem Family (Gray)
Definition: A variation of the stem family where the designated heir might not always stay with the parents, or the system is less rigid. Extended family involvement is limited compared to a full stem family.
Regions: Seen in parts of central and eastern Europe, like Poland and Hungary. This indicates a transitional family structure between stem and nuclear models.
Communitarian (Dark Blue)
Definition: A family structure where multiple generations live together, often with brothers and their families sharing a household. Inheritance is typically divided equally among siblings, and communal living is emphasized.
Regions: Predominantly in southern Italy, parts of the Balkans, and eastern Europe, including Finland. This reflects a collectivist culture prioritizing extended family unity.
Thanks, this is actually very clarifying! In short:
Your link leads to a NYT article.
The NYT articles references a scholarly article from 2007.
The scholarly article is paywalled for me BUT was also published and is still available as a discussion paper at London School of Economics. This is where this map is from. See: https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/33152/1/sercdp0009.pdf
However, the discussion paper and its map are, in turn, based on a book and map by Todd (1990). Todd’s original map is actually intended to show medieval family structures. But it is based on census data from the 1950’s and 60’s, which has been cross-checked against “a very large number of historical monographs” to better reflect medieval conditions.
So the colour codes of the map are not at all intended to show current conditions! (But, interestingly, the 2007 article claims that the old medieval patterns correlate with many other, modern regional differences). This would explain all the confusion! Thanks again for the link, wishing you a nice day!