Families in the world are very different. They come in different shapes and sizes, it can be based on different kinds of relationship, but what all families have in common that it is made of people you love and care. Over past 20 or more years families in the world has changed the most than it has changed in all history. Of course changes in the families are different among cultures and religions. It seems that United States, Canada and Northern Europe families has changed the most, now Nuclear families are dominating there, when in Asia Extended families still takes a greater number. In the richest places in the world numbers of same sex marriages, cohabitations, divorces significantly increasing, when in most less developed countries these things are forbidden and relatives still arrange their children marriages, or even force their children to get married to someone they want to.
Everyone imagines family as mother, father, sisters, brothers, grandparents and etc. To us it is normal family picture. However, today more families are described as “alternative” families. The numbers of lone parents, homosexual partners, or foster parents are obviously increasing. It can be the cause of the changes in law. In today’s world people have more rights than they had about 50 years ago. Especially women won their equality, so they can raise their children on their own or get married to other women. Same sex marriage is something new in the world (it first became legal in Netherlands in 2001). However, it is believed that same sex relationship existed since the ancient times. We can find a lot of examples of it in ancient art and literature. But it is just a small part in the world where same sex marriage now is absolutely legal. In the other parts of the world homosexuality is legal, but unions are not recognised. Watching at the map, the countries tolerates homosexuality are just developed