Family diversity: what are the new family models?

In recent years, the concept of family has changed and we know more and more different family models, such as those formed by people of the same sex or single people who decide to have a child.

Assisted reproduction techniques have contributed enormously to this family diversity, since without gamete donation or artificial insemination, for example, some of the new family models would not be able to become parents.

New family models

What is family diversity?

There are many definitions of the concept of family. Normally, we understand family as a group of people who are related and live together, i.e. parents and children living in the same house.

This is not always the case, since people who decide to become parents through adoption do not share a kinship relationship with the adopted children and, even so, adoption is one more way of forming a family.

In addition, it has been observed that in today's society the plurality of forms of coexistenceis becoming more and more common. In large part, this is thanks to advances in Spanish legislation such as the following:

• Possibility for unmarried women to have access to assisted reproduction techniques to become single mothers.
• Approval of the right to marry in 2005 for same-sex couples.
• Possibility of access for lesbian couples to assisted reproduction techniques such as the Reciprocal IVF method.
• Regulation of de facto unions.

Advances in legislation and new family models

New family models

Traditionally, the conventional family has been described as consisting of a father, a mother and their offspring.

However, in a modern society such as today's, there are many more family models such as the ones we are going to discuss below.

Being a single mother

The insertion of women in the labor market, the delay of motherhood and the increase in the number of divorces in Spain are some of the factors responsible for the increasing number of women who decide to become single mothers.

This is what is known as a single-parent family, which in this case would consist of a woman and her children.

Being a single mother

Women with a reproductive desire whose personal situation prevents them from becoming mothers because they do not have a current partner can go to an assisted reproduction clinic to start a family.

Normally, the fertility treatment indicated for single women is artificial insemination with donor sperm (AID), which is one of the simplest and most economical.

These women do not usually have fertility problems, so in principle, it is not necessary to apply complex techniques to achieve pregnancy.

However, it is also true that many of them make the decision to become mothers at an advanced age and, therefore, oocyte quality may be seriously affected. After the age of 35, this turning point occurs, and in vitro fertilization (IVF) may be necessary.

You can read more about this topic in the following article: How to be a single mother.

Being lesbian mothers

Homosexual couples of two women can also form a homoparental family thanks to assisted reproduction and sperm donation.

The reproductive options in this case are as follows:

• Donor artificial insemination
• IVF with donor sperm
• Reciprocal IVF Method

For the latter treatment, the law requires that both women be married or in a common-law relationship, since this is a procedure in which both women participate in the arrival of their child into the world.

Reciprocal IVF consists of Reception of Oocytes from the Couple, that is, one woman is the one who provides the eggs to be fertilized with the sperm of an anonymous donor and the other woman is the one who receives the embryos and carries out the gestation.

Two moms, one family

More detailed information on this subject can be found in the following article: Assisted reproduction in homosexual women.

Single or homosexual parents

Men can also be fathers without the presence of a woman in the family. We talk about both single men and gay couples.

Their only reproductive option to have biological children is surrogacy with egg donation.

This treatment, also commonly known as surrogate motherhood or surrogate motherhood, consists of a woman freely accepting to be the gestational carrier and giving birth to a baby that legally belongs to other parents.

Single parenting

Not all countries allow this procedure but there are countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Greece, or some states in the United States where it is permitted.

On the other hand, single-parent and male single-parent families can also become parents through adoption.

International adoption is a bit more complicated for these family models, as there are very few countries that accept single-parent adoption and same-parent adoption by men.

Others

There are also other family models that we have not addressed in-depth, since we have focused on the contribution of assisted reproduction techniques to the emergence of these new forms of family coexistence.

However, we will discuss other types of families below:

Nuclear family

this is the classic two-parent family consisting of two adults, a man and a woman, and their biological children.

Extended family

is one in which other relatives of the second, third or fourth degree are included. For example, the same house in which parents and children live, but also grandparents, aunts and uncles or cousins.

Family of separated parents

are families whose parents have divorced and the children have to live for a period of time with one parent and another period of time with the other, depending on the custody arrangement. Despite living separately, both parents must fulfill their parental obligations.

Reconstituted family

is about a new family formed by two divorced parents with their respective biological children, who would be step-siblings to each other. Also included in this family type would be the union of a single woman with her children and a widowed man with his children, for example.

Adoptive family

is one in which the parents adopt a child who is in a situation of adoptability for whatever reason. Adoption is a child protection measure regulated by law in which a kinship bond is formed between two people who have no biological relationship.

Host family

this is another child protection measure in which a couple or adult only decides to take in a child until he or she can return to his or her parents or find a permanent home.

FAQs from users

Does Law 14/2006 on Assisted Human Reproduction Techniques support family diversity?

According to Law 14/2006, of May 26, 2006, on assisted human reproduction techniques, it is established that any woman may undergo assisted reproduction techniques, regardless of whether she is married and regardless of her sexual orientation. In addition, the law indicates that in the case of marriage, written consent of the spouse is required.

Finally, in case of resorting to gamete donors, Law 14/2006 states that the medical team will be in charge of selecting the donor.
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What types of families can adopt in Spain?

In Spain, any type of family can adopt as long as they meet the legal requirements and obtain a certificate of suitability. Therefore, heterosexual couples, homosexual couples of women and men, single women and single men can adopt a child of Spanish nationality or residence.

How many family models are there?

Many of them. Throughout this article, we have discussed the most important ones, but it is possible that there are even more family models.

In summary, the traditional family is the one formed by a man, a woman, and the children they have in common. Nowadays, we find ourselves in a plural society that recognizes more family models such as the following: single-parent families, homoparental families, reconstituted families, adoptive families, etc.

Recommended readings

We have talked about surrogacy as a method to form a homoparental or single-parent family. If you want more information on this topic, do not miss the following post: What is surrogacy?

If you are looking for more information about assisted reproduction treatments, then you can click here: What is assisted reproduction?