"The family is changing, not disappearing. We have to broaden our understanding of it, look for the new metaphors"

Mary Catherine Bateson invites us to reconsider how we view the concept of family in a rapidly evolving world. Traditional images of family, a nuclear household with a mother, father, and children, have become less universally representative. Yet, rather than suggesting that family ties are vanishing, she encourages us to acknowledge that they are simply taking new forms. Divorce, remarriage, blended families, same-sex parents, multigenerational homes, and close-knit friendships function as families, even when they do not fit the old archetypes.

Bateson’s observation counters the narrative of decline often associated with modern family life. Instead, she notes an ongoing transformation, where roles, connections, and responsibilities adapt to new social, economic, and cultural realities. The forces of globalization, longer life spans, and changing attitudes toward gender, work, and love have all played roles in reshaping the way families organize themselves. The ties that bind may involve chosen family: friends who become as significant as blood relatives, or caregivers who step in when conventional support systems falter.

To truly capture the lived experiences of people today, society needs richer metaphors than the outdated ideal of the nuclear family. Families can be seen as networks, webs, ecosystems, or even constellations, images that better reflect diversity, flexibility, and resilience. Broadening our understanding involves recognizing support structures that sustain people, irrespective of legal or biological definition.

Looking for “new metaphors” compels us to value a wide array of familial forms and to adapt policies, workplaces, and communities to accommodate such diversity. It challenges stereotypes that equate change with loss. Bateson’s words prompt an embrace of evolution, urging us to appreciate the variety, strength, and endurance that characterize family life, even as its contours shift with each generation.