<P> In pre-modern Europe, these interests were reflected in the character of marriages . They were private, arranged contracts that could be easily dissolved in the event of child production being compromised by the woman's infertility or infidelity . With the entry of the Church into marriage arrangements, different definitions of marriage emerged . Lifelong marriages were demanded, but with a concern to regulate sexuality, particularly the sexuality of women . </P> <P> In the year 2015, Judeo - Christian belief system marriage is modeled after Adam and Eve's lifetime commitment between man and woman . The married couple produces children, constituting the nuclear family . Some sociologists now dispute the degree to which this idealized arrangement has and does reflect the true structure of families in American society . In her 1995 article The American Family and the Nostalgia Trap, sociologist Stephanie Coontz first posited that the American family has always been defined first and foremost by its economic needs . For instance, in colonial times families often relied on slaves or indentured servants to support themselves economically . The modern "breadwinner - homemaker model", argues Coontz, then has little historical basis . Only in the 1950s did the myth of the happy, nuclear family as the correct family structuration arise . </P> <P> "The modern family is increasingly complex and has changed profoundly, with greater acceptance for unmarried cohabitation, divorce, single - parent families, same - sex partnerships and complex extended family relations . Grandparents are also doing their bit ." </P> <P> To paraphrase the quote, family structure is changing drastically and there is a vast variety of different family structures . </P>

Sociology is not united around a single paradigm