<P> The traditional family structure in the United States is considered a family support system involving two married individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring . However, this two - parent, nuclear family has become less prevalent, and alternative family forms have become more common . The family is created at birth and establishes ties across generations . Those generations, the extended family of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins, can hold significant emotional and economic roles for the nuclear family . </P> <P> Over time, the traditional structure has had to adapt to very influential changes, including divorce and the introduction of single - parent families, teenage pregnancy and unwed mothers, and same - sex marriage, and increased interest in adoption . Social movements such as the feminist movement and the stay - at - home father have contributed to the creation of alternative family forms, generating new versions of the American family . </P>

What type of family is formed by the marriage of two individuals and their offspring