Toward More Accurate Measures of Family Structure: Accounting for Sibling Complexity

Abstract

In this article, we argue that accounting for sibling complexity is a necessary step toward more accurate assessments of family structure. First, we argue that current conceptualizations of family structure are rooted in (and reinforce) Eurocentric definitions of family, and we highlight contradictions between family theory and measurements of family structure. Second, we discuss the prevalence of diverse sibling compositions in families and show the informative value of accounting for sibling complexity. Third, we explore the barriers to accounting for sibling structure by evaluating the extent to which complex sibling compositions are captured in publicly available secondary datasets recently used to study families. Finally, we consider both theoretical and methodological implications of failing to account for sibling complexity in family research and offer recommendations for future data collection efforts. In recent decades, family structures in the United States and beyond have become increasingly diverse and complex (Cherlin, 2010; Raley &

Does sibling composition in childhood contribute to adult fertility behaviors?

“…Although the intergenerational transmission literature has considered nonmarital fertility (Högnäs & Carlson, 2012) and MPF (Lappegård & Thomson, 2018), most work in this area has adopted a linear conceptualization of the parent-adult child link that ignores the role of sibling composition. This is a concern given research on the importance of siblings (Sanner & Jensen, 2021) and work demonstrating the influence of social context, such as peers and neighborhoods, on fertility (Bute & Jensen, 2010;South & Crowder, 2010). The omission of siblings from sociological and demographic work on fertility behavior is problematic, perhaps more so as the field grapples with concepts like family complexity, which encompasses multiple sets of family characteristics and processes.…”

“…Having full‐, half‐, or step‐siblings are not necessarily mutually exclusive, nor do they each result from a distinct set of family experiences. The unique processes and dynamics in families with complex sibling ties—those in which half‐ or step‐siblings are present—may alter the context in which individuals have children themselves through, for example, resource dilution or socialization processes (Sanner & Jensen, 2021).…”

Summary and synthesis of research on what works in stepfamily childrearing

“…A fourth gap concerns the inattention to sibling complexity within stepfamily structures (Sanner & Jensen, 2021; Sanner et al, 2018). Sibling constellations in stepfamilies create considerable structural diversity that is often overlooked in stepfamily research.…”

“…Sibling constellations in stepfamilies create considerable structural diversity that is often overlooked in stepfamily research. Children may have any combination of full siblings, half‐siblings, or stepsiblings, acquired through maternal or paternal repartnering, with whom they may reside part time, full time, or not at all (Sanner & Jensen, 2021). Sibling complexity in stepfamilies is rich and vast, and given recent evidence that sibling structure may be more strongly associated with child outcomes than parents' marital status, greater attention to sibling complexity in stepfamilies is critical (Apel & Kaukinen, 2008; Halpern‐Meekin & Tach, 2008; Harcourt & Adler‐Baeder, 2015; Strow & Strow, 2008).…”

Childrearing in stepfamilies: Empirical answers about “what works”

“…Informed by a nuclear family ideology that encouraged researchers to compare stepfamilies with first‐marriage nuclear families as the standard, or ideal to achieve, most scholarship on stepfamilies has focused on how they differ from nuclear families rather than how they are resilient (Ganong & Coleman, 2018). For most of the past half century, stepfamily relationships and stepfamilies were seen as (a) incomplete institutions lacking social support and norms to guide behaviors, (b) deviant and dysfunctional family forms that harmed children and adults and were not beneficial to society, or (c) reconstituted nuclear families in attempts to re‐create as closely as possible first marriage family dynamics (Ganong & Coleman, 2017; Sanner & Jensen, 2021). It has not been until the past few years that normative–adaptive approaches (i.e., perspectives recognizing that although stepfamilies differ from first marriage nuclear families, they “can function well and be effective living environments for children and adults”; Ganong & Coleman, 2017, p. 36), have emerged as another perspective by which to examine stepfamily dynamics and relationships.…”