The Universal Nuclear Family defined as the family which is the same everywhere, typically the stereotype of mother, father, and children all living under one roof is a myth. Some ramifications in this myth include that a woman must marry a man and reproduce under one roof in one setting, the idea that this concept of family is everywhere, and that all cultures possess this.
             The idea of the universal nuclear family is so widely accepted due to the attention this type of family receives in the media, and the comfort society seeks in thinking that there is one type of family spread throughout the world. The truth of the matter is there is no such thing as the universal nuclear family. Who defines family? Who decides what a family is, the media? The media has so much influence over our opinions that when we see "Leave it to Beaver" or the "Mary Tyler Moore" show, we automatically think that this is what family is. Families vary in membership, organization, life cycles, kinship networks, economics, etc. throughout the world. Each culture has its own "definition" or maybe the idea of what the ideal family is supposed to be. Many cultures accept polygamy. Some cultures have "families" who do not live under the same roof. Families vary with the culture and society they are in.
             At one time in this country, people may have thought there to be an "ideal" family. The perception people got from the media and of other families drove them to think that since this society has an "ideal" family mold, every culture and society has the same mold. One single family cannot represent all the variations of families in the world. If people believe that there is such thing as a Universal Nuclear Family, then they are unaware of the different variations of a family in this society. People who live in a tribe or segregated culture might think that they have the Nuclear Family and the ideal family, due to their ignorance of other cultures. There may be...