Today, people marry less, divorce more and have children later. Of course, the so-called "traditional" family model persists, but recent trends are asserting themselves. This is a challenge for brands that must adapt their communication strategies to address these new and versatile targets!
Who are today's families?
- Traditional families: forming a couple no longer means getting married. Marriages are perceived as fragile while common-law unions have developed (51%) (1) and are better accepted in society. More and more couples are opting for the Pacs (192,000 in 2016) (2) thanks to the ease and flexibility of the procedure. Births outside of marriage have also become the norm and occur most often within stable couples.
- Recomposed families There are 720,000 of them in France. Divorce has led to the emergence of this new type of household, consisting of a couple with one or more children from previous unions. The majority of children of separated parents live with their mother. Recomposed families are thus more often large families with an average of 3 children.
- Single-parent families: Still on the rise, single parenthood now concerns 2 million families. 85% are made up of a mother and her children (3). The separation of the parents is at the origin of ¾ of the single-parent families. Chosen or not, this way of life leads to difficulties of precariousness in daily life. Alternating custody has become the preferred solution and has doubled in ten years. This type of care allows for a better sharing of responsibilities and parental time. It is also sometimes synonymous with an additional mental burden, especially for women.
- Homoparental families: A same-sex family is when a child lives with two same-sex parents. Although the law allows for adoption and marriage, these are not an established trend.
Des changements aussi au sein des familles
The balance of power within couples is no longer the same as it was in the past. Women's mental workload is increasingly recognized and fathers, who initially embodied the role of head of the family, are now more willing to help with domestic tasks and are more involved in the education of their children. Gone are the days when mom decided on the groceries and dad handled the finances: behavioral and decision-making dynamics have changed! Also, grandparents are emancipating themselves from their traditional role of caretaker to financially support children and grandchildren.
Talking to all generations
The representations of the family are numerous and tend to become more diversified. In this societal configuration, brands must review their targeting and include these new families in their advertising. Intergenerational messages are imperative to respond to emerging issues. The goal? That everyone feels concerned!
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(1) Libération, 2019 / (2) Ouest-France, 2018 / (3) UNAF, 2017
