Dr Katherine Rake certainly made an impression with her first major speech as chief executive of the Family and Parenting Institute, forecasting the end of the 'typical' family as the role of parents changes dramatically in the next decade (see News, page 5).
There was predictable outrage from the right-wing press and the Conservative party, especially as Dr Rake warned against the 'trap' of trying to preserve traditional family structures through Government initiatives. The Tories are planning tax breaks for married couples to encourage the nuclear family set-up.
The picture painted by Dr Rake is of a fluid society, with the nature of what constitutes a family changing as work patterns, marital status, men's involvement and cultural backgrounds all evolve.
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