For decades, brands have built their strategies around a single, tidy idea of “the family unit” — a married heterosexual couple with kids. But that version of family is no longer the default. Only 18% of U.S. households fit that nuclear model today. The rest? They’re single parents, multigenerational homes, cohabiting partners, chosen families, and increasingly, polyamorous structures like throuples. If brands are still designing products, messaging, and insights around a family archetype that’s fading fast, who exactly are they speaking to?
In my upcoming podcast episode, I talk with Kam Berard — a relationship coach, parent, and member of a committed throuple — about what it means to form and live as a non-traditional family in a world still shaped by traditional expectations. Her story surfaces critical questions: How does stigma shape identity? What does parenting look like with three adults? And what should brands, researchers, and institutions be learning from how real families are living today? This isn’t just a conversation about lifestyle — it’s a lens into how culture is shifting, and how we need to rethink what “family” really means in the insights we build and the stories we tell.
