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The Australian Bureau of Statistics states that, ‘Two or more persons who live in the same household and are related to each other by blood marriage or adoption’, are what is considered a family. Alternatively, Moria Eastman says the meaning of family is, “whatever the family means by family is what the family is. Everyone knows who their own family is.” In today’s society people are finding different ways of creating a family. Alternatives to marriage have become some what more diverse and acceptable to society than that of a century ago. An increase in homosexual relationships, de facto relationships, divorce and single parent families has changed the meaning of family in the eyes of today’s communities. It was not long ago that homosexual relationships were punishable by death, whilst divorcing your partner was unheard of. De facto relationships were never imagined, if a relationship was pursued marriage was the only answer. The increase in alternatives to marriage signifies how times have changed in contemporary family relationships. There have been an increasing number of arguments over whether gay and lesbian couples are able to have children. With many different opinions from people which believe that,