1. IntroductionSignificant changes have occurred in the structures and composition of families over the last decade. It is clear that nowadays the number of marriages is decreasing, the number of divorces is increasing and single-child families are the order of the day. Furthermore, some couples don't even think about having children in the future or prefer to have a puppy rather than children. Therefore the population is aging and the birth rate has been much lower than before. In families, both women and men go to work instead of taking care of their children at home. All these phenomena have strongly influenced consumer behavior and consumer purchasing decisions in the market. If marketers are not aware of these changes in families, their businesses may fail. In light of this, this article will analyze how family structures and composition have changed and illustrate with examples how these changes have influenced family decision-making and therefore the market.2. Changes in family and household structures As mentioned, there have been significant changes in the structures and composition of families over the past decade, and this has had an impact on consumers' purchasing decisions and consumption patterns. This section will explore what these changes are. First, the population is aging due to generally longer life expectancy and lower birth rates (CZSO, n.d.). The percentage of elderly people is increasing, while married people are not entirely willing to have children. It has been reported that the number of traditional nuclear families has declined over the last decade (Taylor, 2013) and that voluntary childlessness is on the rise. Furthermore, more and more families prefer to have only one child. This may be because the economic burden of growing up ... middle of paper ... for example a child is more likely to use the power to annoy and influence related products, such as snacks, supermarket items and new computer. technologies. (Sohiffman & Kauk, 2010) In families traditionally, the dominant decision of the husband was to make a primary and important decision, such as purchasing a house, a car, and hardware. The dominant position is that of the wife to make decisions on purchasing clothing, children's clothing, groceries and basic living products. The autonomous decision is equally likely to be made by both, for example non-everyday goods, such as men's clothing or sports equipment. The syncretic decision is that couples could discuss and make a decision together, for example about travel, furniture and investment plan, otherwise. (Hoyer et al., 2010) In light of the fact that the number of these families is smaller than before, some products have smaller packaging or size per family, instead of producing average packaging for lower demand.