While London’s career opportunities, buzzing nightlife, and multicultural mix once drew 20- and 30-somethings in their droves, the intense and expensive way of living is putting many people off – and at a younger age than in the past. How are other parts of the UK attracting Gen Yers away?

Starting a family may once have been as simple as getting married, buying a home, and having kids, but as life stages blur and gender roles become less relevant, the traditional rules are being rewritten. Canvas8 spoke to sociologist Philip N. Cohen to understand how the family unit is changing.

Replacing slogans such as ‘hard-working families’ and the ‘squeezed middle’, politicians in the UK have been talking about the ‘just about managing’ or JAMs since 2016. There are around six million JAM families in the UK, but who exactly is this vast and growing social group?

Many brands have been slow to reflect changing family dynamics, but IKEA has chosen a different path. Its ‘Where Life Happens’ campaign depicts single parenthood, adoption and divorced parents with children. While the ads might not be aspirational, they're depicting the real modern family.