Family

By: Davina Sec 4

What is Family?
Can means relatives Can means relatives Can means relatives Can means relatives by blood/marriage

we live with who are closed to us who are related to us who are related to us

Two Basic Types Of Family

The nuclear family

an adult man, an adult woman and their dependent children

The extended family

a nuclear family, but added with other relatives
Divided into 2: Vertically extended family Horizontally extended family

Types of Marriage

Monogamy, Bigamy, Serial monogamy, Polygamy, Polygyny and Polyandry.

Life Course

An individuals life to all the changes they experienced Most peoples life course have 4 stage:
First age Second age Third age Fourth age

Functionalism

Functionalists point of view

Conventional nuclear family is the ideal family in modern society

According to Talcott Parsons, there are 2 important function of family:

The primary socialisation and The warm bath

The New Right

Changes beginning in the 1960s are:

Easier abortion and contraception More divorce and cohabitation The rise of lone parents More illegitimate births Women going out to work in greater numbers

The New Right want to return to the traditional family values like the conventional nuclear family

The Dark Side Of Family

Violence
Can be physical, sexual or emotional Victims women and children Men were allowed to beat their children and wives
The law of protection cant intervene

The Dark Side Of Family

Abuse of Children
Children did not report Believe that it is their own fault

Abuse of Men
Find it harder to tell others Fear of being laughed or not believed

The Dark Side Of Family

Feminist look at nuclear family -> dominated for men and is for men
Solution to this:
Change the socialisation (radical) dont live with men

Cohabitation

Two people living together without getting married Different types of cohabitation:
Trial marriage Virtually, same as marriage, but without ceremony Short-term relationships

Divorces

Why are there more divorce now?

It has become easier to get divorced Lots of marriages had been broken down and couples waiting for the opportunity to divorce Now divorce seen as acceptable Divorce has become much cheaper

Divorce

Effect of Divorce
For husbands and wives
How to divide their possessions Custody of children Rights for parent to see their child

For Children
Live in poverty Do less well at school Use drugs and smoke and drink a lot

Remarriage

Remarriage
Dissastification with their partner, so they remarriage Men remarry more than women

Reconstitued Family

A family after a remarriage

Usually called: stepfamily or blended family Is not a real family

Lone-parent Families

Reason of a lone-parent families:

Past: one of their partner died Now: separation or divorce Some wants to raise a child alone Many lone-parent families go to remarry

Lone-parent Families

Negative effects on children of having one parent:

Underachieving at school More likely to turn to deliquency and crime or drugs Unable to support themselves

Family Diversity
Rise in cohabitation, lone-parent families and same sex couples

Minority Ethnic Group

Afro-Carribean families
The women are the central of the family (matrifocal family)

Asian Families (extended family)

Usually marriages is contract between families e.g. arranged marriages

Husbands and Wives

The domestic division of labour

Mans role: go out work and provide the family Womans role: a housewife and mother, looking after home and family These has been called segregated conjugal roles
A very clear different expectations of men and women

Husbands and Wives

The Symmetrical Family

According to Young and Willmott,
The new divison of labour was based on joint conjugal roles/the symmetrical family
Both men and women work or do housework

Feminist and others pointed out that men is seen as only helping the women

New Man
Different from a househusband Men help the womens roles in the family

Grandparents and Children

Grandparents:
Need help from their children like:
Accomodation Personal care

Giving help to their children or grandchildren like:

Economic support Looking after children Emotional and Moral Support

Grandparents and Children

Childrens:
They are the main reason we have families Reasons why people in past and in less developed countries had more children:
Economic benefit Children would contribute to the family work Be able to support their parents at old age A high risk of a child dying, they have several children who survive

Future of Family

Fewer people will live in nuclear families More divorces and remarriages More lone-parent families Women are having fewer children More children are born to parents who are not married