Learning Objectives
Let's start this lesson with the below example of Simpson's Family.
Frank and Mary are husband and wife. They have two kids - one son and one daughter.
- David is the son and Kathy is the daughter.
- Frank is their father and Mary is their mother.
- David is Kathy's brother and Kathy is David's sister.
David is married to Sheryl and has one son named Andrew.
- David and Sheryl are husband and wife.
- David is Andrew's father.
- Sheryl is Andrew's mother.
Kathy is married to Eric and has one daughter named Polly.
- Kathy and Eric are husband and wife.
- Eric is Polly's father.
- Kathy is Polly's mother.
Andrew and Polly are cousins.
- Andrew is Polly's cousin brother.
- Polly is Andrew's cousin sister.
- Frank is the grandfather to Andrew and Polly.
- Mary is the grandmother to Andrew and Polly.
- David is Polly's uncle and Sheryl's is Polly aunt.
- Eric is Andrew's uncle and Kathy is Andrew's aunt.
Can you also create your family tree?
Here's a small activity for you. Take a plain sheet of paper and photos of your family members. Stick the photos like shown above and under the photo write your relation with that person. Do for all of the following: father, mother, brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother, uncle, aunt, cousins, etc.
A family is a group of two or more people united by bonds of marriage, blood, or adoption. A family constitutes a single household where its members interact with each other in their respective social roles of husband and wife, father and mother, brother and sister, thus creating a common culture.
A family is the simplest and most elementary group found in a society. It has a tremendous influence on the life of an individual, from birth until death. Families can look very different from each other, but all family members usually love and care for each other very much.
***On a post-it note, write one thing that you feel makes your own family special or different.
Sociologists consider family as the agency of primary socialization and they call 'family' as the first focal socialization agency. The values a human child learns during childhood are considered to be the most important ones during their development.
Based on the nature of relations
Conjugal family - A conjugal family includes two adult spouses and their unmarried minor children.
Consanguine family - A consanguine family extends beyond a conjugal family as it includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Based on birth
Family of orientation - The family in which an individual is born is his/her family of orientation.
Family of procreation - There family which an individual sets up after his/her marriage is his/her family of procreation.
Based on marriage
Monogamous family - This family consists of one husband and wife, including children.
Polygynous family - A family consisting of one husband and more than one wife, and all the children born to all the wives or adopted by each of them.
Polyandrous family - A family made up of one wife and more than one husband and the children, either born or adopted with each one of them.
Based on residence
Family of matrilocal residence - A family that stays in the house of wife.
Family of patrilocal residence - A family that stays in the house of the husband.
Family of changing residence - A family that stays in the husband's house for some time, and moves to wife's house, stay there for a period of time, and then moves back to husband's parents, or starts living in another place.
Based on ancestry or descent
Matrilineal family - When ancestry or descent is traced through the female line, or through the mother's side, the family is called a matrilinear family.
Patrilineal family - A family in which the authority is carried down the male line, and descent is traced through the male line or the father's side, is called patrilineal family.
Based on authority
Matriarchal family - In these families, a woman (usually mother) is the head of the family, and authority is vested in her. The matriarchal family is known as a mother-centered or mother-dominated family.
Patriarchal family - In these families, a man (usually father) is the head of the family, and authority is vested in him. The patriarchal family is known as a father-cenetred or father-dominated family.
Based on the size or structure
Nuclear family - A nuclear family is a small group consisting of a husband, a wife, and children, natural or adopted.
Extended family - An extended family consists of three generations, living together under the same roof, sharing the same kitchen, and economic expenses. The three generations include grandparents, married offspring, and grandchildren.
Joint family: A joint family is composed of sets of siblings, their spouses, and their dependent children.
Blended family: Blended families, also known as stepfamilies or reconstituted families, are becoming more common, especially in industrial societies like the United States. It is a family unit where one or both parents have children from a previous relationship, but they have combined to form a new family.
Family, as a social institution, ensures societies continue to exist. This happens through two things - by giving birth to offsprings, and by socializing with each other.
The family is the major unit for socializing children. No society is possible without adequate socialization of its young. From the time children are born, parents, siblings, and other relatives all help them socialize.
The family is also a major source of practical and emotional support for the family members. All basic needs (food, shelter, clothing, education) are met within a living and healthy family environment where the child has a secure attachment with their family members within a system that fosters emotional and social growth.
The family also provides its family members with identity. It passes along values and beliefs and instills a sense of right and wrong. This creates social and moral control on the family members.
