What is a Family? PDF

What is a Family? How family life gets articulated is:  Political  Ideological  Cultural No Universal Definition  There is no one universal definition of family that fits the reality of all cultural groups and historical periods  Within any society at any one time, there are always...

What is a Family? How family life gets articulated is:  Political  Ideological  Cultural No Universal Definition  There is no one universal definition of family that fits the reality of all cultural groups and historical periods  Within any society at any one time, there are always several types of families These types of families are defined by their historical context, and shaped by the articulation of the economic, political and cultural forces and conflicts of their time “Differences in family functioning and well-being across family types tend to be small, whereas the difference within family types tend to be large.” (Allen, Fine and Demo, 2000) Family Diversity Definition… “Family is characterized by two or more persons related by birth, marriage, adoption or choice…Families are further defined by socio-emotional ties and enduring responsibilities, particularly in terms of one or more members’ dependence on others for support and nurturance…” (Allen, Fine & Demo, 2000) Different Family Types:  There are different types of families who use a multitude of ways to meet their needs:  Reproduction  Cohabitation  Economic cooperation  Nurturance, affection and protection  Meaning Differences Within and Between Families  Family diversity is also about characterizing the variability within and among families:  Families have many different needs, and different ways of meeting those needs  Within families, individuals and relationships have different levels of protection, privileges, and responsibilities Definitions of Family Traditional, Modern and Post-modern Definitions of Family:  Traditional – 18th and 19th Century  Modern – Early to mid 20th Century  Post-modern– Late 20th Century and beyond  Traditional Definition of Family: ▪ Families formed around marriage - a legally sanctioned heterosexual relationship, involving economic cooperation, as well as normative sexual activity and childbearing, that everyone was expected to endure ▪ Unites individuals into cooperative groups that oversee the bearing and raising of children Family Kinship Networks… These social unites are, in turn, built on kinship, a social bond, based on blood, marriage or adoption, that joins individuals into families Extended Family  Part of the traditional definition:  Family units consisted of parents, children, and other blood kin such as grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins  Often living in very close proximity Modern Definition of Family  The family unit is regarded as a social group of two or more people, related by blood, marriage or adoption, who usually live together  Introduction of the “Nuclear Family” and the separation of the “Family of Procreation” and “Family of Orientation” The Family of Orientation  Individuals are born into a family  The family you were born into and/or reared was understood to be your “Family of Orientation”  One or two parents and siblings  Very identifiable roles and social relations Family of Procreation  In adulthood, some individuals leave to create their own families  Bear and/or adopt children  Creation of a new and autonomous unit  Result of mating Nuclear Family  Another word for Family of Procreation is the Nuclear Family  (conjugal family) A family unit composed of two parents and their offspring, and no extended family. This style was the idealised image of the modern family Post-modern Definition of Family  In the late modern period family is viewed as a social institution and assumes that every society includes a diverse range of patterns, structures and arrangements  Although, the title of family remains, family is understood as a social system that includes marriage, as well as families that don’t fit the traditional definition Postmodern Families Include:  lone-parent families  co-habitation  same-sex couples  fictive kin  reconstituted families  unmarried parents Function vs. Form  Focussing on what families do than what they look like  The post-modern definition offers more freedom to create families that fit the changing needs of individuals over the life course  The family is defined by a set of social practices; reflects the experience of individuals and their intimate relationships Different Lenses… “... a recognition that family life can be considered through a variety of different lenses and from different perspectives. Thus, family practices may also be gendered practices, class practices, age practices, and so on. This point is made in order to stress that family life is never simply family life and it is always continuous with other areas of existence.” Morgan (1999) Subjective Meanings…  “A major change in the concept of family is that it has become to signify the subjective meaning of intimate connections rather than formal, objective blood or marriage ties. This subjective appreciations binds people together who live in separate household for part of the time, or all of the time, as well as people who have legal links, or people who simply choose to belong together as a family.” Silva and Smart (1999) Challenging the Monolithic View  Acknowledges that families are not monolithic. They change, evolve and get redefined throughout time  Marriage is not necessary for sexual relations; procreation; and child rearing Diversity, plurality and individuality distinguish post-modern families… Family Definitions Co-exist  The traditional, modern and post-modern family definition co-exist in present times…