FAMILY
BASIC CONCEPTS
1. Family – a group of people united by ties of marriage, ancestry, or adoption and
recognized by the community as constituting a single household responsible for
rearing children.
- A social institution found in all societies that unites people in cooperative
groups to care for one another, including any children.
2. Kinship – a social bond based on common ancestry, marriage, or adoption.
3. Marriage – a legal relationship, usually involving economic cooperation, sexual
activity, and childbearing.
4. Descent – a system by which members of a society trace kinship over
generations.
Characteristics of family
1. As a social group, it is a universal and significant element in
social life.
• The family exists because no other social unit can fulfil its
function in and for society.
2. The first agent of socialization
3. Contact and relationship are repetitive and continuous.
4. A very close and intimate group.
5. The source of the individual's ideals, aspirations, and basic
motivation in life.
Functions of family
1. Sexual regulation - the family regulates the sexual behavior of the people in the society; thus,
sexual intercourse is sanctioned by society through marriage.
2. Biological reproduction
• Family, as an institution, should reproduce new members for society to survive.
3. Organizing consumption and production – the family should provide their children’s basic needs.
4. Socializing children – aside from producing children, families also ensure their children know
their
social function.
5. Providing emotional intimacy and support – giving individuals a sense of security, belongingness,
and
personal worth.
6. Providing a mechanism for social control – the family should continually pressure its members to
Classification of the Family
According to Organization, Structure and Membership
[Link] family – also called a conjugal family
- composed of the parents and the children
[Link] family – also called a consanguine
family
- a family consisting of parents and children, as
well as other kin
According to the place of residence
a. Patrilocal family /patrilocality (Greek for “place of the father”) – a residential
pattern in which a married couple lives with or near the husband’s family.
b. Matrilocal family/matrilocality (Greek for “place of the mother”) - a
residential pattern in which a married couple lives with or near the wife’s
family.
c. Bilocal – the married couple can select where to reside, whether with the
bride’s or the groom’s parents.
d. Neolocal /neoloccality (from Greek, meaning “new place”) – a residential
pattern where the married couple lives apart from both parents.
e. Avanlocal – the newlywed couple is allowed to live near the maternal uncle.
According to Terms of Marriage (marriage pattern)
a. Endogamy is a marriage between people of the same social categories
b. Exogamy – marriage between people of different social categories.
c. Monogamy (from the Greek, meaning “one union”) – marriage that unites two
partners.
d. Polygamy (from Greek, meaning “many union”) – marriage that unites a person
with two or more spouses.
• Polygyny (from Greek, meaning “many women”) – marriage that unites
one man with two or more women.
• Polyandry (from Greek) means “many men” or “many v with two or more
men.
• Group marriage – a marriage of several men and women at a time.
Polygyny Polyandry
According to Authority
[Link] family is one in which authority is vested in the
father, grandfather, or the oldest male member.
[Link] family – one in which the authority is vested in
the mother.
[Link] family – husband and wife exercise an equal
amount of authority.
d. Matricentric family – in the absence of the father, the
mother is the dominant in position and authority.
According to Descent
1. Patrilineal descent – (the more common pattern) – a
system tracing kinship through men.
- Children are related to others only through their father.
2. Matrilineal descent – (less common pattern) – a
system tracing kinship through women.
- In which mothers pass properties to their daughters.