Independent Study Complete “what is a family sheet”

Objectives Understand the different family types that exist. Establish the key aspects of functionalism. Identify the work of Murdock

FAMILY IS… a group of persons united by ties of marriage, blood or adoption A house hold is “is a person living alone or a group of people living together who may or may not be related”

Types of family… Look back to Task 7 What different ‘types’ are there?

Family types PowerPoint… Enjoy!

Family Structures

1 st Generation 2nd Generation Nuclear Family Parent 1 Parent 2 Child(ren) 2 Generations

1 st Generation 2nd Generation Vertically Extended Family Grandparents Parents Child(ren) 3 Generations 3rd Generation

Horizontally Extended Family Parents Child(ren) Brothers (Uncles) Sisters (Aunts) 2 Generations 1 st Generation 2nd Generation

Modified Extended Family Grandparents Brothers (Uncles) Sisters (Aunts) Grandparents Parent 1 Parent 2 Child(ren)

Reconstituted (Step) Family Parent 1 Child(ren) 2 Generations Parent 3 Parent 4 Child(ren) Divorce, Death, Desertion Re-marriage…

Parent 2 1 st Generation 2nd Generation Single-Parent Family Parent Child(ren) 2 Generations Broken-Nuclear Family Parent 1 Child(ren) Divorce, Death, Desertion…

Murdock says… The family performs 4 major functions: 1.Stable satisfaction of the sex drive with the same partner, preventing the social disruption caused by sexual ‘free-for-all’. 2.Reproduction of the next generation, without which society would not be able to continue. 3.Socialisation of the young into society’s shared norms and values. 4.Meeting its members’ economic needs, such as shelter and food.

Quick question Is the “family” universal?

Can you… * Describe the role of the family ** Explain the types of family that exist *** Evaluate Murdock’s claim

Alternative 1 = Soviet Russia The Marxist government attempted to abolish family Planned to establish “children’s cities” away from “contamination” of adults Only civil war prevented the experiment and “conventional” family survived

Alternative 2 = Kibbutz Kibbutz were farm communities set up in Israel in the 1940s and 50s. In the early communes, children were raised collectively by all adults. Marriage was simple- a couple moved in together. Divorce was simple too- one person moved out. Nowadays, kibbutz are run as businesses, and most people live in “conventional” families.

Alternative 3 = Ik of Uganda The family does not feature heavily in the culture of the ik of Northern Uganda. In fact, as far ad the Ik are concerned, the family means very little. This is because the Ik face a daily struggle to service in the face of drought, famine and starvation. Anyone who cannot take care of him/herself is regarded as a useless burden by the Ik and a hazard to the survival of the others. Families mean dependants such as children who need to be fed and protected. So close to the verge of starvation, family, sentiment and love are regarded as luxuries that can mean death. Children are regarded as useless appendages, like old people, because they use up precious resources. So the old are abandoned to die. Sick and disabled children too are abandoned. The Ik attitude is that, as long you keep the breading group alive, you can always get more children. Ik mothers throw their children out of the village compound when they are 3 years old, to fend for themselves. I imagine children must be rather relieved to be thrown out, for in the process of being cared s/he is grudgingly carried about in a hide sling wherever the mother goes. Whenever the mother is in her field, she loosens the sling and lets the baby to the ground none too slowly, and laughs if it is hurt. Then she does about her business, leaving the child there, almost hoping that some predator will come along and carry it off. This sometimes happens. Such behaviour does not endear children to their parents or parents to their children. Adapted from Turnbull (1994)

Alternative 4 = The Nayar Before puberty all Nayar girls were ritually married to a suitbale Nayar man in the tali-rite. After the ritual marriage had taken place, however, the tali husband did not live with his wife, was under no obligation to have any contact with her whatsoever. The wife owed only one duty to her tali husband: she had to attend his funeral to mourn his death. Once a Nayar girl reached or neared puberty she began to take a number of visiting husbands or ‘sandbabham’ husbands. The Nayar man were usually professional warriors who spent long periods of time away from their villages acting as mercenaries. During their time in the village they were allowed to visit any number of Nayar women who had undergone the tali-rite and who were members if the same or lower caste as themselves. With the agreement of the women involved, the sandbanham husband arrived at the homes of one of his wives after supper, had sexual intercourse with her, and left before breakfast the next morning. During his stay he placed his weapons outside the building to show the other sandhanham husbands that he was there. If they arrived too late then they were free to sleep on the veranda, but could not stay the night with their wife. Men could have unlimited numbers of sandbanham wives, though women seem to have limited to no more than 12 visiting husbands

REVIEW Give one type of “family” What are the functions of the family? Who said the family was universal?

Exam Extension Critically evaluate Murdock’s view that the family is…“universal, functional and natural”