Family Systems and Functions

 Family is a group of people who are related by marriage, blood, or adoption and often live together and share economic resources  Nuclear Family consists of one or both parents and their children (immediate family)  Family of Orientation is the nuclear family into which a person is born or adopted  Family of Procreation is the family made up of an individual, their spouse, and their children  Extended family is two or more generations of a family (aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, etc.)

 Kinship is a network of people related by birth, marriage, or adoption.  Three main categories of kinship:  Primary-closest relatives (families of orientation and procreation) [mother, father, sister, brother, spouse, daughter, and son]  Secondary- the primary relatives of the primary relatives (extended family) [grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, nieces, and nephews  Tertiary-the primary relatives of an individual’s secondary relatives [great-grandparents/children, great- aunts/uncles, 2 nd and 3 rd cousins]

 Family organization exists in all societies  Family organization is determined by four questions:  How many marriage partners may a person have?  Who lives with whom?  How is family membership determined?  Who makes the decisions in the family?  Marriage refers to the set of norms that establishes and characterizes the relationship between married individuals

 Monogamy-the marriage of one man to one woman  Polygamy-the marriage of multiple partners  Most common form involves the marriage of one man to several women (polygyny)  Rare form involves the marriage of one woman to several men (polyandry)  Most societies are monogamous for several reasons  Economic strain (very expensive and most cannot afford it)  Social disruption (population) most population are roughly equal between men and women, if polygamy was widely practiced there would not be enough partners for most people to marry

 Residential Patterns- where will the married people live?  Patrilocality, matrilocality, bilocality, neolocality  Descent Patterns- how do people determine or trace kinship?  Patrilineal, matrilineal, bilateral  Authority Patterns- Who makes family decisions?  Patriarchal, matriarchal, egalitarian

 All families perform similar functions, even if how these functions are carried out varies from culture to culture.  Regulation of Sexual Activity  Incest taboo  Number of partners  Reproduction  Society provides norms for childbearing and child rearing, responsibilities of parents

 Socialization  A society’s survival depends on teaching its children the ways and values of the society; most children first learn about social norms and expectations from their family  Economic and Emotional Security  Labor can be divided by gender, age, ability  The division of tasks ensures all members are fed, clothed, and housed  Family also provides psychological development and support (loving and caring environment)

 Pg. 265 #1-7