2.  A social institution that unites individuals into cooperative groups that oversee the bearing and raising of children  They are built upon KINSHIP- a social bond based on blood, marriage or adoption  This institution is universal among all societies

3.  A legally sanctioned relationship  Families typically form around a marriage  Cultural norms (and in some cases laws) identify people as desirable or unsuitable marriage partners  ENDOGAMY- Marriage between people of the same social category  MONOGAMY-Marriage in which a person is legally allowed to have only one wife or husband at a time  POLYGAMY- Marriage in which one person van be legally married to two or more members of the opposite sex at the same time

4.  Is continuously changing shape…  Historically, marriage was the appropriate context for procreation  Matrimony means the ‘condition of motherhood’  Census 2001 defined families as married or common law couples with or without children  New definitions accommodate same sex unions where childbearing will become less of a focus for the majority of couples  The concept of the ‘Nuclear Family’ is no longer the norm

5.  Extended family: Unit consisting of husband, wife, children, grandparents and other relatives  Blended Family: When one or both partners in a marriage have children from a previous marriage and combine them to form a new family

6.  Courtship  Romantic Love  Settling in: Ideal and Real Marriage  Child Rearing  The family in later life

7.  Functionalists  Major functions of the family ▪ Socializing the young ▪ Regulating sexual activity ▪ Transmitting social placement ▪ Providing material & emotional support  Conflict Theorists  The family perpetuates social inequality by transmitting divisions based on class, ethnicity, race and gender  Poverty and inheritance  Race and ethnicity  Patriarchy

8.  Individualism is on the rise  Romantic love often subsides  Women are now less dependent on men  Many of today’s marriages are stressful  Divorce is more socially acceptable  Divorce is legally easier to accomplish

9.  Divorce rates are likely to remain high  Family life will be highly variable  Men are likely to continue to play a limited role in child rearing  We will continue to feel the effects of economic changes on the family  The importance of new reproductive technologies will increase…