Family

Contents of the presentation

I. Family types and their description

a) Nuclear family

b) Conjugal family

c) Consanguineal family

d) Joint family/extended family

e) Matrilocal family and adoption

f) Dysfunctional family

g) A Hindu joint family

II. Gender roles

III. Co-habitation types

IV. Divorce -types

V. Generation gap within the families

VI. Conclusions

Message/introduction of the topic

Without family the society might be uncontrolled and disorganized as well. Family
impersonates affinity and the social trends. It is a kind of bond between people that cannot be
dissolute. The family unit became a symbol of security and a return to traditional gender
roles. It does not matter if the family members are live together or divorced, either in co-
habitation without any commitment, all of these types represent the meaning of a family and
human relationships.

I. Family types and their description

a) A nuclear family is a family group consisting of a father and mother and their
children, who share living quarters. This can be contrasted with an extended
family. Nuclear families can have any number of children.

b) A conjugal family includes only the husband, the wife, and unmarried children
who are not of age. The most common form of this family is regularly referred
to in sociology as a nuclear family

c) A consanguineal family consists of a parent and his or her children, and other
people. Although the concept of consanguinity originally referred to relations
by "blood", Cultural anthropologists[who?] have argued that one must understand
the idea of "blood" metaphorically and that many societies understand family
through other concepts rather than through genetic distance.
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d) The term "extended family" is also common, especially in the United States
and Europe. This term has two distinct meanings. First, it serves as a synonym
of "consanguinal family". The term extended family has several distinct
meanings. First, it is used synonymously with consanguineous family or joint
family. Second, in societies dominated by the conjugal family or nuclear
family, it is used to refer to kindred who does not belong to the conjugal
family. Often there could be many generations living under the same roof,
depending on the circumstances.People living together as an extended family
occasionally feel a greater security and belonging. This is an advantage of
extended type of family because this family contains more people to serve as
resources during crisis and provides more role models for behavior of values.
The disadvantage of living in an extended type of family is shouldering more
expenses for their basic needs.

e) A matrilocal family consists of a mother and her children. Generally, these

children are her biological offspring, although adoption of children is a
practice in nearly every society. This kind of family is common where women
have the resources to rear their children by themselves, or where men are more
mobile than women.

f) A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often

abuse on the part of individual members occur continually and regularly,
leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes
grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is
normal. Dysfunctional families are primarily a result of co-dependent adults,
and may also be affected by addictions, such as substance abuse (alcohol,
drugs, etc.). Other origins include untreated mental illness, and parents
emulating or over-correcting their own dysfunctional parents. In some cases, a
"child-like" parent will allow the dominant parent to abuse their children.
A common misperception of dysfunctional families is the mistaken belief that
the parents are on the verge of separation and divorce. While this is true in a
few cases, often the marriage bond is very strong as the parents' faults actually
complement each other. In short, they have nowhere else to go. However, this
does not necessarily mean the family's situation is stable. Any major stressor,
such as relocation, unemployment, illness, natural disaster, inflation, etc. can
cause existing conflicts affecting the children to become much worse. Until
recent decades, the concept of a dysfunctional family was not taken seriously
by professionals (therapists, social workers, teachers, counselors, clergy, etc.),
especially among the middle and upper classes. Any intervention would have
been seen as violating the sanctity of marriage and increasing the probability of
divorce (which was socially unacceptable at the time). Children were expected
to obey their parents (ultimately the father), and cope with the situation alone.

g) A Hindu Joint Family or Hindu undivided family (HUF) or a Joint Family

is an extended family arrangement prevalent among Hindus of the Indian
subcontinent, consisting of many generations living under the same roof. All
the male members are blood relatives and all the women are either mothers,
wives, unmarried daughters, or widowed relatives, all bound by the common
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 sapinda relationship. The joint family status being the result of birth,
possession of joint cord that knits the members of the family together is not
property but the relationship. The family is headed by a patriarch, usually the
oldest male, who makes decisions on economic and social matters on behalf of
the entire family. The patriarch's wife generally exerts control over the kitchen,
child rearing and minor religious practices. All money goes to the common
pool and all property is held jointly.
II. Gender roles

A gender role is a theoretical construct in the social

sciences and humanities that refers to a set of social and behavioral normsthat,
within a specific culture, are widely considered to be socially appropriate for
individuals of a specific gender.

There are two main genders: masculine(male), or feminine (female). Some

ancient tribes have more than five human genders. Some non-Western societies
have three human genders – man, woman and third gender. Gender roles refers
to the set of attitudes and behaviors socially expected from the members of a
particular gender identity. Gender roles are socially constructed which are
often politicised and manipulated, which then result in the oppression of
people.

In the modern West, this essential requirement has been changed to a

heterosexual desire, resulting in the Western concepts of 'homosexual' and
'heterosexual,' instead of the usual gender identities for males.
III. Co-habitation

Reasons for cohabitation: Today, cohabitation is a common pattern among

people in the Western world. People may live together for a number of reasons.
These may include wanting to test compatibility or to establish financial
security before marrying. It may also be because they are unable to legally
marry, due to reasons such as same-sex, some interracial or interreligious
marriages are not legal or permitted. Other reasons include living as a way for
polygamists or polyamorists to avoid breaking the law, or as a way to avoid the
higher income taxes paid by some two-income married couples (in the United
States), negative effects on pension payments (among older people), or
philosophical opposition to the institution of marriage (that is, seeing little
difference between the commitment to live together and the commitment to
marriage). Some individuals also may choose cohabitation because they see
their relationships as being private and personal matters, and not to be
controlled by political, religious or patriarchal institutions.

Some couples prefer cohabitation because it does not legally commit them for
an extended period, and because it is easier to establish and dissolve without
the legal costs often associated with a divorce. In some jurisdictions
cohabitation can be viewed legally as common-law marriages, either after the
duration of a specified period, or the birth of the couple's child, or if the couple

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 consider and behave accordingly as husband and wife. (This helps provide the
surviving partner a legal basis for inheriting the deceased's belongings in the
event of the death of their cohabiting partner.) In Saskatchewan, Canada, a
married person may cohabit with other married or single persons and become
the spouses of all of them under the Saskatchewan Family Property Act.
Consent of the "subsequent spouse" is not required. Although Canada has a
federal criminal code law prohibiting polygamy, which includes anyone who
authorizes more than one conjugal union at a time, Saskatchewan judicial
authorities that unilaterally authorize multiple conjugal unions have not yet
been charged under this federal law.

IV. Divorce types

Divorce (or the dissolution of marriage) is the final termination of a marital

union, cancelling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and
dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties. In most countries
divorce requires the sanction of a court or other authority in a legal process.
The legal process for divorce may also involve issues of spousal support, child
custody, child support, distribution of property and division of debt.

In most Western countries, a divorce does not declare a marriage null and void,
as in an annulment, but it does cancel the married status of the parties. Where
monogamy is law, this allows each former partner to marry another. Where
polygyny is legal, divorce allows the woman to marry another. Divorce laws
vary considerably around the world. Divorce is not permitted in some
countries, such as in Malta and in the Philippines, though an annulment is
permitted. From 1971 to 1996, four European countries legalised divorce:
Spain, Italy, Portugal and the Republic of Ireland.

In some Western jurisdictions, divorce does not require a party to claim fault of
their partner that leads to the breakdown of marriage. But even in jurisdictions
which have adopted the "no fault" principle in divorce proceedings, a court
may still take into account the behaviour of the parties when dividing property,
debts, evaluating custody, and support; facts which almost always have
considerable weight in fault proceedings.

In most jurisdictions, a divorce must be certified by a court of law to become

effective. The terms of the divorce are usually determined by the court, though
they may take into account prenuptial agreements or postnuptial agreements, or
simply ratify terms that the spouses may have agreed to privately. In the
absence of agreement, a contested divorce may be stressful to the spouses and
lead to expensive litigation. Less adversarial approaches to divorce settlements
have recently emerged, such as mediation and collaborative divorce, which
negotiate mutually acceptable resolution to conflicts. In some other countries,
when the spouses agree to divorce and to the terms of the divorce, it can be
certified by a non-judiciary administrative entity. The effect of a divorce is that
both parties are free to marry again.

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Though divorce laws vary between jurisdiction, there are two basic approaches
to divorce: fault based and no-fault based. However, even in some jurisdictions
that do not require a party to claim fault of their partner, a court may still take
into account the behaviour of the parties when dividing property, debts,
evaluating custody, and support.

A summary (or simple) divorce, available in some jurisdictions, is used when

spouses meet certain eligibility requirements, or can agree on key issues
beforehand.

Uncontested divorce when the two parties are able to come to an agreement
(either with or without lawyers/mediators/collaborative counsel) about the
property, children and support issues. When the parties can agree and present
the court with a fair and equitable agreement, approval of the divorce is almost
guaranteed. If the two parties cannot come to an agreement, they may ask the
court to decide how to split property and deal with the custody of their
children.

Collaborative divorce is a method for divorcing couples to come to agreement

on divorce issues. In a collaborative divorce, the parties negotiate an agreed
resolution with the assistance of attorneys who are trained in the collaborative
divorce process and in mediation, and often with the assistance of a neutral
financial specialist and/or divorce coach(es). The parties are empowered to
make their own decisions based on their own needs and interests, but with
complete information and full professional support.

Electronic divorce is a means that allows two persons married under certain
jurisdictions, such as Portugal, to file an electronic request for no-fault
collaborative divorce in a non judiciary administrative entity. Specific cases,
with no children, real property, alimony, or common address, can be decreed as
summary within one hour.

Divorce mediation is an alternative to traditional divorce litigation. In a

divorce mediation session, a mediator facilitates the discussion between the
two parties by assisting with communication and providing information and
suggestions to help resolve differences. At the end of the mediation process,
the separating parties have typically developed a tailored divorce agreement
that can be submitted to the court. Mediation sessions can include either party's
attorneys or a neutral attorney or an attorney-mediator who can inform both
parties of their legal rights, but does not provide advice to either, or can be
conducted with the assistance of a facilitative or transformative mediator
without attorneys present at all. Divorce mediators may be attorneys who have
experience in divorce cases or they may be professional mediators who are not
attorneys, but who have training specifically in the area of family court matters.
Divorce mediation can be significantly less costly, both financially and
emotionally, than litigation. The adherence rate to mediated agreements is
much higher than that of adherence to court orders.

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 The main causes of divorce in 2004 were:

• Extra-marital affairs - 27%

• Emotional/physical abuse - 17%
• Mid-life crisis - 13%
• Addictions, e.g. alcoholism and gambling - 6%
• Workaholism - 6%

V. Generation gap within families

The generational gap is and was a term popularized in Western countries

during the 1960s referring to differences between people of a younger
generation and their elders, especially between a child and their parent's
generation.

Although some generational differences have existed throughout history,

because of more rapid cultural change during the modern era differences
between the two generations increased in comparison to previous times,
particularly with respect to such matters as musical tastes, fashion, culture and
politics.

VI. Conclusions

Without family the society might be uncontrolled and disorganized as well.

Family impersonates affinity and the social trends. It is a kind of bond between
people that cannot be dissolute. The family unit became a symbol of security
and a return to traditional gender roles. It does not matter if the family
members are live together or divorced, either in co-habitation without any
commitment, all of these types represent the meaning of a family and human
relationships.