The Traditional Family : What Is A Family?

This essay will discuss the various family structures in society. It will give theoretical explanation as to why and how families have changed. The essay will also bring statistical, historical and political evidence to back up the reason for these changes.

The purpose of this essay will be to look at what is meant by the term ‘family’ and to look at the differences of the term, when we study the family cross culturally. There are many different family forms which I will explore whilst writing this essay, along with the increasing family forms, and how they have changed over time. I will also be studying the cultural aspects of family both in Western and Non Western societies explaining how they differ to western families. ‘Kinship’ is said to be the foundation of the family according to anthropologists, so I will be looking at ‘kinship’ in more detail throughout my essay by looking at different cultures of families and the different kinship systems that they have. I will now examine the meaning of the term ‘family’, before moving onto the different family formations and different cultural meanings of ‘family.’

This article shows the many different ways in which the makeup of Family has changed in the 20th century as an Institution. It shows many ways in which Nellie McClung has fought for every definition of family to be accepted. The definition of family is a group of persons who form a household. This definition has changed greatly over time, it used to be more specifically anyone who was biologically related to you. This article goes over the main points of social change that have occurred in this primary social Institution. These changes include social customs concerning dating, divorce, family, marriage, women's rights. It also looks at people’s social life and customs that are now considered “normal”, as well as children and family. It also looks at the global impact that occurs from each of these points that have changed the way we view this primary institution and the way that we define family. The author concludes that during the 20th

Stephanie Coontz in “The Way We Weren’t: The Myth and Reality of the Traditional Family” emphasizes that the traditional and ideal nuclear family widespread in media and textbooks are false and far from reality. In fact, it is common to see more similarities to the traditional family consistent of “male breadwinner and nurturing mother” (1) today than in the past.

There is an increase in the numbers of different family types, be them lone parent families, stepfamilies, cohabiting couples, same sex couples, or children living at home for a longer period. The broad structure of family have complicated relations in some cases, where for example, ex-step-siblings may still be considered as family, which leaves a complex family dynamic. Although the traditional family structure of a nuclear family still remains as the most common family organisation, ‘variation has become a normal part of normal family life for many people in modern Britain’ (SIRC, online: pg.8).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a family is "a group of two or more people who reside together and who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption.” (Eutk). In the beginning, family was considered to be all of the individuals who contributed to the household as far as bringing in money; including servants and non-parental adults, who are also considered part of the family if they play a large role in the upbringing or care-taking of children other than their own. But in fact, over the last few centuries until present day, the institution of the family has completely changed. In the late-18th Century, marriage was considered just a union based on love, but as time passed, there were other financial, social, and political shifts in the

The ABC news documentary “2010's American Family Defined”, talks about the definition of today’s modern family. This information is based on a research that explains how people have changed their ideology of what makes a family. It points out that the traditional family consists of a father, a mother with children’s have changed into a modern family that consist of what a person considers a family should be. The modern family can be a blended family, same sex family, single parent, and so on.

There are many forms of families around the world. The structure of these families are influenced by the culture around them. Family is defined as "two or more people related by blood, marriage or adoption. The family may take many forms, ranging from a single parent with one or more children, to a married couple or polygamist spouses with or without offspring, to several generations of parents and their children” (226). There are many functions of the family unit around the world.

The word “family” is unique, special, and controversial among different cultures and ethnicities. As defined by Random House Western Dictionary, a family is “any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins” (Dictionary.com). Although the definition from Random House follows the infamous proverb of, “blood is thicker than water,” my definition of family does not. Family is not defined or restricted by blood relations. In my mind, a family is simply a group of people, who loves, supports, and helps each other unconditionally, and endlessly. Regardless of one’s sexual orientation or preference, all families embody these common principles. Thus, a family unites its members through the strong

Due to the rise in divorce rates, low fertility rates, childless couples and same sex couples, there is a belief that the family is under threat. This belief is based on the assumption that the family is a static entity that served a function, as proposed by Murdock. Research has shown, that although the nuclear family has been one form of structure, it has never been the only form throughout the world, as suggested by Murdock (Bessant & Watts, 2007, p. 168). Although in modern times we are seeing a diversity of families, the family has always been a diverse structure. As the sociologist Diana Gittins (1993) suggests, it is more appropriate to discuss families than ‘the family’, families are diverse, and there is not a single model to describe them (Giddens, 2009, p. 332). The nuclear family is not disappearing, however, it does not hold the monopoly it was once thought to hold (Beck-Gernsheim 1998, p.

Another sociologist said that the concept of the traditional family is the natural reproductive unit of a mother, father, and the children all living under one roof. It is a social construct that varies from culture to culture and over time, the definition changes. (Ball, 2002)

In college classes, the traditional nuclear family is defined as a family consisting of one or both parents and their dependent children in a single family unit without any extended relatives (Kendall, 2013). Some sociological perspectives suggest that any departure from what is known as the “traditional,” or nuclear, family indicates a social problem, while others maintain that the definition of family has simply evolved beyond the nuclear family. Some even suggest that the social constructs of marriage and the traditional nuclear family actually undermine the notion of community ties by discouraging any kind of extended family inclusion (Gerstel, 2011).

In today’s society, there are many different family structures and these structures are interpreted differently depending on the individual. There are five main ‘types’ of family structures and these can change throughout the

Family is one of the hardest words to define. There are many definitions and thoughts of what a family consists of. When one accepts the definition of the census family given by Statistics Canada then a family becomes “a married couple and the children, if any… a couple living common law and the children, if any… a lone parent with at least one child living in the same dwelling… grandchild living with grandparents but no parents present… Census families can be opposite or same sex and children may be adopted, by birth, or marriage and all members must be living in the same dwelling” (Baker 2014). With family being such a difficult term to agree on, the creation of a complex study of family life emerges. The factors that influence family life are put into three theory categories; Social Structure, Interpersonal Factors, as well as Ideas, Global Culture, and Public Discourse.

For most of us, the family is considered as a well-known and comfortable institution. The perfect model of the ‘ideal’ family is still mostly considered to be consisted from two different sexes’ parents, and one or more children. Until quite recently, the sociology of the family was mostly functionalist and just in the last few decades has been challenged from various directions.