Extended family sociology. Definition of Extended Families: Meanings and Roles 2022-11-09
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Extended family refers to a family structure that consists of a family nucleus, which is typically made up of a married couple and their children, as well as other relatives who are not considered part of the nuclear family. These additional relatives can include grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even more distant family members. In many societies, extended families have played a central role in social and economic life, providing support and resources to family members in times of need.
One of the main benefits of extended family is the sense of community and belonging that it can provide. Having a large network of relatives can give individuals a sense of identity and belonging, as they are part of a larger group that shares common values and traditions. In addition, extended families can provide a sense of security and stability, as family members are able to rely on each other for emotional and practical support.
In many traditional societies, extended families also play a crucial role in the economy, with family members working together to run businesses or farms, or pooling resources to purchase land or other assets. This can be especially important in times of economic hardship, as extended families may be able to provide support to members who are struggling financially.
However, extended families can also create conflicts and tension, particularly when it comes to issues of authority and decision-making. In some cases, extended families may have a hierarchical structure, with certain family members having more power or influence than others. This can lead to resentment and conflict, especially when decisions are made that do not take into account the needs and concerns of all family members.
In conclusion, extended families can be a source of support and community for individuals, but they can also create conflicts and tensions. Understanding the dynamics of extended family structures can help individuals navigate these relationships and find ways to build strong and supportive connections with their relatives.
What is an Extended Family?
One of the most notable differences in terms of other families is that when the individual reaches maturity it does not cease to be part of the nucleus but begins to belong to the group of adults. They point to high rates of divorce and single parenthood, as well as to the difficulty many families have in maintaining close relationships Bengtson, 2001. At that time it was believed that the extended family household, prominent in many non-Western societies, stood as a barrier to economic modernization. New York, NY: Basic Books. Historical research shows that the number of households containing extended family members has varied little since the mid-nineteenth century, remaining constant at about 70 percent Halpern and Anderson 1970. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 218-223. Fourth, the family provides its members with a social identity.
This is in contrast to a nuclear family, which consist of two parents who live in a household with their children. Oral traditional societies, nineteenth-century British colonies in Africa for example, often had surviving census and tax documents, but little other written data. The structure of the nuclear family has also been critiqued on economic grounds. Researchers Christine Delphy and Diana Leonard also studied housework and found that husbands systematically exploit their wives by leaving all the unpaid domestic labour to them. Children are brought up in their father's family. This might be in the form of flatmates or housemates such as university students, or it might be people who do not know each other prior to taking up residence e.
They argue that the nuclear family serves the capitalist system rather than the individuals in it. This may be necessary when parents are not available to care for their children, such as by mental or medical or substance abuse issues. Both perspectives made a better understanding of historical family forms important, although it now seems clear that neither position in its extreme adequately reflects the historical record. New York, NY: Random House. Household: Individuals can also be classified as living in "households". Particularly in working-class communities, grown children tend to establish their own households within the same general area as their parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
Ann Oakley was one of the first to raise attention to the ways traditional women in society. In a large family living under the same house take up the responsibility of rearing a child. The Extended Family Think about the popular 1970s television show The Waltons and the more recent television show Family Matters. Brinkerhoff, David, Lynn White, Suzanne Ortega, and Rose Weitz. First, the family is the primary unit for socializing children.
Definition of Extended Families: Meanings and Roles
An extended family system possesses the following features: a. As they are often financially dependent on their husbands, women cannot challenge the status quo. Bilton, Tony, Kevin Bonnett, Pip Jones, David Skinner, Michelle Stanworth, and Andrew Webster. It is one of the primary benefits of living in a large family. However, this straightforward structural defini… Head Of Household , Head of Household An individual in one family setting who provides actual support and maintenance to one or more individuals who are related to him o… Dual-earner Families , Dual-Earner Families The language of dual-earner families developed in research on families in industrialized societies. The kinship system of the contemporary United States. The cost and scarcity of housing has made this more common.
Advantages and Disadvantages of an Extended Family System
Women have secondary position in these families. The nuclear family is a characteristic of all the modern industrial societies in which a high degree of structural and functional specialization exists. Sociology in Our Times. New constructions of the extended family are inevitable in contemporary society. Within this family, we can get the grandparents, uncles, cousins and even if you live with the brothers-in-law they become part of an extended family. Interest in the history of the extended family households was kindled in the 1940s and 1950s as an aspect of population and development studies.
11 Types of Family in Sociology (Family Structure Examples) (2022)
The Dialectic of Sex. Researchers have denied the functionality of the nuclear family - in the sense of being isolated and socially mobile - since the 1960s Cervantes, 1965. Thus, the nuclear family served to benefit the bourgeois more than the proletariat. This makes him the primary provider and ultimate authority according to Popenoe. Extended Family Kinship Although the extended family household as a cultural idea has been characterized in the majority of documented human history, it would be a mistake to believe that extended family households were characteristic of all historical societies or that all contemporary societies are dominated by the nuclear family. Such gender differences seem less common in middle-class families, where men are better educated and more emotionally expressive than their working-class counterparts. It is no longer compulsory nor desirable for everyone to "start a family" once they reach a certain point - people have more options now.
These families include, in one household or close proximity, relatives in addition to an immediate family. All this is an extension of the nuclear family as stepchildren, stepparents, adoptive children, parents, grandparents, and all those family members who stroll in this home become part of it. However, with increasing longevity, decreasing fertility, and increased nonagricultural economic opportunities, ties between brothers have been replaced by ties between grandfathers and grandsons, and laterally extended households have been replaced by lineally extended ones. More often than not, it consists of grandparents, their sons, and their sons' families in patriarchal and especially patrilineal societies. Everyone sits together to eat such as breakfast and dinner.
