FAMILY

The Main Family Types

The functionalist George Murdock argued that the nuclear family was
and is the most basic family unit worldwide. And even though many
other family stuctures exist. The nuclear family was still at the core of
them all. (1949)
The extended family was also another prevalent family structure.
Nuclear Family: A family made up of an adult man and an adult
woman in a relationship or married, living together with dependent
children.
Extended Family: A family with parents and children living together or
close to other relatives.

There are three types of extended family.

 Vertically extended family: A family made up of parents living with
their children and relatives from one or more genrations. Such as
grandparents and grand uncles.

 Horizontally extended family: A family made up of parents living

together with their children and relatives of the same generation.
Such as aunties, uncles, and cousins.

 Modified extended family: An extended family whom have close

ties but do not all live together.
Due to technological advances and improvements in communication,
family members across wide geographical areas can still maintain and
kindle a close relationship.
Real-Life References
 Around one-third of the world's population lives in a nuclear
family unit.
 Extended families are more common in certain regions like India,
while nuclear families are the norm in parts of the Middle East
and North Africa.

Other Developing Family Structures

Reconstituted family: This is the new family formed when a person
remarries after a divorce or loss of a partner.
The arrival of a new partner can stir emotions and tensions within the
family, as everyone adjusts to new dynamics.
 The step-parent may struggle with knowing how much authority
they have over the children, leading to uncertainty in their role.
 Likewise, children might find it difficult to accept and obey this
new figure in their lives.
 Potential conflict between biological parents and stepparents
regarding child-raising practices.
Functionalists argue that these challenges make the family unstable
and unideal for nurturig children, leading to inadequate socialization,
increasing the risk of children developing deviant behaviors. This, in
turn, can have lasting effects on both the individual and society.
However, with open communication, patience, and effort from all
family members, reconstituted families can thrive and create strong,
loving bonds.
Reconstituted families have been on the rise in modern socities
mainly due to the increasingly easy access of divorce.
In the UK the Divorce Reform Act was passed (1969) making divorce
more accessbile.

Real-life References
According to the 2021 Census around 1.1 million dependent
children in England and Wales live in a blended/ stepfamily.

About 40% of married couples in the United States have children

from a previous relationship, making them blended families. This
means that roughly 16% of American children live in blended
families.
The rate of women experiencing a divorce has nearly
quadrupled from 4.1 per 1,000 married women in 1900 to 14.6
in 2022.
Same-sex Family: This is a family which consists of two adults of the
same sex raising their own or adopted children.
While once met with widespread stigma and resistance, changing
societal values and increasing acceptance have allowed this family
structure to flourish, contributing to the growing diversity of modern
families.
 In the past, same-sex families faced significant challenges, often
being dismissed or discriminated against.
 However, as societies become more secular, attitudes have
shifted, leading to greater recognition and acceptanceof this
family structure.

Some functionalists argue that same-sex couples cannot fulfill the

traditional function of reproduction, which they see as essential for the
continuation of society.
However, this view overlooks scientific and technological advancements
—such as IVF, surrogacy, and adoption—that enable same-sex couples
to have children and nurture strong, loving families.
Lone-parent Family: This family is made up of a single adult living with
and rasing their dependent children.
The number of lone parent families have increased significntly in recent
years.
 This is because divorce has become more easy and accessible.
 Women now have greater fincncial independence due to
legislation such as the Equal Pay Act, which ensures that women
are paid in equal measure as men, this has relegated the
requirement of a man to provide financially for a family.
 Some women simply choose to live in this family structure

Functionalists – Single parents often have to take on both parental

roles; the expressive and instrumentalist role. This strain on a single
parent often leads the socialisation process to be inefficient deviant
adults and increased crime rates.
In order to minimize the resposibilities on lone parent families, some
governments have used strategies to support them.
 Support to allow them to stay home and take care of children
 Guidance in seeking for job opportunities which are flexible 1and
alleviate financial burden.
Feminists – They support single parent families as it protects women
from the patriarchal suppression within nuclear family structure. They
acknowledge the excessive starin it places on women.
Real-Life References
There were 2.9 million lone-parent families in the UK in 2020, which is
14.7 percent of all families in England and Wales.
In the Netherlands, lone parents receive sufficient support to stay
home with their children without having to live in poverty and
deprivation.

Polygamous Family: This family structure consists of more than two

people in a marriage living with dependent children.

 Polyandry: This is a marriage which involves one woman married

to two or more men.
 Polygyny: This is a marriage which involves one man married to
two or more women.

Marriage: The formal joining of an adult man and an adult woman in a

relationship, with rights and responsiblities.

Empty-Nest Family: This is a family made up of a couple living together

after their adult children have moved out.
Due to higher life expectancies around the world, parents may often live
in this family structure for an extended period of time as their children
move out to carve their own lives.
In some cases adult children may return back home due to financial
issues. The new family formed is known as the boomerang family.
Childless Family: This family structure is made up of a couple whom
have decided not to have any kids or are uncable to have children.
In modern societies the cost of raising children is often very expensive
in many societies, this has deterred many young couples from seeking
to have children and subsequently there has been a rise in DINKs.
Additionally women no longer feel their purpose is defined by marriage
and the children they bear and rather find fulfillment in other areas
such as the jobs they hold and the status linked to it. This has lead
many women to delay childbearing aswell as marriage altogether.
DINKs – Double Income No Kids.

Functionalists argue that the childless family structure does not fulfill
the role of reproduction, which hinders the continuity of society.
Furthermore it may lead to an ageing population which negatively
impacts the social institution of the economy.
The Strengths and Limitations of The Two Main Types of
Family
Did you Know?
According to global data, while exact figures vary by region, "nuclear
families" (a married couple with children) represent around 33% of the
world's population, with extended family arrangements being the most
common at 38%.
This means that while nuclear families are prevalent in some areas,
particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, a significant portion of
the global population live in extended family structures.

Nuclear Family Vs. Extended Family

1. The Nuclear family is geographically mobile as compared to the
extended family due to the smaller number of members.
This increase in geographical mobility ensures that families can
easily relocate to areas which provide superior job prospects.

2. The prescence of two working adults provides financial stability

for children.

3. Fewer conflicts arise due to the small number of members of the

nuclear family.

4. Limited role models provide consistency within the socialisation

process ensuring children understand norms and values effectively
Extended Family
1. Additional members from the family can aid in child raising and
maintaning the home.

2. The extended family can be a source of financial aid in troubling

times.

3. Provision of care for the older members.

Talcott Parsons “Fit Theory”

He believes that the extended family is best suited for pre-industrial life.
Before the industrial revolution the main form of trade was farming and
many memebers of a family were required to toil the large tracts of land
and the absence of advanced tools and machinery further necessitated
the need for many members.
{Infact, people lived in hunter-gatherer socities.}

Also, many families were often self-suffiencint: what they gained from
farms is what they ate and any excess was traded. The harsh nature of
farming also meant that more members were needed to support one
another through illness and old age.
However, after the advent of the industrial revolution the dependency
on farming as a national trade declined. Many people migrated to urban
areas in order to work in big factories,
Individuals were no more self-suffienciet, instead they specialised in
some sort of trade and then earned a wage which was then used to
purchase necessary goods and services.
As a result of these chnaging dynamics the extended familuy began to
decline due to the high cost of caring for many member and the nuclear
family began to increase.

Does Family Diversity Really Exist?

Alternatives to the Family

In modern industrial societies there has been a rise in chosen
families over blood families.This is particularly due to people
spending more time in social instituitions aside the family.

Single-person Households
Many people now tend to live alone, these groups of people
include:
 The elderly whom have retired and live alone after their
adult children have moved out.

Real-Life References
In Germany more than 40% of households are one person
In Sweden, Stockholm the number of single households is
over 60%
  Young adults who have moved out of their parents home
but are not yet married or do not live with a partner.

 Some people simply chose to live alone, they may be

estranged from family members or simply find peace in
living alone.

 People who have gone through a divorce (this group of

people is mostly men). The women often stay with the kids
and raise them up as a lone parent.

Note: In Europe and North America the number of single

households have increased continuoisly overtime.
Women no longer feel the pressure to get marrired. They are
many more divorces and there is greater opportunity for
women to take care of themselves without a man.

Shared Households
People may now share homes wiyth starngeers. Mostly to cut
diown costs or during their time in university where thye share
dorms with outher students
Sharing houselholds has also turned out to be cost-effective for
mnay of the ynger generation who are beginning their lives.
People qthtin the sharedv huseholds may share
respomsinsuubn such as cooking , house cleaning etc,

Friends as Familyu
Due to the rise in education and the extended period of time
people spend in peer groips and with firnds, they are tend to
fomr close bonds overtime and may also decide to take them o
as heoir chosen families overt8ie.

Friends can cary ur the same functions as the famplilyt fulfilling

its primary function, Prividing care love and sypport

Many people noe relt on friends for many reasons:

Friends have beco