Unit A

The family

By the end of this

unit, students should be
able to:
1 Define the term 'family'. 2 Describe the functions of the family. 3 Describe
the different family forms in the Caribbean. 4 Outline responsibilities of family
members at home. 5 Outline responsibilities of family members in relation to their
community. 6 Describe the different stages of the family life cycle. 7
Identify challenges faced by families at different stages of the life cycle. 8
State the purpose of a family council.

The family
The term “family' often refers to a group of two or more persons related by blood, birth, marriage or
adoption, who reside together in the same household and share resources
and responsibilities. Family may also be defined as a social arrangement
based on marriage and the marriage contract, including recognition of the rights
and duties of parenthood.
Family, then, includes the following criteria:
• Arises as a result of marriage.
• Includes persons who are united by blood, marriage or adoption.
• Shares a common residence.
• Assumes reciprocal rights and obligations to each other, financial
and
otherwise.
• Provides key functions of socialization, especially of the infant.

The traditional functions of the

family
• Protection of all members. Not only did the father provide physical
protection for his family, but also the children provided social and economic protection against
economic and psychological needs during old age.
The family exercised a religious function, as evidenced by family prayers, such as grace before
 meals and evening prayers.
• The recreation function was performed at home, rather than at
recreation
centres outside the home.
• Affection was provided between mates.
• The family served the basic function of giving prestige and status to its members.
The family name was important.

The family
3
• The family served the basic function of education to all its members. The
business of passing on the culture and general socialization of family members is
an important function.
• Procreation and reproduction is important as a means of producing people
in families and for the wider community.
• Basic needs, such as the need for food, clothing and shelter, are provided
for in families, together with the need to 'belong' to a group.

Today, many are of the opinion that these traditional functions should remain, as it
seems that the family has suffered several losses. Clearly there is evidence that the
institution of the family is deteriorating, mainly due to a lack of or very little practice
of the traditional functions. While some families still practise these functions, it is obvious
that there is a removal from tradition.

Family forms
Today there is much discussion about what constitutes a family. There seems to be a
broadening of the traditional definitions of a family structure. Single parents with one or
more children are also considered to be families. Childless families also exist, where
women, though married and living with their spouses, do not have children.
Generally we can describe the family form or structure by saying that it centres round
the reproductive unit of father, mother and children. Some ethnic groups exhibit a
more or less extended pattern while the predominant Caribbean population, those of
African descent,. exhibit a wider range of family forms. Some of these forms are:
• An incomplete type of nuclear family with the father being more or less
permanent.
• A reasonably permanent nuclear family based on legal marriage between
the mother and the father. If there are no children, then this is a childless family.
• Variations: such as mother or father bringing up his/her children single handed as in the
case of single parenting; parents with no permanent partner. Also, mother and
children living in a wider descent group including the mother's own mother and
female relatives. This last form suggests a consanguine family form in the absence
or failure of a nuclear family.
• A companionate family form may also exist where members live together
for pleasure and convenience and for less than three years.
• A disintegrate family is one where women and children live together and
where men visit from time to time. No pattern of conduct is established.
• A faithful concubinage is one based on the patriarchal order, possessing no
legal status but well established and enduring for a long time.
• A blended or combined form that combines two families. This usually results from divorce, or
death of one spouse and a subsequent remarriage.
4 Home Economics for CSEC Examinations: Management
Relationships within the family
In the Caribbean today there is a general breakdown in family relationships. This is evident
by the number of cases of divorce, family violence and the general
disintegration of the family values and basic manners that make for a better
society. The high incidence of drug abuse and drug-related crime and violence,
coupled with an ever-increasing number of teen pregnancies, leaves a lot
to be desired. These are all acts committed by people and people
originate in a family. The family structure is changing with a myriad of family
forms. Some children live with one parent, some live with both, some
with their grandparents, and others are nurtured by their aunts/uncles. While they
may be well raised, as we say in the Caribbean, in these structures, there are
cases when they are not. It then becomes more difficult for a child with no
parents close by to find support in time of need. This lack of support may
drive an individual to look for help in the wrong places and so
become entwined in a web of crime and violence. The above is one
example of the way in which the varying family structure can
influence the type of relationships or lack of relationships in families.
Relationships are based on expectations. In a family, members at various stages expect
certain things from others and vice versa. There are certain qualities
that must be present if relationships are to be positive and work for
all involved. Some of these qualities are:
• Good communication. This is a process of transferring information,
understanding and emotion from one person to another. The ideal is to
 make one's intention clear by matching it with verbal and non-verbal
cues. This is a sore point in families. Too often we hear that family members do
not communicate, meaning in some cases that they do not even speak to
each other. Sometimes the younger family members think that the older
members do not understand their problems just because they are older.
This may not be true, as the older members usually have a wealth of
experience from which to draw to offer advice.
• Commitment. This is another important quality that families need to have
to work for improvement in the quality of living. This means doing what is necessary for the
good of the family.
• Caring. Members must care about each other and show that they care.
There are a number of different ways of showing that we care. Helping each other is one
easy way of demonstrating this.
• Labour. Here this means working hard for the sake of maintaining a harmonious family
circle. Job sharing can make things easier around the home.

Apart from these and other positive qualities necessary for good
family relationships, families must be cognizant of the need to remain together
as a family, no matter how physically far they are from each other. There
are other effects on families that must be dealt with for better relationships
to prevail. Families migrate and while some keep in touch others do not.
While it may be necessary for people to migrate in search of better things
for themselves and their children, we must be mindful that material
things are a small part
The family 5
of our needs. We need love, companionship, a sense of belonging and knowing that
people care about us and demonstrate that care. A barrel of clothing from
the United States can never replace the love and warmth of a mother's touch
and a mother's presence. Sometimes the children receiving these brand-
name clothes are the ones seeking out the gangs and the associated
problems, simply because they are trying to fill a void in their lives.

Family responsibilities at home

Parent responsibilities usually include:
• Establishing values.
• Provision of basic needs, such as food, clothing and shelter.
• Creating a secure and comfortable home.
 • Providing guidance and discipline.

Child responsibilities include:

• Helping with household chores.
• Respecting parents.
• Upholding the family name.
• Displaying love and respect to siblings.

The family and the community

Caribbean families in today's society have to deal with a lot more than the families of
twenty years ago. For example, families deal with not only management of
food, home and child care but also habits and attitudes, as well as practices of
daily living. Families also have the capacity to establish ways of doing things to
make the community a better place to live.
Families need to realize that they have the resources that are essential in a changing
community. Families are anchors or guides in a world where revolution is
routine, where good sense and manners are negotiable and where change is
so deep that family members have to struggle to keep pace. All these maladies
demand that families have a support base to assist them. This support base must
come from families themselves. Families are important by what they are in action
and what they can provide and offer to the wider community.
Unfortunately families need help, or additional resources, to perform many
social functions and to honour the responsibilities expected of them. In some
cases the potential cannot be realized without a great deal of both material
and other forms of support. In other cases, it is enough to recognize the role
that families already play. Whatever the support available, the strengths and
potential of families must be recognized. There is need for a contribution of
societal or governmental resource. Recognition of this need

6 Home Economics for CSEC® Examinations:

Management
seems to be vital to achieving the objective of an improved quality of
living for all in the community.
Families can work together to help ensure a safe water supply and a regular garbage
disposal system. Families must realize that they are a powerful force in any
community and that they can lobby for community needs. They must first want
to come together to decide on what is best for their community
 The family must do certain things to help the community, and the community in turn must
reciprocate. Here are some things that the family can do:
• Provide a good foundation at home by carefully educating members on the
basics of good manners, tolerance and respect for self and others.
• Instruct members on civic rights and responsibilities, so that they will
respect cleanliness of public places, including proper garbage
disposal.
• Provide safety guidelines that can be employed in the wider community.
• Encourage members to believe that they can make meaningful
contributions to society.

The community in turn can:

• Provide facilities for safety and general health care.
• Perform effective cleaning and maintenance of public places.
• Establish community groups and services for all age groups, particularly the
elderly.
• Co-operate with groups by assisting where necessary.
• Enforce laws that protect the public, e.g. noise on public transport.
• Provide a safe water supply and effective and timely garbage
disposal.

Family life cycle

The following life cycle is based on the age and school placement of the oldest child up to
the launching phase. This cycle, however, does not recognize families with
multiple children, overlapping stages or the death of a spouse.
Stage 1 Married couples without children. Stage 2 Childbearing, oldest child
birth to 30 months. Stage 3 Families with pre-school children, oldest child 2 to 6
years. Stage 4 Families with school children, 6 to 13 years. Stage 5 Families
with teenagers, oldest child 13 to 20 years. Stage 6 Families as launching
centres, first child gone to last child leaving
home. Stage 7 Middle-age parents, empty nest to retirement. Stage 8 Ageing
family members, retirement to death of both spouses.

The above classification is just one of many. Caribbean families may be

operating in several stages at the same time, for example a family may have a pre-
school child, a teenager and middle-age parents. Another classification

The family
 7
may be based mainly on income, as in the table below. The challenges faced by families
at each stage of the life cycle are also explained according to this
classification.

Stages of the life cycle and demand on income

FAMILY STAGE
SUBSTAGE
DEMAND ON INCOME
1 Beginning
Period of establishment
Light to heavy
2 Expanding
Childbearing and pre-school Elementary school High
school College, university
Heavy Light to heavy
Heavy Very heavy

3 Contracting
Vocational adjustment of children
Financial recovery and launching
Retirement
Heavy Light or heavy
Lightest

Description and challenges of stages of the life cycle

The beginning stage is the period of establishment that could make a light to
heavy demand on income. The amount of money needed here depends on
the lifestyle of the parents and the requirements for setting up a household.
The expanding stage requires a substantial amount of finance for meeting the demands of
childbearing, elementary school, high school and then university. Child care
becomes a major issue as well as the juggling of work and family. Apart from
being demanding economically, this could be very taxing on both parents,
who have to take care of themselves and the children as well as run the
household – all of this coupled with a job, in some cases full-time. There is also a
need for proper time management, given the demands of both work and family.
Space for additional furniture as well as efficient arrangement of the house must be
considered. These challenges require full co-operation from all members of
 the household.
The contracting stage. This is the launching stage when the first child leaves the
home as a young adult, ending when the last child leaves home to live his or her
own life. This stage is marked with uncertainty and adjustment for both parents and
children. Parents may need to give financial assistance for a vocational
adventure, or for activities like purchasing land. The family might become
wider to include new relatives through marriage. The parents may become
grandparents, thus assuming new roles. There might also be a period of
recovery when children leave home and become self-supporting. Younger
parents may retain active interests of their own. Some find new jobs after
retirement, while others may join groups or outreach programmes. The last
substage of retirement is

8 Home Economics for CSEC® Examinations: Management

a period of adjustment. Challenges include adjusting to physical and
environmental changes as well as dealing with care, protection and safety.

Family council
A family council is really an agreement among family members that they have set certain
rules and guidelines which are in the best interest of the family, and that every
member must abide by these rules and regulations. There is usually someone in
charge and it is supposed to function like any other organized group. Regular
meetings are held to discuss the business of the family, and in some cases
emergency meetings are held when the need arises. The topics are concerned
with their beliefs, values, wishes, plans, problems, questions and
suggestions. It is an opportunity for all to be heard on issues arising in the
family.

Activities
|
1 (a) Describe three different types of families in your community.
(b) What are some behaviour characteristics of these families that
are (i) good and (ii) bad for the larger community? 2 (a) List three
functions of families.
(b) Are these functions still being carried out by families? If not,
why? Give two reasons for each function. 3 Outline three ways in
 which each of the following persons can
contribute to the family: mother, father, grandparent, child. 4 Describe two family
forms. Explain how each form can assist with
family relationships.
Describe two qualities that enhance a relationship. 6 Describe a family life cycle. Select
two challenges of two of the
stages of this life cycle.

The family
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