Family

Family denotes a group of people affiliated by blood, marriage or adoption. A family may be
viewed as a fundamental, social group in society. It typically consists of one or two parents and
their children, who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another and
usually reside in the same dwelling place - a household under one roof. Blood relationships are
known as kinship.
Family Types 
1. Nuclear
2. Extended
3. Sibling
4. Single-parent
5. Reconstituted/Blended 
Functions of the family
1. As a unit of procreation- when humans produce offspring, this is called procreation. 
Human procreation allows for a society to continue since this process produces new
members to replace those who die or migrate. 
2. As a unit of socialization- socialization has to do with developing an attitude in children
and young people that encourages them to make a useful contribution in society. 
3. As an economic unit- different family members take on different roles and
responsibilities, share out the workload and pool resources.  By working together, the
family is more likely to be able to meet its basic needs for food, clothing and shelter.
4. As a social unit- our well being as humans relies on more than simply having our
physical needs met. We also have emotional and psychological needs- to be loved,
wanted and protected. 

Ways in which a family may begin

1. Courtship: it is the act or process whereby one tries to win the love of another.
2. Arranged marriage: parents choose a spouse for their children.
3. 'Shot gun' marriage: two people are forced to marry because of the occurrence of
pregnancy.
4. Marriage of convenience: marriage because of wealth, status or position; and facilitate a
foreigner so as to obtain citizenship of a country he/she desires.
 5. Family tradition: at the death of a spouse the surviving partner is married to the eligible
family member of the deceased.
6. Elope: Two persons may elope and form either a common-law relationship or a legal
union
Family Unions
1. Legal Marriage- this is lawfully recognized union between a man and a woman. The
married couple will usually share the same residence. 
2. Monogamy- a form of marriage in which a person has only one wife or husband at one
time.
3. Polygamy- marriage involving either more than one man or more than one woman
4. Polygyny - one man with more than one wife
5. Polyandry - one woman with more than one husband
6. Visiting relationships- the man and woman are not married and do not share the same
residence although they do have sexual relations.
7. Consensual/Common Law union- the man and woman are not legally married but they
do share a common residence and also have sexual relations.
Key Terms
 Bigamy- when the offence of marrying someone while already married to another person.
 Endogamy- when a person chooses a partner from within their own ethnic group, tribe,
religion or class
 Exogamy- when a partner is chosen from outside these groups
 Matrilocal- refers to when a couple lives with the wife’s parents
 Patrilocal- refers to when a couple lives with the husband’s parents
 Neolocal- refers to when a couple establishes their own residence
 Matrilineal- refers to when rights, duties and responsibilities follow the mother’s lineage
 Patrilineal- refers to when rights, duties and responsibilities follow the father’s lineage