Family and Household

Lecture Outline

 What is the family?

 What is the difference between family
and household?
 What are some of the challenges of
family and household organization?
Family

 In 1950, 60% of all U.S. households

conformed to the nuclear family model.
 Today, only 26% of U.S. households
conform to the independent nuclear
family ideal.
 In the U.S. 28% of women have
experienced domestic violence, and 10
are killed by their batterers every day.
Diagram: Independent
Nuclear Family
Functions of the Family

 Nurturance of children.
 Economic cooperation.
 Provide child with models from whom
they can learn gender appropriate roles.
Definition of the Family

 A group composed of a woman and her

dependent children, with at least one
adult man joined through marriage or
blood relationship.
 In most societies, families constitute
households or households are built
around families.
Forms of the Family

Conjugal family – formed on the basis

of marital ties

Consanguineal family – consists of

related women, their brothers, and the
women’s offsprings
Households

Basic residential units that implement:

 Economic production
 Consumption
 Inheritance
 Child rearing
 Shelter
Five Basic Residence
Patterns
 Patrilocal
 Matrilocal
 Ambilocal
 Neolocal
 Avunculocal
Diagram: Patrilocal
Extended Family
Diagram: Avunculocal
Residence
Family Organization and
Problems
 Polygamous families - potential conflict
among spouses of the individual to
whom they are married.
 Polyandrous families - older husbands
are apt to dominate the younger ones.
Family Organization and
Problems
 Extended families - decisions are made
by an older individual whose views may
not coincide with those of the younger
family members.
Female-Headed
Households
1970’s
 45% households were nuclear families.
 4.7% households were single parent
families.
1998
 26% households were nuclear families.
 18.2% households were single parent
families.
 Nuclear families - husbands and wives
must work out their own solutions to
Homework

1. Read Chapter 10 – Haviland

Kinship and Descent

2. Study Household and Domestic

Organization:
http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/
anthropology/tutor/residence/toc.html