Family & Marriages

Unit 12.1 Marriage and family in global perspectives

Unit 12.2 Marriage and family in Theoretical perspectives

Unit 12.3 The family life cycle

Unit 12.4 The two sided of family life

Unit 12.5 Recent trends in Marriages and family

 Unit 12.1
Marriage and family in global perspectives

• The word ‘Family’ has been derived from Latin word, ‘Famulus’ which me
ans a servant.
• Burgess and Locke defined family as “a group of persons united by ties o
f marriage, blood or adoption constituting a single household interacting an
d intercommunicating with each other in their respective roles of husband
and wife, father and mother, son and daughter, brother and sister, creating
a common culture”.
 Unit 12.2
Marriage and family in Theoretical perspectives

• According to the functionalist perspective, the family is universal because

it serves six essential functions: economic production, socialization of childr
en, care of the sick and aged, recreation, sexual control, and reproduction.

• Conversely, conflict theorists focus on how changing economic conditions

affect families, especially gender relations.

• Interactionists focus on the contrasting experiences and perspectives of m

en and women that are played out in marriage.
• Marriag
e is a u
niversa Characteristics of Marriage
l social
instituti
on
• Marriag
e regul
ates se
x relati
ons bet
ween
man an
d wom
an
• Marriag
e leads
 Unit 12.3
The family life cycle

• Love and courtship

• Marriage
• Childbirth
• Child rearing
• Family in later life
• Family
may be
classifi Types of family
ed bro
adly in
terms
of the e
xtent o
f prevai
ling kin
ship pa
tterns.
• A conju
gal (nuc
lear) fa
mily co
• Use:
• There Unit 12.4
are a The two sided of family life
numb
er of f
actors
that m
ake m
arriag
es wor
k. The
se incl
ude:
• Spend
ing tim
e toge
• Abuse:
• Child Abuse
• Battering
• Marital rape
• Incest
• Modern trends in Family in the advanced countries o
f Europe and USA:
• Postponement of marriage
• Cohabitation
• Increased number of unmarried mothers
• Emergence of sandwich generation
• Nuclear
family c Unit 12.5
an be d Recent trends in Marriages and family
efined a
s “A sm
all grou
p comp
osed of
husban
d and w
ife and i
mmatur
e childr
en whic
h consti
tutes a
• More tha
n a prod
Recent Trends in Nuclear Family
uction u
nit it has
turned in
to a con
sumptio
n unit
• Migratio
n to urba
n center
s
• Democr
atic outlo
ok
• The decl
ine of th
e influen
ce of Mo
• The Joi
The Joint or Extended Family
nt or Ex
tended
Family
consist
s of me
mbers
who at l
east bel
ong to t
hree ge
neratio
ns: hus
band a
nd wife;
their m
• Depth o
f gener
ations
Characteristics of the Joint Family
• Commo
n roof
• Commo
n kitche
n
• Commo
n prope
rty
• Exercis
e of aut
hority b
y the el
ders
• Arrange
• Stable
and dur
able
• Ensure Merits of the joint family
s econo
mic pro
gress
• Ensure
s econo
my of e
xpendit
ure
• Secure
s the ad
vantage
s of divi
sion of l
abor
• Serves
• Retards t
he develo

Demerits of the joint family

pment of
personalit
y
• Damages
individual
initiative a
nd enterp
rise
• Narrows
down ope
n minded
ness
• Promotes
idleness
• Not favor
able for s
avings an
d investm
ents
• Increased
quarrels a
nd bickeri