2.4 Family

2.4

Family
Definition and universality; Family, household and domestic groups; functions of family; Types of family (from the perspectives of structure, blood relation, marriage, residence and succession); Impact of urbanization, industrialization and feminist movements on family.

Defination and Univarsality


Defination by William Newton Stephens:
=The family in general is a group based on marriage and marriage contract, including the recognition of rights and duties of parenthood, common residence for husband, with and children and reciprocal economic obligation b/w the husband and wife.

Why above defination is not universal?
=bcoz it cant be applied to all society historically or cross culturally.
 
Note:
Conjugal relationship Vs Sexual relationship:
 Conjugal= sex after marriage, forms family.
Sexual= sex before marriage, physical preasure

Biological Father = Genitor
Biological Mother= Genetrix.

Social Father= Pater
Social Mother= Mater

Consanguineal relationship(Blood relation):
=Forms through conjjugal relationship in society.

Role of family:
>Intelectual= teaching personal responsibility to kids for smooth functioning of family.
>Social =Teaching social norms to kids.
>Emotion=Love and emotion binds the family.

Family, Household and Domestic Group:

Family can be:
1)Matrilocal =11% of sample culture(as per Levinson and Malone 1980)
2)Patrilocal =70% of sample culture(as per Levinson and Malone 1980)
3)Bilocal = 7% of sample culture(as per Levinson and Malone 1980)
4)Neolocal.


Household is formed based on above 4 structures. Ex if after marriage husband lives with wife’s family it forms a diff houshold.
Reason for  above structure:

1)Economic:
=If husband contributes to the economy of household more then wife then Patrilocal structure is favoured.
Why Neolocal?
=With entry of money in the cultural rims of man, Man are no longer dependent on kins as they can buy anything  if they had money….this flexiblity allowed them to venture into outside world for more money……………………………….Hence after marriage Husband wife live netiher in husband or wifes family but as a separate household, as moving with entire kins are not possible if your goal is to earn more money.

2)Warfare:
=If enemies are far away,  then its prudent to keep famility at women’s place as men has to go for fight.
=BUT if , enemy lives near by then man cant go and live in others house as his household will loose a man to protect.

Conclusion= Warfare logic is more acceptable in historical aspect yeilding Matrilocal or patrilocal household….on the otherhand Economy is shaping contemprory changes like Neolocal, as war is no longer a threat.

Case study:
Philippine Ilongot, kin ties in this tripe is very strong.
Marriage is decided by kins…..any monetory contribution of marriage or normal household is provided by all members of kins as if they are single economic unit.
Even mother  feeds rice to her sister’s children as if they are her own children.

but the degree of closeness is more among those who are close kins(genetically).

Theories explaining this kinship ties ↓

BIOLOGICAL THEORY OF EVOLUTION:
=Because relatives share genes, they should be disposed to be good to each other; contributing to survival and  reproduction of a blood relative result in the proliferation of genes identical to ones own.

DARWINIAN CLAIM:
=Animals including Humans, act in ways that promote the representation of their own genes in the gene pool of their kind.


Types of Family
1)Structure 2) Blood relation 3) Marriage 4) Residence 5) Sucession

1. Sturucture:
▼ Nuclear =Husband + Wife + Children @Conjugal relationship
>constant mobility + flexibility = led to  ↑ nuclear family.
>Hunter and Gatherer society= like western society also had Nuclear family(bcoz they also were mobile and needed flexibility in life for survival). But they were more functional in nature.

▼Sub-Nuclear= Husband + Wife (Without children living with them)

▼ Composite or Compound Family=Aggregate nuclear family linked by common spouse.
>Relationship b/w women and her children is much stronger then b/w her children and the other wifes of same husband.
>above is also true from husband side in polyandry.

Diagram ↓:

▼Extended = @Consanguine relaltionship(Blood)
=2 or more linearly related kin folk of the same sex and their spouses and their offspring, occupying a single household of a household head is called Extended family.
=Ties of Linearity ie. Ties of blood is more important than marriage.
=Practiced in more than 50% of the world.
= TYPES:
1)Patriliearly extended
=Traditional chinese family and may family in north india.
=Marriage is viewed as acquiring daughter in law than taking a wife.
=Womens power  increase when her child enters adulthood many times at par with her husband.

2)Matrlinearly extended
Note= Nayars are the most extreme example of consanguine family as conjugal tie is for most purposes completely  absent.
>>>Most extended family systems do give some recognition to the nuclear family.
>>>Ex=Rajput of Khalapur, women are considered responsible for caring for their own children, and conjugal tie is clearly recognised.

Family as a functional unit is loosing her relivance specially in western society.
Reasons:
Old age policy= Now old people relies on Gov support, less dependency and affinity towards neolocal structure makes “Children parent” relation  non functional(relation is good but no functional significance).
Moral values/Education=Education or moral value is now being engendered by mass media.
Leisure time fun= being done with peer groups or on digital media.

2)Blood relation:
=Cross cousin marriage

>Fraternal cousin marriage
>non freternal cousin marriage

=Parallel cousin marriage.


3)Marriage:
▼Polygamous = 1 man many wife= usually composite family.

▼Polyandry = usually composity family.

▼Monogamous= can be nuclear or composite.

▼Promiscuity= not practiced, at max sort of group marriage in Toda of nilgiri is practiced.




4)Residence:
>Patrilocal
>Matrilocal
>bilocal
>Neolocal

5)Succession:
>Matrilineal
>Patrilineal


Impact of Urbanization, Industrialisation, Education and Feminist movements in the Family:

Characteristics of Urban family:

1)Equal status of woman:
=more economic and social freedom in urban area.
=Upper class still show some reservation towards woman.

2)Lack of traditional education in the family:
=Like earlier family is now not capable of imparting knowledge required for job.
=hence Education and training has moved out of home.

3)Changing status of individual:
=diff  member of family does diff jobs, no synchronosity in timing.
=As per Ogburn “this daily life may differ as to wherher the memebrs of the family work or spent their work or spent their time or as to the times they go to work or their method of recreation.”

4)Excess individuality:
=lack of simmilarity in the ways of thinking among members.

5)Limited size AKA small family or lesskids.

6)Increased rate of divorced:

Note: urban family is still changing towards more individuality and self reliance. According to  Anderson “If this partnership or companionship is the emerging type, it means that the family is more the private holdign of its member than a collective possession of many relatives”.


Impact of industrialisation on Family:

Conjugal family is having a negative impact by industrialisation, but its also holding its very survival.