Chapter 12 Family

       A family is a group of people who are related by marriage, blood, or adoption and who often live together and share economic resources. Families are essential to society because not only do they provide for the economy but they make up what we call society. Traditions customs and norms are passed to new members of society by family.

        A nuclear family consists of one or both parents and their children. An individual's family of orientation is the nuclear family into which the person is born or adopted. The family of procreation of an individual is the family into which he or she marries into.. An extended family consists of two or more generations. Kinship is a network of people who are related by marriage, birth, or adoption. Marriage is the set of norms that establishes and characterizes the relationship between married individuals. The marriage of one man to one woman is called monogamy. Marriage with multiple partners is called polygamy. This is when a man is allowed to marry more than one woman at a time.

Married couple 

        Polyandry is when a woman is permitted to marry one man at a time. When a married couple lives with or close to the husband's parents, it is called patrilocality. Oppositely when the married couple lives near the wife's parents, it is called matrilocality. Bilocality is when the newly married couple chooses to live where they want.  Matrilineal descent is when property is passed from mother to daughter. Patrilineal descent is when property is passed from father to son. Property can be inherited from either side of the family in bilateral descent. A patriarchy is when the father holds most of the authority and a matriarchy is when the mother holds most of the authority. Eaglitarian is when the mother and father share authority. In most societies there is an incest taboo forbidding sexual relations or marriage between certain relatives.

       Americans usually marry individuals who have social characteristics similar to their own, this is called homogamy. Heterogamy on the other side is marriage between individuals who have different social characteristics. There are many ways a family can be disrupted the most devastating would be family violence. Another type of family disruption is divorce. Dual-earner families are families in which both husband and wife have jobs. In the USA, marriage is often delayed and put off until later years and delayed childbearing is also common in the USA. The sandwich generation are couples that are caught between the needs of their children and those of their parents. The choice to remain childless is called voluntary childlessness, which is very usual in the USA. Dual earning couples are also a popular trend in American culture. Remarriage and single parenting are also common in America.

       Families are very important to culture and society. Without them society wouldn’t be able to thrive economically, reproduce efficiently or pass down traditions and norms. There are many types of families and many different types of ways families can form. Trends within family change all the time along with changes in society. We have to appreciate and value family because they are the core of society.