DEFINITION OF FAMILY AND HOUSEHOLD
BY WILBERT MASAMBA
1: EXCLUSIVE DEFINITION OF FAMILY.
Murdock’s (1949) conventional definition of a family suggests that it is characterized by:
-common residence
-economic co-operation and reproduction
- Adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship
-One or more children, own or adopted.
This functionalist definition is exclusive because it is based on the idea that families have characteristics that make them different from other social groups, such as schools. This definition is flexible enough to accommodate different types of family relationship and organisation. For example, families do not have to be monogamous (one man married to one woman); they can also be polygamous. One man can be married to a number of women (polygyny) or one woman married to a number of men (polyandry).
-Exclusive definition can be useful for distinguishing between family and non-family groups. However, they may exclude household forms, such as single parent and homosexual (gay and lesbian) households that are considered to be families in many modern societies.
Popenoe (1988) suggests that a contemporary exclusive definition can encompass both single parents and homosexual relationships.
2: INCLUSIVE DEFINITION OF FAMILY.
-Giddens (2006) suggests an alternative, inclusive, definition that focuses on kinship and the general relationships that make families different from other social groups. Kin relationships, for example, can be based on:
-biology, such as mother and child
- Affinity, such as two adults living together
-Law, such as marriage.
According to Giddens, families are defined through people directly linked by kin connections; where adult members take responsibility for childcare. One advantage of an inclusive definition like this is that it covers a variety of possible family forms and relationships. There is a drawback; however, if the definition is too broad, it may include groups that most people would not normally consider to be families.
3: Ambert (2003) suggests that an alternative definition should focus on both kinship (inclusive) and function (exclusive). Families involve two or more people, bound by ties of mutual consent, who assume responsibility for:
- the physical maintenance and care of group members
-procreation or adoption
-socialisation and social control of children
-the production, consumption and distribution of goods and services.
-affective nurturance (childcare).
Household.
A household can be defined as one or more people living in a particular dwelling. This definition includes families, of course, but while all families are households, not all households are families. This idea can be illustrated by looking at three different types of household structure:
I: Single person households are where an adult lives alone, either because of the death of a partner, the breakdown of a relationship or through personal choice.
2 : Couple households consist of two people without children. Such households may include:
-couples who have not yet started a family
-those whose children have left home
-those who have chosen to remain childless:
Roseneil (2006) suggests that an additional category in this type of household is ‘couples who live apart’. These are people who are in a stable relationship and who spend a significant amount of time together, but who do not share a home. Some couples do this because work demands and different routines would make it difficult to live together. Other couples choose this lifestyle because they want to maintain some independence.
3 : Shared households involve a group of unrelated people living together. This may be temporary, such as when students live together, or permanent, such as people who live in communes.
(adapted from Cambridge International As and A level sociology. Chris Livesey (2014) )
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