FAMILY

Concept of a Family
Family is defined as a group of people related by blood, marriage, or adoption living together.
Remember:
We are not defining families by how many, and what kind of people they have.
We define them by what they do.
Definitions
Spouse - someone who is married: a husband or wife
Common-law partner - used to describe a relationship between a man and woman that is considered to be a marriage because the man and woman have lived together for a long period of time

Functions of the Family
What do families do?
Families naturally do one or more or all of these actions or functions:
Physical care and health maintenance of all members
Get more members by birth or adoption
Prepare children for adulthood in society (socialization)
Control and accountability for children
Provide food, shelter, safety (by working, earning money, and spending it to meet these needs)
Provide love

Forms of Family
The number of adults, the type of relationship that the adults have, and then number of children make up the family form.
Nuclear Family - the part of a family that includes only the father, mother, and children
Dyad Family - consists of two people living together, usually a woman and a man, without children
Example: Newly-married couples Live-in couples
Cohabitation Family - are composed of heterosexual couples, and perhaps children, who live together but remained unmarried

Types of Families
Breadwinner Family - two parents, one works, one stays at home
Dual-income Family - two parents, both work
Blended Family - a remarriage, or reconstituted family, a divorced or widowed person with children marries someone who also has children
Extended Family (multigenerational family) - an extended family includes not only the nuclear family but also other family members such as grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, cousin and grandchildren
Polygamous Family - a marriage with multiple wives
Lone-partner or Single-parent Family - a family with one adult and one or more