Family Relationship In Western Society

The idea of family and kinship may seem universal, however in actuality there are many different definitions and thoughts surrounding these words. Depending on where in the world your family could mean your biological parents or it could mean a group of close friends living together. In most Western societies men are viewed as the head of the household, and family names are passed along patrilineally. In this part of the world, “family” is thought of as those who are directly related to us by blood; parents, grandparents, and siblings for example. While there can be members of a family who aren’t related by blood, they usually have a prefix before their title. Adding “adoptive” or “step” before a word like ‘sibling’ implies that while this person is considered part of the family, they don’t share a biological bond. The fact that this clarification is necessary highlights how deeply genetics are engrained into the definition of family in the eye’s of Western societies. Though the science of

Team sports are a perfect example of this take on “family.” Like a genetic family, you don’t get to choose your teammates. Sometimes you often spend more time with them than your ‘real’ family. And while you may not get along with everyone on your team, just like you may not have a strong relationship with everyone in your family, at the end of the day you have each other’s backs and want the best for each other if it’s best for the group as a whole. Respect, love, close relationships, and drama are all characteristics associated with a family which can also be applied to a team. In a way a team is hybrid of a traditional genetic family and the chosen families described by Weston. While you don’t get to choose who is on your team, like a biological family, you are making a choice to join that team and surround yourself with those people, like Weston’s LGBTQ