Varities of Family in Different Cultures

Varities of Family in Different Cultures

1. The development of the nuclear family can be contributed to many factors and influences in historical Europe and North America. We see the first emergence when the Roman Catholic Church began to prohibit and discourage close marriages, adoptions, polygyny, divorce, and remarriage. This resulted in many families without male heirs. Thus, large amounts of property were transferred to the Catholic Church.

The nuclear family became even more developed in North America during the industrialization. A mobile work force was needed and families became a separate sanction from the public world. The work place was viewed as a temporary and competitive relationship, in contrast to the love and emotional relationship within families. Thus, smaller families made this 2-part life possible within society.

But with current divorce rates, single hood, and intolerance to pressure from family, only 26% of U.S. households conform to the idea of a nuclear family.

2. Conjugal families consists of a husband(s), wife(s), and their offspring. This relationship is based on marriage alone. An example of this would be a nuclear family. In contrast, a consanguineal family consists only of women with her brothers and offspring. The book mentions the Tory Islanders as an example of consanguineal families.

In North America, the most familiar and viewed as “standard” form of family is the nuclear family. In a nuclear family, a child becomes independent and leaves after a certain age and takes care of his/her family in turn. The family itself is independent from other families. And example would be the Inuit. The harsh environment of Artic requires that both husband and wife work together to survive by searching for food, cooking, make repairs, and taking care of the children.

Before the current independent nuclear family was the extended family (some still exist today). This might include grandparents, other brothers/sisters, and mothers/fathers all in one big family. This can be seen in a farming family where a lot of labor work is necessary. Thus, an extended family makes it possible to divide up. From this we see that reasons for an extended family can be merely economical.

3. Nuclear families occur in American families because the industrial society requires men and women to go out into the world and work. It also requires the mobility to adjust to new work places.