Family types

Family

The typical definition of a family is a married couple and their children living together.

Nuclear Family

A family consisting of a mother, father, and their child/children, often referred to as the 'cereal packet' family.

Extended Family

A family that includes relatives beyond the nuclear family, such as grandparents living in the same household.

Horizontally Extended Family

A family with parents and children living with other relatives of the same generation, such as aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Modified Extended Family

An extended family that has close ties but does not all live together.

Beanpole Family

A multigenerational family with 1 or 2 children in each generation, resulting in a tall and thin family tree.

Reconstituted Family

Also known as ‘step family’; consists of parents and children where one parent may be a social parent, not the biological parent.

Lone-Parent Family

A family consisting of children living with only one parent.

Primary Socialisation

The process by which infants and young children absorb the basic norms and values of their culture.

Cereal Packet Family

The stereotypical nuclear family of mother, father, and children with traditional gender roles often shown in advertisements.

Family Functions

The roles the family plays and for whom, according to functionalist theory.

Feminism

A theoretical perspective focused on issues of gender inequality and the position of women in the family and society.

Patriarchy

A term used by feminists to describe societies where men are dominant and women are subordinate.

Functionalist Perspective on the Family

Views the family as a fundamental institution that promotes societal values and benefits its members.

Warm Bath Theory

Functionalist claim that home life is like a ‘warm bath’ that soaks away external stresses.

George Murdock

A Functionalist who argued that the family is found in all societies and performs the same functions everywhere.

Regulation of Sexual Activity

One of Murdock's roles of the family; it ensures long-term cooperation and stability among couples.

Reproduction

A role of the family that ensures the continuation of society through the birth of children.

Economic Support and Sexual Division of Labour

Murdock's role where men typically serve as breadwinners and women as nurturers.

Stabilisation of Adult Personalities

A key function of the family providing emotional support for adults to cope with life's stresses, vital for societal order.