Sociology Megan Bassett 12o
Unit 1: Family and Households
There are many different types of families within society. Which means it is very difficult to define the word. One way in which people may define the word family is ‘It involves a monogamous marriage between a man and a woman plus their children all sharing the same residence’. This is a very traditional way to view a family and over time this definition has expanded, therefore there are many other different families which do not come under this definition; however they are still a family. A way we can see that the definition of family is changing is through the article ‘Dictionary redefines marriage…husband and wife could be next’. In this article it talks about redefining the definition of family and now including the aspect of gay marriages and children as a family. This shows how society is changing and now accepting new definitions of family into the dictionary and changing their views on what is considered to be a family. The main functions of a family are to support each other throughout life, from emotional support to financial support. A family is typically very loving and caring towards their other members. However this isn’t always the case, an example of this would be The IK of Northern Uganda. Their view of family is very different from most peoples. They don’t believe in family and believe that you should be able to fend for yourself, after giving birth the mother raises the child until the age of 3 then leaves them in a field dropping them to the ground and laughing at their pain. I believe this different view off family is mainly because of the different living circumstances. As they have a much difficult way of living and have to fight for food and water to keep them alive and if anyone (family) are holding them back then they won’t be able to survive therefore they leave the sick and ill so they can survive themselves