4.1: Different Types of Families Notes:

Different Family Structures

Nuclear Family

• Two parents + dependent children.

  • Strengths: stability, clear roles, economic support.

  • Limitations: isolated, less support from wider kin (one's family or relation).

Extended Family

• Relatives beyond nuclear unit.

• Modified extended: relatives live apart but stay connected.

• Horizontal: siblings and their families living together.

• Vertical/beanpole: multiple generations (grandparents, parents, children).

  • Strengths: emotional/financial support, childcare.

  • Limitations: conflict between generations, less privacy.

Reconstituted Family

• Step‑families formed after divorce/remarriage.

  • Strengths: can provide stability and new support.

  • Limitations: role confusion, conflict between step‑siblings.

Lone Parent Family

• One parent raising children.

  • Strengths: independence, strong bond with children.

  • Limitations: financial strain, social stigma.

Empty Nest Family

• Parents whose children have grown up and left home.

  • Strengths: more freedom, financial stability.

  • Limitations: loneliness, loss of parental role.

Childless Family

• Couples without children (by choice or circumstance).

  • Strengths: more time/resources for careers, lifestyle.

  • Limitations: may face social pressure or isolation.

Other Types

• Polygamous family: one person with multiple spouses.

• Same‑sex family: two parents of the same gender raising children.

  • Strengths: diversity, challenges traditional norms.

  • Limitations: may face discrimination depending on society.

Variations and Diversity in the Family

• Cross‑cultural: family structures differ worldwide (e.g. polygamy in some African/Asian societies, nuclear dominance in Western societies).

• Social class: middle‑class families often emphasize education/career while working‑class families may rely more on extended kin.

• Ethnicity: cultural traditions shape family roles (e.g. collectivist vs. individualist values).

Sociological Views on Family Diversity

New Right:

• Nuclear family is ideal.

• Diversity (lone parent, same‑sex) seen as dysfunctional → breakdown of social order.

Postmodernists:

• Diversity is positive → freedom of choice, multiple lifestyles.

• Families reflect individual needs, not fixed structures.

Extent of diversity:

• Nuclear family still dominant in many societies, but diversity is increasing due to social change.

Alternatives to the Family

• Single person households: individuals living alone, often young adults or elderly.

• Shared households: unrelated people living together (students, friends).

• Friends as family: close friendships providing emotional support, replacing traditional kinship.

Variations in Types of Marriage

• Arranged marriage: chosen by families, often based on tradition or religion.

• Empty shell marriage: couple stays together without love, often for children or social reasons.

• Love marriage: chosen freely by partners based on affection.

• Monogamy: one partner at a time.

• Serial monogamy: multiple marriages over a lifetime, but one at a time.

• Polygamy: one person with multiple spouses.

• Same‑sex marriage: legal recognition of marriage between partners of the same gender.

NOTES DONE BY FARIDA SABET

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