Forms of family

• Monogamy


  This type of marriage:

  - Two individuals

  - Found in Europe, the USA and most Christian cultures.
• Serial monogamy


  This type of marriage:

  - A series of monogamous marriage

  - Found in Europe, the USA where there are high rates of divorce and remarriage.
• Arranged marriage


  This type of marriage:

  - Arrange by parents to match their children with partners of similar background and status

  - Found in the Indian subcontinent and Muslim, Sikh and Hindu minority ethnic groups in Britain
• Civil Partnership


  This type of marriage:

  - Gives a legal recognition to relationships of same-sex couples.

  - Equal treatment to married couples in a wide range of legal matters.

  - In 2010 gay and lesbian couples were legally enabled to marry on the same basic as different sex couples.
• Polygamy


  This type of marriage:

  - marriage to more than one partner at a time

  - includes polyandry and polygyny
• Polygyny


  This type of marriage:

  - One husband and two or more wives

  - Found in Islamic countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia
• Polyandry


  This type of marriage:

  - One wide and two ore more husbands

  - Found in Tibet, among the Todas of Southern India and among the Marquesan Islanders
• Nuclear family


  This family

  - Two generations

  - Parents and children living in same household
• Extended family


  This family

  - All kin including and beyond the nuclear family

  - (Grandparents, cousins, aunt and uncles).
• Classic extended family


  This family

  - An extended family sharing the same household or living near each other.
• Modified extended family


  This family

  - An extended family living far apart

  - Keeps in touch by phone, letters, email, network websites such as Facebook an frequent visits.
• Beanpole family


  This family

  - A multi-generational extended family

  - long and thin

  - Not many aunt/uncle and cousin (due to decline in children being born in each generation)

  - People living longer leading to grandparents and great grandparents (due to ageing population)
• Patriarchal family


  This family

  - Authority held by males
• Matriarchal family


  This family

  - Authority held by females
• Symmetrical family


  This family

  - Authority and households task shared between male and female partners

  - joint conjugal roles
• Reconstituted family


  This family

  - Also known as step-family OR blended family

  - one or both partners previously married, which children of previous relationships.
• Lone-parent family


  This family

  - Single parent with children

  - most common after divorce or separation

  - (although could arise from death of a partner or unwillingness to marry or cohabit).
• Gay or lesbian family

  This family

  - Same sex couple living together with children
• Single person household


  This household

  - An individual living alone