Socail studies

• The family is a group of people living together under the same roof who are related by blood, marriage or adoption
• Types of families


  • Nuclear family
  • Single-parent family
  • Sibling family
  • Reorganized/blended/reconstituted family
  • Extended family
• Nuclear family


  Consists of both parents and a child or children living together under the same roof
• Single-parent family


  Only one parent lives with the child or children
• Sibling family


  Both parents are absent and an older sibling lives with and takes care of the younger ones
• Reorganized/blended/reconstituted family


  One original family (mother or father with a child/children) forms a new family with another male or female
• Extended family


  Two or more generations living together in the same household
• Functions of the family

  • Socialization
  • Procreation
  • Economic unit
  • Psychological and emotional development
• Socialization


  Children are taught how to function in society, right from wrong, appropriate and inappropriate behaviours, rules, responsibilities, and basic survival skills
• Procreation


  The continuation of the human race, the family is responsible for having babies and bringing new life into the world
• Family as an economic unit


  The family must take care of its members' needs and wants, providing for basic needs like food and shelter
• Family as a social unit


  The family is responsible for the psychological and emotional development of each family member, providing someone to talk to and help solve problems
• Family unions


  • Legal marriage/monogamy
  • Common-law union
  • Visiting relationship
• Legal marriage/monogamy


  A marriage between one man and one woman, recognized by law
• Common-law union


  A man and woman living together for 5 years or more without being legally married
• Visiting relationship


  A man and woman in a relationship but they don't live together, they visit each other for money, sex or to see their children
• Traditional family roles


  • Father as breadwinner and disciplinarian, main decision maker
  • Mother as stay-at-home domestic worker, caretaker of children, satisfier of husband's sexual needs
  • Children doing chores and babysitting
  • Grandparents providing advice and babysitting
• Traditional family roles have changed over time due to women seeking higher education and employment, leading to men becoming marginalized and the family suffering
• Some benefits of changing family roles include men gaining a sense of independence and importance from working, but disadvantages include children not receiving as much emotional and psychological support from stay-at-home parents
• Technology and labour-saving devices have also contributed to changing family roles
• There are now stay-at-home dads and families where both parents work and share domestic duties
• Preparing for parenthood requires careful consideration of the physical, financial, emotional and psychological readiness, as well as having the necessary knowledge and skills
• Laws exist to protect family members from abuse, inheritance issues, and other external influences
• Bigamy


  Being married to someone while still legally married to another person
• General solutions for family issues include meetings, public education campaigns, and counselling
• Social issue


  An undesirable behavior that three-quarters of a population looks down at as being wrong and is generally viewed as a problem that is not easily solved
• Examples of social issues

  • Juvenile delinquency
  • Street children
  • Sexually transmitted infections
  • Substance abuse
  • Human trafficking
  • Alternative lifestyles
  • Child abuse
  • Incest
  • Domestic abuse
  • Desertion
  • Poverty
• Juvenile delinquency


  Antisocial and sometimes criminal behavior carried out by young people under the age of 18
• Causes of juvenile delinquency

  • Lack of love at home leading to seeking love in gangs
  • Negative influence from peers
  • Dysfunctional family relationships and constant fighting
  • Belief that the behavior is acceptable in society
• Juvenile delinquency


  Can impact the family by giving them a bad reputation, draining their financial resources, and influencing younger siblings to also become delinquents
• Counseling


  A universal solution for social issues to help resolve the underlying problem
• Solutions for juvenile delinquency

  1. Counseling to talk about feelings and get to the root of the problem

  2. Encouraging the child to join a sports team or learn martial arts to channel their energy positively

  3. Family communication and encouragement to choose a better lifestyle
• Teenage pregnancy


  When a child under the age of 20 becomes pregnant
• Causes of teenage pregnancy

  • Lack of contraceptive information or education
  • Belief in myths and misconceptions about pregnancy
  • Peer pressure and influence to be sexually active
• Teenage pregnancy


  Can lead to the female dropping out of school, the male needing to get a job to support the baby, emotional and psychological strain, and financial strain on the family
• Solutions for teenage pregnancy

  1. Abstinence

  2. Proper use of contraceptive methods like condoms, birth control pills, injections, and the morning-after pill

  3. Counseling and support for the pregnant teenager from family and community
• Group


  A number of people who interact frequently, share common interests, share a feeling of unity, work towards a common goal or objective, and have common expectations of behavior that conform to established guidelines
• Characteristics of a group

  • Frequent interaction
  • Shared common interests
  • Shared feeling of unity
  • Work towards common goal/objective
  • Common expectations of behavior that conform to established guidelines
• Primary group


  Usually categorized by small size and frequent, high-quality interaction. Members see each other relatively often and are familiar with each other.
• Secondary group


  Usually larger than a primary group, with less frequent interaction and less intimacy.