Social Studies

• Family


  A basic unit within most human societies, a group of people who share certain connections and attachments, usually related by blood or through a particular form of relationship like marriage
• Family


  • Members usually share the same residence
• Basic functions of the family

  • Unit of procreation
  • Unit for socialisation of individuals
  • Economic unit for satisfying basic needs
  • Social unit for satisfying emotional and psychological needs
• Procreation


  The process of producing offspring, allowing a society to continue by replacing those who die or migrate
• Procreation does not take place only in a family situation, but many people argue that a family provides the best environment in which to raise children
• Socialisation


  Developing an attitude in children and young people that encourages them to make a useful contribution in society
• What children learn in the family


  • Accepted behaviours in society, values, attitudes and aspects of culture
  • How inappropriate behaviour receives sanctions
  • Their roles and responsibilities
  • Basic skills
• Family as an economic unit

  Different family members take on different roles and responsibilities, share out the workload and pool resources to meet basic needs
• Family as a social unit


  Provides environment to meet emotional and psychological needs, gives a sense of identity and belonging
• How governments and other organisations assist the family


  • Welfare payments
  • Facilities like day nurseries
  • Feeding programmes
  • Counselling programmes
  • Foster homes
  • Care services
• Nuclear family


  A father and mother who, together with their children, share a dwelling
• Extended family


  Extends beyond the limits of a nuclear family, includes individuals from more than two generations and a wider range of kinship relations
• Sibling family


  Both parents are absent, with older siblings taking on the role of parents
• In Caribbean society, extended families have important functions such as providing childcare when parents are at work or away from home
• If a person chooses a partner from within their own ethnic group, tribe, religion or class, this is known as endogamy
• If the partner is chosen from outside these groups, this is known as exogamy
• Nuclear family


  A father and mother who, together with their children, share a dwelling. The children can be the biological offspring of one or both parents or they may be adopted.
• Extended family


  One that extends beyond the limits of a nuclear family, including individuals from more than two generations and a wider range of kinship relations, such as aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and grandparents.
• Sibling family


  Both parents are absent because of migration, imprisonment or death, and an older brother or sister takes care of younger siblings and manages the upkeep and maintenance of the dwelling.
• Single-parent family


  Only one parent is present, in most cases the mother.
• Emerging family patterns


  Changes in society produce changes in family types and structures, such as women choosing to live alone and give birth to or adopt children, and families including children who are adopted, belong to only one of the partners, or are born to a surrogate mother.
• Family unions


  • Legal marriage
  • Consensual/common law union
  • Visiting relationships
• Legal marriage


  A lawfully recognised union between a man and a woman, where the married couple will usually share the same residence. Traditionally, marriage has been seen as the ideal environment in which sexual relations can occur.
• Monogamy


  A form of marriage in which a person has only one wife or husband at one time.
• Polygamy


  A person may have more than one wife or husband at the same time. Polygyny is where a man has more than one wife, and polyandry is where a woman has more than one husband.
• Bigamy


  When someone marries another person while a previous marriage still exists.
• Visiting relationship


  The man and woman are not married and do not share the same residence although they do have sexual relations.
• Consensual/common law union


  A man and woman are not legally married but they do share a common residence and also have sexual relations.
• Family tree


  A chart that shows the names and relationships of different generations of the same family.
• Clara is now heading a sibling family after the death of her parents
• Problems faced in a sibling family


  • Responsibility of bringing up younger siblings
  • Dreams of becoming a doctor turned to dust
• Other causes of sibling families apart from death of parents include migration and imprisonment
• Conflict between parents


  • A wife may be in conflict with her husband if he is not: assisting with the housework, assisting with raising the children, contributing enough to the family's expenses, being open and honest, spending enough 'quality time' with her
  • A husband may be in conflict with his wife if she is not: keeping the household tidy, preparing sufficient wholesome food for the family, effectively socialising children, being open and honest, spending enough 'quality time' with him
• Conflict between parents and children

  Children can be in conflict with their parents if they are not: doing their share of household chores, obeying rules, conforming to household values and attitudes
• Generation gap


  The fact that the generations may have different ideas about the way things should be done
• Reasons for conflict due to generation gap


  • Parents and children have different ideas and values
  • Parents want their children to follow their way but children do not always agree
  • Children often think their parents' ideas are old fashioned
• An individual's status in society is the social role they have
• Change in the status of women


  A result of changes in attitudes within society regarding aspects of equality, women's rights and the way in which women are viewed
• Changes in the status of women


  • Women are no longer seen as being less important or subordinate to men
  • Women have challenged their traditional gender roles in a household and demand a greater involvement in decision-making
  • Women have rights to equal educational and employment opportunities and to equal pay for equal work
• Choice of employment for women

  • Women are no longer seen as being solely responsible for the home and there is greater sharing with men of household chores and childrearing activities. This allows them more possibilities to seek employment.
  • It is more acceptable for a woman to share the role of breadwinner in a household. The high cost of living sometimes means it is necessary for a woman to have paid work. A single mother is often the sole breadwinner in a family.
  • Employment that has been traditionally male, for example construction, is increasingly open to women.