Family

• Family


  A group of people living under the same roof. Made up of mother and father who are intimately involved or a single parent, and their child or children, whether by birth or adoption
• Family tree


  A diagram used to show the relationships among family members. Older people are shown at the top and younger people at the bottom. Persons of the same generation are shown on the same horizontal line
• Family types


  • Extended family
  • Joint family household
  • Single parent families
  • Nuclear family
  • Reconstituted/Reconstructed family
  • Patriarchal Family
  • Matriarchal Family
  • Equalitarian Family
  • Matrifocal Family
  • Patrifocal Family
  • Matrilineal
  • Patrilineal
  • Bilineal
  • Breadwinner
  • Kinship
  • Consanguine
  • Conjugal
• Types of Union


  • Legal marriage
  • Common-law/Consensual union
  • Visiting relationship
  • Divorce
  • Legal separation
  • Annulment
  • Inheritance
• Advantages


  Positive aspects of family types
• Disadvantages


  Negative aspects of family types
• Functions of the family


  • Maslow's Hierarchy of needs
• Factors that assist in preparation for parenthood


  • Education
  • Employment
  • Housing which is adequate and comfortable
  • Emotional maturity
  • A peaceful and loving relationship
  • Family planning
  • Contraceptive
• Characteristics of effective parents

  • Characteristics of effective parents
• Forms of marriage


  • Polygyny
  • Polygamy
  • Polyandry
  • Monogamy
• The law protects families in the following situations


  • Law requiring registration and nationality for children
  • Legal age legislation regarding schooling, consent to sexual relationships, employment, marriage
  • Protecting against abuse and neglect
  • Requiring provision for basic needs of children: maintenance
  • Allowing the state to take custody of the child if necessary
  • Provisions for the disabled and other children with special needs
  • Protecting victims of domestic violence
  • Legal separation and divorce: inheritance
• Traditional roles assigned to men


  • Head of the household
  • Breadwinner
  • Disciplinarian
  • Protector
  • Final decision-maker
• Traditional roles assigned to women


  • Counsellor
  • Attending to the religious needs of the family
  • Domestic duties (cooking, washing, cleaning)
  • Socializing agent
  • Child rearing
  • Supplement family income
• Ways in which roles have changed


  • Both parents are now bread winners
  • Decision making is more equitable
  • Household duties are no longer the sole duty of the female members
  • Grandparents are less likely to be involved
• Positive effects of changing roles


  • Greater level of equality among men and women
  • Greater self esteem, confidence and independence among women
  • Children more independent and self-reliant
  • Families more outgoing and tolerant
  • Greater help financially with both partners working
• Negative effects of changing roles


  • Latch-key children, left unsupervised for long periods
  • Less time spent together
  • Greater reliance on external help
  • The double burden
  • Identity crisis
  • Role conflict
  • Male marginalization
• Social issues


  Questions which are discussed within a society. No negative connotation is implied.
• Social problems


  A term used to describe many conditions in society that result in undesirable behaviours. These behaviours lead to social disorganization, and therefore create a need for change by deliberate social action on the part of the government or other groups in the society.
• Examples of social problems


  • Teenage pregnancy
  • Street children
  • Substance abuse
  • Juvenile delinquency
  • Sexually transmitted infections
  • Child abuse
  • Domestic violence
  • Trafficking in persons
• Types of abuse


  • Substance abuse
  • Verbal abuse
  • Physical abuse
  • Sexual abuse
  • Neglect
• Sexually Transmitted Infections


  • GENITAL HERPES: Itching or tingling of the genital region, followed by very painful sores that last a few days to a few weeks; may also involve headache and fever. Outbreaks are usually recurrent and painful; other parts of the body may be affected. No known cure; treatment with an antiviral drug makes outbreaks less severe.
  • CHLAMYDIA: Possible yellowish vaginal discharge, painful urination, lower abdominal pain; spotting after sex or bleeding between periods; may have no symptoms at all. If untreated, may cause Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), or scarred fallopian tubes, which may result in ectopic (tubal) pregnancy or infertility. Antibiotics.
  • GONORRHEA: Possible vaginal discharge and burning or pain on urination; may be no symptoms at all. Same as Chlamydia. Antibiotics.
  • SYPHILIS: Stage 1: possibly painless sore on infection site and swollen glands. Stage 2: skin rash on hands or soles of feet lasting several months. Stage 3: Heart, nervous system, and other internal organs may be affected. If untreated, may cause health problems involving internal organs, and sometimes eventually death. Antibiotics.
  • HIV/AIDS: Internal infection with HIV may have no symptoms. Eventually various infections develop. Within 3-5 years of infection without antiretroviral drugs, opportunistic infections may occur. If left untreated, will reduce life expectancy. No known cure, drug treatment improves survival rate.
• Effects of social problems


  • Effects on the individual: affect health, affect work or school, affect relationships with others
  • Effects on the family: cause conflict and unhappiness, prevent family from meeting basic needs
  • Effects on the society: make society unsettled and unstable, expensive to government, reduces productivity of labour force
• Strategies for dealing with social problems


  • Formal and informal education
  • Individual and community efforts
  • Passing laws and rules
  • Spending money on prevention and curative measures
• Culture


  All the customs, ideas, behaviors, and beliefs of a society that have been passed on from generation to generation
• Factors contributing to cultural diversity in the Caribbean


  • Various points of ancestral origin
  • Influences from the colonial powers
  • Influence from the mass media
  • Influences from nearby countries e.g. USA
• Ways culture is protected and preserved


  • Governmental organisations
  • Non-governmental organisations
  • Celebrations and cultural events
  • Exhibitions and archiving
  • Teaching in schools and groups
• an extended family includes grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins etc.
• a nuclear family consists of two parents and their children
• the family is the basic unit of society
• a nuclear family consists of parents and children only
• the traditional family structure was based around the father being the breadwinner and mother as homemaker
• in modern times there are more single parent families where one person takes care of all responsibilities
• in modern times there has been an increase in single parent families (usually mothers)
• blended families are formed when one or both partners remarry following divorce/separation
• Polygyny


  Form of marriage where the man has multiple wives
• Polygamy 


  Form of marriage where on man or woman has multiple spouses
• Polyandry


  Form of marriage where on woman has mul husbands