Family and Household

1
Chapter 20

• Family and Household

2
Chapter Outline

• What is the family?
• What is the difference between family and
  household?
• What are some of the challenges of family and
  household organization?

3
Family

• In 1950, 60 of all U.S. households conformed to
  the nuclear family model.
• Today, only 26 of U.S. households conform to
  the independent nuclear family ideal.
• In the U.S. 28 of women have experienced
  domestic violence, and 10 are killed by their
  batterers every day.

4
Functions of the Family

• Nurturance of children.
• Economic cooperation.
• Provide child with models from whom they can
  learn gender appropriate roles.

5
Definition of the Family

• A group composed of a woman and her dependent
  children, with at least one adult man joined
  through marriage or blood relationship.
• In most societies, families constitute households
  or households are built around families.

6
Households

• Basic residential units that implement
• Economic production
• Consumption
• Inheritance
• Child rearing
• Shelter

7
Five Basic Residence Patterns

• Patrilocal
• Matrilocal
• Ambilocal
• Neolocal
• Avunculocal

8
Family Organization and Problems

• Polygamous families - potential conflict among
  spouses of the individual to whom they are
  married.
• Polyandrous families - older husbands are apt to
  dominate the younger ones.

9
Family Organization and Problems

• Extended families - decisions are made by an
  older individual whose views may not coincide
  with those of the younger family members.
• Nuclear families - husbands and wives must work
  out their own solutions to the problems of living
  together and having children.

10
Female-Headed Households

• 1970s
• 45 households were nuclear families.
• 4.7 households were single parent families.
• 1998
• 26 households were nuclear families.
• 18.2 households were single parent families.