TLE 120 Home Management Family Relations | Christopher Espero

THE FAMILY AND THE COMMUNITY

The Family

A family is a group of people related by blood, marriage or adoption and living

together in the same house.

Family Patterns:

There are Three (3) Main Types of Families:

1. The Nuclear or Companionship family - a group of persons consisting of

parents and children.

2. The Extended, Joint or Institutional family - grandparents, parents, aunts,

uncles and other persons who are closely related.

3. The Single parent family consists of one parent raising one or more children
on their own. Often, a single parent family is a mother with her children,
although there are single fathers as well. The single parent family is the biggest
change society has seen in terms of the changes in family structure, in recent
time.

(a)

(b)

(c)

Fig. 1.1
(a) The nuclear family
(b) The extended, joint or institutional family
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TLE 120 Home Management Family Relations | Christopher Espero

(c) The single parent family

The nuclear is the type found in the Western World. The extended family
is the type practiced in most developing countries and in predominantly
Muslim areas. It is usually large and kinship ties are strong. The single parent
family occurs as a result of separation or divorce between mother and father or
the death of either parent.

Other Forms of Family

Reconstituted Family

A Reconstituted Family (also known as a blended family) is the

sociological term for the joining of two adults via marriage or cohabitation, who
have children from previous relationships. Reconstituted families are becoming
more prevalent.

A Sibling family

A sibling household consists of children living by themselves due to the

death of their parents or as a result of their parents abandoning them. The
eldest usually is the most responsible individual and he or she works and
provides for the younger children.

(a)

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(b)

TLE 120 Home Management Family Relations | Christopher Espero

Fig. 1.2 (a) The Reconstituted Family
(b) The Sibling Family

Functions of the Family

The functions of a family vary from country to country and are very
much influenced by culture. Common family functions are:

1. Reproducing to continue life and the family line.

2. Caring for the young and the aged, both groups are dependent on others.
3. Giving love and security.
4. Creating a feeling of belonging.
5. Shaping behavior patterns of children.
6. Passing on traditions and cultures.
7. Teaching respect for authority.
8. Supervising basic learning.
9. Teaching roles of the different members of the family.
10.
Giving moral, financial and social support.
11.
Acquiring and passing on property.
12.
Fitting individual members of the family into the system of their
society.

Roles and Responsibilities of Family Members

Years ago few women went to work. They were responsible for almost all
the house work - cleaning, cooking, laundering, child minding and sewing for
the family. These duties left them with little time for social activities. The man's
role was mainly to give financial support to the family and to enforce discipline
on the children. At present women find it necessary to go out to work and this
has to an extent altered family roles and patterns. Women are able to make
financial contributions towards the maintenance of the home.

Ideally everyone should have a share in the family activities.

When

family responsibilities are shared among members, the more likelihood there is
of having a happy and contented family. There should be a division of labor.

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TLE 120 Home Management Family Relations | Christopher Espero

Men, women and children can contribute according to:

age and abilities

health
occupation
time spent at home
involvement in the community

The success of sharing family work lies in wise planning. First of all the
mother and father must decide upon the duties to be carried out in the home.
They must assign such duties to members of the family.
Family Life Cycle

Every individual recognizes two or three important landmarks in their

life. These are birth, marriage and death. Within the human cycle emerges the
family cycle which has three distinct phases.

The first phase is usually referred to as the "beginning family". It is the

time when two people marry and set the foundation for a happy family life.
Relationships are built up and long term goals are made.

The second phase is the time when children are born or adopted into the
family. The family relationships increase. Money is spent to care for the
children. There is great need for management of all resources.

The third phase is the stage when children are old enough to leave home
either to begin a new family or to take up jobs away from home. Parents need to
learn to adjust to the new situation and can live a perfectly satisfactory life.
They may be involved in leisure activities. Such is the life cycle of a nuclear or
companionship family.

The life cycle of an extended family is slightly different. There is the

contracting period when the younger ones marry and leave home or go away to
further their studies.
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TLE 120 Home Management Family Relations | Christopher Espero

Older members of the family help with cooking, mending and the like,
and general supervision of the home. They are looked at for advice in any
important family matter, one of which is consumer practices.

Fig. 1.3 the Family Cycle

FAMILY STAGE

1.

2.

Beginning

Expanding

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SUBSTAGE

DEMAND ON INCOME

Period of establishment

Light to heavy

Childbearing and pre-

Heavy

school/Nursery
Primary High school,

Light to heavy

Secondary School,

Heavy

College and University

Very heavy

TLE 120 Home Management Family Relations | Christopher Espero

Vocational adjustment of
3.

Contracting

children
Financial recovery and
Launching retirement

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Heavy
Light or heavy
Lightest