Define the Term Family and Describe Two Different Types of Families.

J Family Med Prim Care. 2013 Oct-Dec; two(4): 306–310.

The Family and Family unit Structure Nomenclature Redefined for the Current Times

Rahul Sharma

Section of Community Medicine, Academy College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi, India

Abstract

The family is a bones unit of study in many medical and social scientific discipline disciplines. Definitions of family unit take varied from country to country, and besides within country. Because of this and the changing realities of the current times, in that location is a felt demand for redefining the family and the common family unit structure types, for the purpose of report of the family as a cistron in wellness and other variables of interest. A redefinition of a "family unit" has been proposed and various nuances of the definition are also discussed in detail. A classification scheme for the various types of family has also been put forward. A few infrequent case scenarios have been envisaged and their classification as per the new scheme is discussed, in a bid to clarify the classification scheme farther. The proposed scheme should prove to exist of utilize across various countries and cultures, for broadly classifying the family structure. The unique scenarios of particular cultures can exist taken into business relationship by defining region or civilisation-specific subtypes of the overall types of family structure.

Keywords: Classification, definition, family, family structure, types of family

Introduction

The family unit equally an integrated and functional unit of measurement of society has for a considerable menses of time captured the attention and imagination of researchers.[1] While the family unit itself is a matter of study, equally important for research is its role as a factor influencing and affecting the development, behavior, and well-beingness of the individual. The family is a bones unit of study in many social science disciplines, such every bit sociology, psychology, economics, anthropology, social psychiatry, and social piece of work.[2] It is also a unit of written report in the medical sciences particularly in understanding the epidemiology and the natural history of diseases. It also forms the basic unit of measurement for family unit medicine. Census definitions of family unit take varied from state to country and besides from demography to census inside country. The word household has often been used as a replacement for family. Using the definition every bit "all people living in one household" may exist erroneous, as on ane manus it may include people who exercise not share kinship, and on other hand may exclude those kin members who are temporarily away.[3] This blazon of definition fails to identify units that function as families in an economic, social or emotional sense but do not usually reside in the same household.[4] Although the literature oftentimes focuses on family living arrangements, family unit membership includes obligations across and betwixt generations, no affair where family members are living.[v]

The UNESCO report stated that a family is a kinship unit and that even when its members practice non share a common household, the unit may exist equally a social reality.[3] This definition may exist besides broad to serve the purpose of identification of a family unit unit for the purpose of assessment every bit a gene in variables such as health. Just to give an example, a family in a developing country has a son living in the USA, happily married at that place with a married woman, and he sends across some money to the other family members back home occasionally and visits the country once in many years. Should he still be counted as a member of the original family unit? Does this person (and his wife) share the same risks to their immediate health as the other family members dorsum in the shared household? Would this individual and his dependants in the new surroundings have access to the aforementioned kind of health care options every bit the other family members living in the country of birth? And would the offspring of this person born in the foreign land experience the same sociocultural and environmental exposures, as (south)he would take come into contact with growing upward in the country of origin?

Trask[6] observed that while in the past, locale mattered, today social relationships are maintained over great distances with ease. Global communications such as the internet, e-mail, and satellite linkups are facilitating these relationships over infinite and time. Withal, keeping in heed the previous pertinent questions that are raised if we want to consider the "family" as a factor influencing and interacting with other variable characteristics (such as health, environment, social behavior, etc.), the scales are withal tilted toward defining the family as people ordinarily sharing a common living surface area. The significant of the term "family" also depends on whether it is being interpreted in a social, biological, cultural, or statistical sense.[4] It is of import to identify a family unit and the members constituting the unit, for the purpose of studying their health, for instance.

Demand for Redefining

Desai (1994), as cited in Sonawat[2] divers the family equally a unit of 2 or more than persons united by marriage, blood, adoption, or consensual wedlock, in full general consulting a single household, interacting and communicating with each other. While the definition is mostly fine, the interacting and communicating with each other may be a difficult matter to elicit or determine. An existing textbook of the medical specialty of customs medicine makes it more objective by defining the interdependence office as "individuals living together and eating from a mutual kitchen."[7] It considers and defines iii types of families: Nuclear, joint, and iii generation families. Withal, applied feel in community has shown that these categories are not mutually exhaustive.

There are several new social dynamics and realities emerging with fourth dimension. For example, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 of Republic of india recognizes and provides protection to female living in a relationship in the nature of a wedlock with a male partner.[viii] Family research provides insight into the construction of guild and the changes taking place in the types, limerick, and growth of families.[iv] Families can be classified in several different dimensions, for example, by union type (monogamous, polygamous), past location (patrilocal, matrilocal, and avunculocal), potency (patriarchy, matriarchy), and past kin composition (nuclear, joint).[iii] In the present new classification, only the kin limerick has been taken into account. Adjectives tin exist added to define the family every bit per marriage type or by locus of residence or authority.

In a social sense people may encounter themselves equally being members of several families, as members of families with their parents and siblings and also members of families that they have formed themselves.[4] Withal, in the current proposed classification for the purpose of family unit, the view is that an individual volition in usual circumstance vest to one family only in a given role.

Because of the multitude of definitions of "family" and the changing realities of the current times, there is a felt need for redefining the family and the common types, for the purpose of study of the family every bit a factor in health and other variables of involvement. The post-obit definition of a "family" is hence proposed:

"People related by union, nativity, consanguinity or legal adoption, who share a common kitchen and financial resource on a regular footing."

Nuances of the Definition

The family will comprise of people unremarkably living in the same house, unless piece of work, written report, imprisonment, confinement, foreign sojourn, or whatsoever other exigencies hogtie a fellow member to temporarily alive abroad from the shared house. Members who have been disowned legally will stop to be members of the family unit. Members living away from the physical premises of the shared house, who are not expected to render back to living in the house in the future, will also stop to be considered as members of this family, even though they may exist sharing financial resources.

Common kitchen does not only mean only sharing of a physical infrastructure of a kitchen, but also sharing of mutual cooked meals in the kitchen. In such families where sets of members share the kitchen together simply do not share fiscal resources, and those where sets of members share financial resource but exercise non share the kitchen together, the different sets of members should be counted every bit unlike families. Regarding common financial resources of the family, it is the sharing that is more important than contributing. An unmarried relative may be there who is not earning and thus non contributing economically to the family pocketbook, but will be counted toward the family if (s)he is sharing the family financial resources.

The term "on a regular footing" in the definition, is left open up-ended deliberately. In some families, people may have had tiffs and stopped sharing nutrient together for a period of fourth dimension that may be few days, few weeks, or few months. Subsequently what menstruation of time do we say that they stop comprising a single family? Similar dilemma is at that place for a time catamenia cutoff regarding nonsharing of financial resource. And a very of import aspect in this conclusion would be future intent, that is, whether the constituents think the differences are irrevocable or they think the possibility of getting together is there, any may be the period of nonsharing thus far. In instance of any doubt, it is best left to a subjective assessment of the individual family unit at hand. The researcher may directly inquire the constituents whether they even so consider themselves as belonging to a single mutual family or not. It has been noted earlier that family membership and obligations are subjective and tin can but be fully understood from the perspective of the family concerned.[five]

A student who goes to reside in any other city for few years of education and stays in a hostel, with guardians, or in a private accommodation, does not cease to be a part of the original family for those years, only because (s)he is not sharing the family's common kitchen. However, to be counted as a member of the original family unit, (s)he must continue to share in or receive money or other things of monetary value from the financial resources pool of the family. One of import caveat would be that the individual must accept the intent of returning to the original family unit in the future, unless compelled past needs of higher studies or job.

Some other case may exist of a immature adult fellow member of the family unit who has gone abroad for work, or who went abroad for higher educational activity and ends upward finding a vocation there. Such a person may visit dorsum on rare occasions to his or her family unit of origin, but is reasonably expecting to be staying put in the new location for the foreseeable time to come. Such a member would not then be exposed to the risk factors or the protective social factors common to the other members sharing a residence. So this person should be counted as belonging to a separate new family unit, irrespective of whether (s)he has married and irrespective of sharing of financial resources with the original family back home.

Biologically unrelated individuals living together in an institutional setting, for example, hostel, boarding schoolhouse, working women'southward hostel, and so on, or living together in a single house, volition exist counted as belonging to their family of origin or equally dissever family unit units (single individual families) as the example may be depending on their future intent. They will not be combined or considered together to form new family units. A person imprisoned for a known flow of time does non cease to be a fellow member of the original family unit (unless legally disowned by the head of the family, or by the next head of the family if (s)he happens to exist the head). This is because the person is expected to have the intent of returning to the original family unit as soon every bit the menses of confinement is over.

Classification Scheme for Family unit Structure

A new classification scheme for the various types of family structure is being proposed, keeping in mind the redefined "family." The various types of family nether the proposed classification scheme are detailed in the Table 1. The first step was to define the various types of family possible, which volition cover the myriad variations possible in the current times. And so came the question of coming up with suitable terms to characterization the categories of family unit types, and information technology was idea of to come up with a uniform terminology scheme-based on the archetype terms.

Table 1

The proposed classification of types of family unit

The word "nuclear" was picked upon, that represents a married couple every bit forming the "nucleus" of a family, as per existing classifications of family unit structure. Continuing with the word "nucleus," terms from the atomic globe were explored to extend the analogies to the family unit structure types. For example, a proton would be an incomplete nucleus, a solitary existence. Electrons would be something outside the nucleus, that is, a married couple (nucleus) is not there. An atom would be having a single nucleus only and maybe multiple electrons. 2 nuclei cannot be at that place in an atom, it would have to be a molecule. So the presence of two married couples makes a family unit "molecular." It may be clarified hither that terms from physics were called here but for the nomenclature of the proposed family unit types. This was done as the word "nuclear" was already beingness used. Use of these terms borrowed from physics is expected to aid in easier appreciation and recall of the various family types.

The archetype term of "joint family" has been retained to ascertain the complex sharing of resource past multiple couples. Notwithstanding, the traditional "joint family" has as well been redefined and has two different meanings depending on the number of generations present. Generally across diverse cultures, obligations to siblings are usually weaker than to parents.[5] This is the reason why the proposed definition of joint family considers different number of couples, depending on the number of generations involved. Two married brothers (or two sisters) living together with their respective families would authorize to exist termed as a joint family.

Information technology is a difficult task to categorize families according to any theoretical type or to generalize beyond or inside cultures.[v] An try has been made to effort to redefine the family as well as the types of family to keep upward with the irresolute times. Notwithstanding, equally per practical experience, the community throws up scenarios which may test any theoretical model of classification. Keeping this in mind, an exercise was washed to contemplate a few exceptional instance scenarios and hash out their classification as per the new model, in a bid to clarify the classification scheme further [Table ii].

Tabular array 2

Give-and-take of a few case scenarios and examples of classification as per the new scheme

Changing Family Dynamics in the Current Times

A newspaper on the structure of families in New Zealand over time has observed that the family is constantly irresolute and diversifying there. Same-sex couples have been included in the data, just they tin can exist identified every bit subsets of couple-only and two parent families. Certain types of family that are becoming more prevalent there include one-parent families and couple-only families.[4] As per the new classification, these types of families can be identified as Ii-Electron and Three-Nuclear family, respectively. The situation of a family with a married couple but and no children can be termed equally a "nuclear couple family unit", but information technology should be classified every bit a subtype of the nuclear family only and non every bit a split up blazon. Similarly, the sole-parent family can be identified as a subtype of an electron family (type Two).

Unlike a previous definition given past Desai, as cited in Sonawat,[2] "relationship by consensual union" has non been taken as 1 of the criteria for defining the family unit, in the basic definition proposed. As mentioned earlier, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 of India recognizes "domestic relationships in the nature of spousal relationship,"[8] simply the legal and social positions are withal evolving. However, in view of the social realities, a classification for families based upon such nuclear relationships has been put forward with the utilise of qualifier "quasi-" (blazon VII). Elliott and Gray[5] have as well discussed the gray zone caused by remarriage families (or "blended families" as they term information technology) in classification of families. In that location may be differences in both the emotional and financial support given to children between "natural" and "new" parents. Also, for many children, both their natural parents may play a very existent part in their lives fifty-fifty if they practise not live in the same household.[4] These are emerging social realities in the Indian context too. Simply, counting an private (e.g., the separated "natural" father/mother) in more one family may pb to factual mismatches and besides create lot of confusion. It is best to consider the remarriage family too as within the frame of the seven types of family unit set in the new classification, and to label them as a subtype "remarriage family" if required.

Importance of the Irresolute Family Dynamics for Health

Health has been shown to accept multifactorial causation. The family surroundings impact the health of an individual in several ways. Members of a family unit tin be expected to share the risk factors for their health that may ascend from various social characteristics of their shared housing, neighborhood, community, society, and culture. They would as well share the positive factors contributing toward adept health. All the members of a family unit living together who share the financial resources of the family unit would too share the risks of sick-health and costs of health care as well every bit the protection offered past availability of money with the family to tide over health-related issues.

Living in a family would also mean unremarkably exposure to like dietary behaviors and wellness-related lifestyles, among the family members. Some other important aspect shared would be the healthcare-seeking pattern and preference. The changing dynamics of family limerick can have important affect on the protective as well as adventure factors influencing wellness. Thus, an updated definition and classification scheme for types of families serves an important purpose for the practitioners of various medical and social science disciplines in the electric current times.

Final Remarks

It is to be expected that the changing societal arrangements in the current times will be a huge challenge for any model of classification of family structure. On peak of that is the challenge to go along the possible classification groups to the minimum possible, and so that analysis of the family construction equally a gene in health and other outcomes, in futurity studies, does not go an inordinately complex practise. This is a proposed redefinition of "family" and a proposed scheme of nomenclature of family unit structure, to try to match the pace of modify of current societies. While the objective was mainly to redefine keeping the Indian cultural surround in mind, the sheer heterogeneity of the Indian population in terms of sociocultural milieu is immense. The electric current proposed scheme should generally suffice for apply in other countries and cultures, for broadly classifying the family unit structure. The intricacies and unique scenarios of particular cultures can exist taken into account by defining region or civilisation-specific subtypes of the overall types of family structure defined in the present article.

Footnotes

Source of Support: Naught

Disharmonize of Interest: None declared

References

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Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4649868/