SOC 211 Lecture one

Introduction
The famous Greek Philosopher Aristotle opines that man is a social animal and as such, he does
not live alone. A completely isolated individual is unthinkable. Man begins his day as a member
of a social group i.e. the family, and equally ends the day with the same group. Man lives and
interacts on a daily basis with human beings who come from different families. This makes the
family the basic unit of human existence; this is because man is born into the family and ends his
journey here on earth with the family. Hence of all human groups the family is the most
important primary group. No known society ancient or modern is free from family system.
Family has undergone several changes over time as Burgess and Locke put it ‘from a hard and
fast social structure or institution and becoming a ‘flexible relationship’. This makes the family
a unique social institution which has no substitute. It is the basic unit of social organisation. It is
the nucleus of all social structure and still continues to be the most stable associations and
institutions of human society. Society is a conglomeration of families and no society or
civilization ever exists without family. It plays a very important role in the development of
personality of an individual and also in the process of socialization.
Meaning of Family
The term ‘family’ has been derived from the Roman word ‘Famulus’ which means a servant. In
Roman law, the word refers to the group of producers and slaves and servants and members of
common descent. As time progressed, the definition of family encompassed relationships
associated by blood ties, adoption and kinship. Family is a biological unit which consists of
parents and children. The family can be seen as a small group which consists of father, mother
and their children who are related with each other by kinship ties on the basis of marriage, blood
or adoption. But the meaning of family can be better understood from the following definitions.
According to Maclver and Page (2006) family is a group defined by sexual relationship,
sufficiently precise and enduring to provide for the procreation and upbringing of children.
According to Burgess and Locke (1953) family is a group of persons united by the ties of
marriage, blood or adoption consisting of a single household interacting and inter
communicating with each other in their respective social roles of husband and wife, mother and
father, son and daughter, brother and sister creating a common culture. According to Ogburn and
Nimkoff (1964)the family is a more or less durable association of husband and wife with or

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without children, or of a man or woman alone with children. Davis (1960) defined family as a
group of persons, whose relations to one another are based upon consanguinity and who are
therefore kin to one another. Also, Eliott and Merrill (1951) defined family as the biological
social unit composed of husband wife and children. Implied in the definitions above is the social
network of relationship and bonds created by marriage and blood relationship. This makes the
family the creator of society as it spreads to embrace relationships created by social ties which
assign status to the individual and with defined functions or responsibilities played by members
of the unit (family). This is because the family is an intimate domestic group made up of people
related to one another by bonds of blood, sexual mating or legal ties. It is the smallest and most
basic social unit, which is also the most important primary group found in any society. It is the
simplest and most elementary and immediate group found in a society that the child is first
exposed to. In fact, it is the most enduring group, which has tremendous influence on the life of
an individual, from birth until death.
Types of the Family
We shall look at some of the types of family:
1. Based on Birth
Family of Orientation
The family of orientation refers to the family into which a person is born. In this family, an
individual acquires the status of a son or daughter with responsibilities and expectations to the
family and society as the individual grows.
Family of Procreation
The family of procreation describes one that is formed through marriage. It is the family which
an individual sets up after his/her marriage. In this type of family, the individual acquires the
status of a father or mother. The family of orientation and procreation may live together under
the same roof, but can still be distinguished. However, the distinctions have cultural significance
related to issues of lineage.
2. Based on Marriage
Monogamous Family:
This family consists of one husband and wife, including children and is based on monogamous
marriages.

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Polygamous Family: This is simply a family characterized by multiple wives or husbands as the
case may be. There are basically two types: polygynous and polyandrous.
Polygynous Family
A family consisting of one husband, and more than one wife, and all the children born to all the
wives or adopted by each of them. This type of family has its basis in the polygynous form of
marriage.
Polyandrous Family
A family made up of one wife and more than one husband, and the children, either born or
adopted with each one of them. This family is based on polyandrous marriage..
3. Based on Authority
Matriarchal Family
Matriarchal families are generally found in matrilineal societies. In these families, a woman is
the head of the family, and authority is vested in her. Succession of property is through the
female line, i.e., only daughters inherit the property.
After marriage, the husband resides in the wife’s house and descent is traced through the
mother’s side. Here, children are brought up in mother’s house. Thus, in matriarchal societies,
the matrilocal system exists. Matriarchal families are found only in matrilineal societies, which
are very limited in number all over the world. They are found in parts of Latin America, Ceylon,
parts of Africa and India (the Khasis and the Garos).
Patriarchal Family
Patriarchal families are commonly found in all parts of the world, since most societies in the
world are patrilineal societies. In patriarchal families, the head of the family is a male, and
authority is vested in him. Descent and property is passed through the male line and children are
brought up in father’s house. Such families are patrilocal in nature.
4. Based on state or structure
Nuclear Family
A nuclear family is a small group consisting of a husband, a wife and children, natural or
adopted. It is more or less an autonomous unit that is not under the control of adults or elders of
the family. It consists of two generations only. In all modern societies, nuclear family is the most
common type of family. In fact, nuclear family is both the consequence as well as the cause of
the disintegration of joint family.

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Extended Family: This consists of two or more nuclear families or a nuclear family and other
people related by blood or marriage. In other words, the extended family is an extension of the
nuclear family. The extension could be horizontal or vertical. If it is horizontal, it consists of
members of the same generation such as husband’s brothers or wife’s sister, etc. In a vertical
extension, people of different generations are involved in the extension, e.g, parents and uncles
of a spouse.
Joint Family
A joint family consists of three generation, living together under the same roof, sharing the same
kitchen and purse or economic expenses. It is a family consisting of three nuclear families living
together. According to Iravati Karve, a joint family is ‘a group of people, who generally live
under the same roof, who eat food cooked at one hearth, who hold property in common, and who
participate in common family worship and are related to each other as some particular type of
kindred.
Characteristics of the Family
The family has some of the following characteristics as identified by Maclver and Page (2006).
(1) It involves a mating relationship
A mating relationship is an important pre-condition for the establishment of family of orientation
and procreation. When sex relationship is established between male and female as accepted by
culture, at that moment family is formed. This sex relationship of family is known as mating
relationship. Without which no family can be formed. As sex needs is one of the important needs
of human beings to fulfill this, a man and woman enter into mating relationship and family is
formed.
(2) A form of marriage
Marriage is another important characteristic of family. The mating relationship between a man
and woman is established through marriage. This form of marriage may be simple or complex or
may be monogamy, polygamy or group marriage or any other form. Every family follow a
particular form of marriage.
(3) It involves some rules of mate selection
Every family follows some rules or procedures through which it establishes the marital
relationship by which family is formed. This procedure of mate selection may be performed by

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parents or may be done by the individuals concerned. These rules may be endogamous or
exogamous.
(4) A system of nomenclature
Each and every family identifies itself by a name. It also has a system of name giving. The new
member’s of the family take the name of the family in which he identify himself. Different
families have different ways of reckoning descent. Mainly it may be through the male line or
female line. In other words the descent may be known through father, mother or both.
Accordingly the descent is known as patrilineal, matrilineal or bilineal.

(5) An economic provision

Each and every family must have an economic provision to satisfy different economic needs of
its members. Usually it is the duty of the head of the family to carry on certain profession to earn
money and thereby fulfill the economic need of its members.
(6) A common habitation
Each and every family needs a common household to live in. This is because without it family
cannot fulfill its task of child rearing. Different rules are there for the establishment of residence.
After marriage wife may live in her husband’s parental home or may reside in her own parental
home which is called patrilocal and matrilocal residence respectively or both of them may
establish a separate home which is known as neolocal residence.