Тема 7: What is the family?

A family is a set of persons related by some relationship (marriage, adoption, blood).

Sociologists distinguish 2 types of the family: a nuclear family (that is a married couple and their unmarried children) and an extended family (that is a family in which relatives other than parents and children). Speaking about different types of the family sociologists distinguish monogamy and polygamy.

Monogamy is a form of marriage in which one woman and one man are married to each other. Polygamy is a form of marriage in which one person has several husbands or wives simultaneously.

Societies vary in the way that power within the family is distinguished. We can distinguish a patriarchy (in which males dominate and women have low statuses) and a matriarchy (in which women have greater authority than men). And the third type of authority pattern is called the egalitarian family in which spouses are equal. This type has begun to replace the patriarchal family as the social norm.

Family fulfills the following functions:

- reproduction

- protection

- socialization

- regulation of sexual behaviour

- affection and companionship

- providing of social status.

Words and word combinations

marriage - брак

adoption - усыновление

blood - родство

husband – муж