Types and types of families in modern society. Types of families and their characteristics

What kind of families are there? Many people ask this question.

Experts highlight several types of families, which are determined according to several criteria.

Knowing them, a person can easily determine the type of family.

What is an open relationship? Find out about this from ours.

General concept

What is family?

A family is a group of people based on blood relationship or marriage.

People feel respect and affection for each other.

Experts consider family important social institution.

Thanks to him, a person learns basic moral and ethical principles and receives support. Children appear in the family, a new generation - the continuation of the human race.

A person is born, formed and develops. It is from his family that he adopts a model of behavior, learns important life lessons, and certain values ​​are instilled in him.

In relation to family members, a person feels tenderness, affection, tries to take care of them, shows concern.

Even when children leave their parents' home, they maintain contact with their relatives and feel spiritual intimacy with a family. He feels warmth and tenderness towards his family.

Types of marital status

Experts distinguish several types of marital status:

There is another type of marital status, which is popularly called "civil marriage". This means that people live together, but they are not legally married. There is no document that would confirm their union.

Typing criteria

To identify the type of family, experts pay attention to these aspects:

In the process of determining the type of family, the conditions in which the family lives and its social homogeneity also play a role.

Taking into account all the above factors, experts determine family type, category to which she belongs.

Definition of the type of modern family

Modern family very different from the traditional one. If several centuries ago there were several generations in the family. In the twenty-first century, families are much smaller.

Now there are only two generations in the family: parents and children. As a rule, fewer children are born than several centuries ago. A woman and a man have the same rights and share. Their relationship is partnership, all problems are solved together.

This description fits the family called nuclear.

This new type families, when responsibilities are shared between spouses, and there are no more than two generations in the house.

These are the closest relatives: parents and their children. The rest of the relatives live separately.

Why don't married men leave their families? find out right now.

Typology

To become familiar with family typology, you need to study the following table:

Thus, the type of family depends on many indicators. Not only the number of children matters, but also type of domination.

If several centuries ago families were predominantly patriarchal- the man occupied the leading role, now the relationship between spouses is equal.

The role of a woman in the family has changed, she has many more rights, and responsibilities are shared equally with her husband.

The number of parents in a family also plays a role: if a child is raised by only one parent, and not two, it cannot be considered complete. Only if there are both parents in the family, the family is complete.

Forms, types and characteristics

Experts identify several forms of marriage:

1. Church. The couple say their vows of fidelity in the church.
2. Actual. According to the law, there is no marriage, but citizens live together.
3. Civil. Legal marriage when there are documents confirming the marriage. The name is often confused by people with the actual marriage.

   In fact, a civil marriage is exactly that marriage when the spouses confirmed their relationship at the legal level.

4. Morganatic. Families develop when spouses come from different social classes.
5. Temporary. The couple decide to be together for a certain time and then separate. This is usually necessary to achieve a specific goal. Such a marriage is sometimes called fictitious.
6. Polygyny. This is when one man has more than one wife. In some countries such marriages are allowed, but in Russia they are prohibited by the state.
7. Same-sex. In a marriage union, people are of the same sex. In some states such marriages exist; in Russia they are prohibited.

There are several types of family.

The main ones are traditional, nuclear ( affiliate).

Traditional the family includes several generations.

There are many people living in one house who are related to each other. If a decision is made, the whole family takes part in it. However, the decision is made by the head of the family, usually a man.

Nuclear(partnership) family is a union of two generations. Only parents and children live in the house. Usually in such families relations are equal, everything is decided jointly.

There is no head of the family, the spouses do not surpass each other, they do not try to assume seniority. Responsibilities are shared.

Extended The family resembles a traditional one; it involves not only spouses living in the same house, but also their relatives.

Such families usually have more than 2-3 children. Families are large, decisions are made together. For this type of family it is not at all necessary to have a head.

Types of relationships

Family relationships can also be different.

There is a known type when one spouse treats the other like a child. This guy's name is parent-child relationship.

The spouse is not taken seriously; they talk to him like a child. This can happen to both the husband and the wife. Some couples try to avoid this, but there are also those where it is encouraged.

Partnership type of relationship- the most common in the twenty-first century. Spouses are partners with absolutely equal rights. No one is trying to take a dominant position. Decisions are made together, thoughtfully, and choices are respected.

Sadomasochistic relationships where there is violence in the family. One of the spouses, or both at once, treat each other with aggression, prefer to resolve issues using violence. Usually such families quickly fall apart.

One of the spouses ceases to tolerate such treatment. Beatings and violence lead to complete...

Psychologists say that it is impossible to build relationships on violence; in such families, children grow up in an unhealthy atmosphere, so this type is highly condemned by society and the state.

There is another type of relationship in the family - disunited. It is characterized by strongly defined internal boundaries. From the outside, such unions look successful and people are happy, but in reality, each family member lives separately.

People can live in different countries and rarely see each other. There is almost no spiritual connection in this type of relationship. The spouses rarely communicate, but mutual respect can be traced in their relationship.

Thus, there are many types of families. They classified according to different criteria, have certain features and characteristics.

Knowing them, a person will never confuse one type of family from another.

They are completely different, but they exist in the twenty-first century in different countries of the world. More common in one state one type of family, and in another another.

How to force your husband to return to the family? will help you.

About the types of families in this video:

Family is the greatest value that man has created. The state is interested in its positive development, strength and reliability of family ties. There is no specific definition of family in science, despite the fact that great thinkers tried to do this many centuries ago. In the usual understanding, a family is a unit of society that participates in the social and biological reproduction of society. There are a lot of types and types of families; the main types of families are classified according to various criteria.

Family types

Let's look at what families are like. The famous American scientist and sociologist Morgan believed that the family went through certain stages of development, during which the circle of sexual relations narrowed, and connections between family members strengthened. Such relationships include historical types of families.

• Promiscuity. This type of family was characteristic of the lowest stage of development. Sexual relations were not regulated by any norms; there were unlimited sexual relations between all members of society.
• Consanguineous. This type was characterized by group marriage, and sexual relations were allowed between people who belonged to the same generation. That is, a family was formed from brothers and sisters, regardless of the degree of relationship.
• Punalual. This is a form of marriage in which the partners were sisters from one clan and brothers from another clan. This was the first step towards creating a couple's marriage.
• Syndiasmic. In this form of marriage, one man lived with one woman. Upon divorce, the children remained with their mother. For the first time, the real biological father was determined.
• Monogamous. This form of marriage relationship was created on the close bond between a woman and a man. Such a marriage could only be dissolved by the will of the man.

Main family types

In the modern world, the following main types of families can be distinguished: patriarchal, nuclear, maternal.

• The patriarchal type of family is considered the most common. He assumes that the head of the family is a man. He is responsible for making important decisions regarding the fate of the children, he is the distributor of the family's funds. This phenomenon is quite common today; the dominance of men in many families has not been abolished. In such a family, the wife is subordinate to her husband, and the children are subordinate to their parents. Regardless of whether the spouse works or not, the husband still manages the money, even if his income is less than that of the wife.
• Nuclear families are those families in which parents and non-family children live together. This type of family is characterized by mutual respect and mutual assistance, and this is manifested openly, in contrast to the patriarchal type. Recently, the number of small families has increased. This can happen if one of the spouses in the family has died, or they have divorced. As a result, one parent raises the child or children.
• Maternal. This is a family in which the woman was not married to the father of her children. According to statistics, every sixth child is born out of wedlock. Often such families are created by mature women, for whom the goal is to have a child. Today, a fairly common phenomenon is civil marriage. A man and a woman can live under the same roof for many years, but never register their relationship.

Types of modern family

Let's consider the types of modern families, depending on the nature of the distribution of responsibilities. On this basis, sociologists distinguish three main types of family relationships:

• Traditional. Such as the traditional type of family involves at least three generations living together. The leading role is given to the eldest man in the family. In such a family, the woman is economically dependent on her husband. Responsibilities between men and women are clearly distributed and the priority of men in family matters is recognized.
• Unconventional. In such a family, the same attitudes as in a traditional family. But here a woman receives the right exclusively to domestic work.
• Egalitarian. This type is characterized by the distribution of household responsibilities among all family members; spouses make decisions on everyday issues together, discuss pressing problems together, and make decisions together.

Depending on what kind of family there may be, the roles of men and women change. Today, a large number of women take part in the public and political life of the state, and it is not surprising that in many countries men take parental leave, and there is a redistribution of responsibilities and leadership in the family.

It is a natural desire for every person to have a family. This is one of the instincts of a person that forces him to find a mate to continue his family line. All families are completely different; in order for this union to take place, many rules must be fulfilled and observed.

What is family?

This concept can be defined in different ways.

A family is a group of people who live together.

A family is a close-knit group that is united by common interests.

Types of families can be different. They can be classified according to various criteria, so there are dissimilar approaches to this issue.

Family functions

Regardless of the type or type, all families must perform some functions. The main ones include:

1. Continuation of the family, and, therefore, reproduction of society.
2. Educational. It manifests itself in motherhood and fatherhood, interaction with children and their upbringing.
3. Household. At the family level, the material needs of all family members are satisfied - food, drink, clothing, and so on.
4. Emotional. Satisfying the needs for respect, love, psychological protection.
5. Spiritual communication. Joint work, relaxation with the whole family.
6. Primary socialization. The family must ensure that its members comply with social norms.

From these functions it is clear that the traditional type of family has all the signs of social culture. The main ones are the ability to reproduce, division of labor, inheritance and development of cultural values.

Just as every organism is made up of cells, so the whole society is made up of families. Will a person be healthy if his cells are not in order? Similarly, the whole society cannot be called healthy if there are dysfunctional families.

Types of families

Different researchers approach classification in different ways. Most often, to characterize the forms and types of families, the following characteristics are taken as a basis.

1. Family size. That is, the number of its members is taken into account.

3. Number of children:

• childless;
• single children;
• small children;
• large families.

4. Form of marriage:

• Monogamous families consisting of two partners.
• Polygamous people have one partner burdened with several marital obligations.

5. By gender of spouses.

• Diverse.
• Same-sex.

6. According to the person’s location.

• Parental family.
• Reproductive. One's own family created by man.

7. Place of residence.

• A patrilocal family lives with the husband's or wife's parents.
• Peololocal lives separately from parents.

If you want, you can also name the types of modern families, but this is already a deviation from the rules.

Forms of marriage

Until recently, it was possible to become a real and recognized family only after registering a marriage. Currently, a lot has changed in people's minds, so today, not only the one concluded in the registry office (church) is considered a marriage. There are several varieties:

1. Church. The spouses swear love and fidelity “before God.” Previously, only such a marriage was considered valid; now, most often, immediately after official registration, some couples prefer to get married in a church.
2. Civil marriage. It is registered in the registry office; the main types of families arise precisely after its conclusion.
3. Actual. Partners simply live together without formalizing their relationship. As a rule, such marriages have no legal force and are not recognized in many countries.
4. Morganatic marriage. Family formation by people of different social levels.
5. Temporary union. In some countries, it is quite common and is concluded according to a marriage contract for a certain period.
6. Fictitious marriage. Partners, as a rule, do not plan to create a real family; there is only material or legal benefit.
7. Polygyny. When a man officially has several wives. In Russia such marriages are prohibited.
8. Same-sex marriage. Some countries have passed laws allowing same-sex marriage.

Historical family types

Historically, families have been divided into the following types depending on the distribution of responsibilities and leadership:

Relationships within the family

Types of families may be different, but no one has canceled the relationships between its members. Another famous philosopher Hegel considered several types of relationships in a social unit:

• Between a woman and a man.
• Parents and children.
• Brothers and sisters.

The first type, according to the author, has no humanity, because all relationships are built on the basis of animal instinct, that is, sexual satisfaction. Partners become human in the process of raising children and working for the benefit of their family.

The nuclear family type means the presence of both parents and children. The relationship between them can develop in different ways. It often happens that daughters are more attached to their fathers, and sons, on the contrary, to their mother.

Everything here depends on the parenting style. It is desirable that parents have a common opinion on this issue.

Relationships between brothers and sisters are sometimes difficult. It all depends on the difference in age, the characteristics of upbringing and the attitude of the parents. They often make the mistake of making different demands on their children, thereby contributing to the growth of hostility between them.

Nuclear family

Until recently, it was commonplace for several generations to live under one roof at once. Although such families can still be found today, it is all due to the lack of funds to purchase their own home.

The nuclear type of family began to gradually supplant the patriarchal cell and became the dominant type. This family has some features:

• Small numbers.
• Limited emotional experience.
• More freedom and privacy.

The question arises as to why such families became prevalent. Living together among several generations requires everyone to be able to find a compromise and be willing to carry out instructions from older family members.

On the one hand, in a patriarchal family there are all the prerequisites for the formation of collectivism, but at the same time, individualism is almost completely destroyed.

A nuclear family usually consists of two generations, that is, parents and their children. Often relationships between members are based on democracy, so everyone can have their own personal space.

Despite the prevalence of such families, statistics inexorably show a high number of divorces in them. Relationships without marriage registration have become increasingly common; even the birth of children cannot force some men to take their chosen one to the registry office.

This suggests that personal comfort and convenience are put first, and public opinion does not matter. The desire for freedom and privacy leads to a lack of mutual understanding and support even between members of the same family.

There are increasingly cases where the younger generation prefers to send their elderly parents to a nursing home instead of caring for them. Children are sent to kindergartens and nannies to be raised, but previously this was done by grandparents.

The nuclear family is a reflection of the processes taking place in our society, and this, unfortunately, contributes to the destruction of state traditions.

Partner family

When creating their own family, everyone wants the relationships in it to be equal. This is a natural desire, but in practice this does not always happen.

A partner type family means the following:

If you are planning to have such a family, then everything needs to be discussed in advance so that there are no misunderstandings later.

Pure partner families are quite rare, because there is always an advantage on one side on some issues.

Single-parent families

Based on the number of divorces in our country, it is not difficult to assume that the number of families with one parent will only increase.

As a rule, raising children falls on the shoulders of the mother; in some cases, this process is entrusted to fathers.

Becoming a single mother means finding yourself in a difficult life situation. But this situation also has its advantages:

• Getting rid of a bad marriage.
• The ability to manage your life.
• Emotional uplift from the feeling of freedom and the beginning of a new life.
• Moral satisfaction from work.
• Respect your children for their professional successes.

Despite all the advantages, there are also a lot of problems in single-parent families:

Adoptive families

Not all children are lucky enough to live and be raised in a family with their natural parents. Some end up in foster care, which can be divided into the following types of families:

• Adoption. The child becomes a full-fledged member of the family with all rights and responsibilities. There are cases that throughout his entire life he will never know that he is being raised by adoptive parents.
• Guardianship. A child is taken into the family to be raised. Biological parents are not exempt from the responsibility for its maintenance.
• Patronage. The child is placed in a professional foster family; before this, an agreement is signed between the guardianship authorities, the family and the institution for orphans.
• Adoptive family. Children are placed in a family for a certain period of time, which is specified in the contract.

For some children, a foster family sometimes becomes better than their own, in which the parents lead an immoral lifestyle and are not involved in raising the younger generation.

Dysfunctional families

Such families can be very different from each other. Among them there are two groups:

1. Asocial families. In them, parents lead a riotous lifestyle, drink, and engage in drug addiction, so they simply do not have time to raise their children. This also includes parents who deliberately engage in criminal activity.
2. Respectable families. Outwardly, they do not differ at all from ordinary families, but family foundations and principles do not allow them to raise a full-fledged citizen and a normal personality. This may include families of sectarians who do not allow their child to go to school for some of their own reasons.

Everyone creates their own family; it is up to you what kind of relationship will develop between children and parents, as well as spouses. Types of families may be different, but respect for each other, mutual assistance, love and compassion are universal human qualities that should be manifested in every cell of society.

Have you ever thought about what families are like? Or do you, like many of our other compatriots, also think that this question does not deserve special attention and that even a high school student can formulate an answer to it?

If so, we hasten to assure you that you are actually mistaken, because even modern experts with an excellent reputation and extensive work experience behind them claim that defining this concept is not as simple as it might seem at first glance.

This article is aimed at telling you what families are like, how they differ, and how strongly traditions and religious foundations influence their formation. In addition, the reader will receive a lot of useful information about the unusual culture and life of residents of other parts of the globe.

What types of families are there?

What is family? First of all, it is worth noting that this term is usually understood as a certain association of people based on consanguinity and (or) marriage and mutual moral responsibility and joint housekeeping.

Depending on the composition, such a society is, first of all, divided into simple and complex and, in turn, has several subcategories. For example, a simple family can be called elementary if it consists of three members: father, mother and child. If one of the parents is absent, she becomes incomplete. If there are several children in a family, such a community may be called a compound community.

Complex or usually consist of several generations. In this case, grandparents, uncles and aunts, brothers-in-law and brothers-in-law, daughters-in-law and sisters-in-law, brothers and sisters can live together.

We take place of residence as a basis

It’s unlikely that anyone has seriously thought about what families are like depending on where they live, and yet such a difference also exists.

For Russia, the presence of matrilocal and patrilocal communities is more typical. In the first case, the young family lives with the wife's parents, in the second - with the husband's parents. If you are lucky enough to move into your own home immediately after your wedding, you can be called a neolocal unit.

What is Swedish relations? Their characteristic features

In search of an answer to the question of what families are like, many of us remember the existence of Swedish relationships.

Why this union received this particular name is not known for certain. Most likely, this happened completely by accident. During the Soviet era, there was a very erroneous opinion, as practice has shown, that in Europe there live very liberated people who are happy to experiment in everything, including married life. But why in this case the choice fell on this northern country, which has very conservative views, is a mystery.

So, what are the family traditions in this case? Three people of both sexes live under one roof. It is interesting to note that such relationships do not at all imply group sex. Both neutral and platonic connections are possible between members of a given social unit. True, rivalries are also far from uncommon.

What is the status of a family in Russia?

In principle, the families of our country are more or less similar, and the majority of citizens divide them easily and simply: into happy and unhappy.

What is the secret to successful relationships? Modern psychologists argue that the basis of a happy family should be shared meals (lunches and dinners), various types of leisure, holidays, secrets and mysteries. With the first point, everything is relatively clear. For many of us, gatherings on New Year, Christmas and Easter have long become the norm. Most Russians traditionally celebrate these holidays in a close family circle.

It is quite easy to answer the question about what families are like in terms of how they spend their time. Active, seeking to spend as much time as possible outdoors, fishing, boating, cycling and playing with a ball, and passive, enjoying reading, watching TV and handicrafts. In Russia, despite being extremely busy, parents, as a rule, prefer to spend their free time with their children and other relatives.

The fact that we are not accustomed to resorting to the services of psychologists is perhaps already a generally accepted fact. Who do we trust with our sorrows and joys? Well, of course, to family and friends. This is also one of our established traditions.

What should we borrow from Europe?

The crime rate in Denmark is so low that local mothers are not at all afraid to leave their child on the street while doing shopping or relaxing with friends over a cup of coffee. Women in this country are sure that the baby has nothing to do in a stuffy store; it would be better for him to get some fresh air while remaining in the stroller at the entrance.

In the UK it is not common to give birth early. Married couples believe that the optimal age for the birth of their first child is 38-39 years old, and sometimes even 40. Why? The thing is that the British are confident that only those who are firmly on their own feet in terms of financial situation and career can raise a son or daughter well.

In Albania it can last three days. All this time, the bride should not give in to any persuasion of her significant other. Only in this case will further married life be happy and cloudless.

Unusual Planets: Asia and Africa

Every family is special. Why? The thing is that each so-called cell of society is imprinted by local traditions, culture and upbringing.

This is why it is sometimes so difficult for us to understand the Japanese, Chinese or, say, residents of African countries. In principle, you can talk for hours about the various characteristics that exist and why these people behave the way they do. Let's give some examples.

Not everyone knows that in Kenya, mothers rarely look their children in the eyes. It is believed that staring can enslave the baby's will, and avoiding eye contact can foster a strong and independent personality. By the way, in Kenya, for a whole month after the wedding, the husband must wear his wife’s clothes. Why? It is believed that only in this way will he be able to realize how difficult the lot of women is in this country.

In Korean families, it is customary to slurp loudly during family dinners. Local residents are sure that this is the way to let the hostess know that you like her cooking.

Family is a small social group of a special type, characterized by spiritual and biological kinship between its members. It is based on several types of marriage and family ties. Family also has a legal definition.

There are the following types of families:

- The family is small. It consists of a married couple and minor children. In contrast, personal contact with relatives is limited.

- Big family. Contains several generations of relatives living in the same house. at least three generations. All of them are constantly in contact with each other.

– A large family is several generations that are close to a certain family group, but do not live in the same house.

We can also divide family by type:

– Nuclear families - means that it consists of two generations, that is, parents and children. Over time, children leave their parents and start their own family. It is generally accepted that this creates serious social problems in caring for older people. So there are more and more nursing homes, which is not normal. In European and North American societies, the concept of the nuclear family is becoming increasingly common.

– Extended family – a traditional family spanning several generations. This occurs mainly in underdeveloped countries.

Sociologists distinguish several types of families. Depending on the family classification criterion:

– Polygamous, containing, for example, one man and many women (polygamy) or one woman and many men (polyandry). The connections of many women and many men are called versatility.

– Endogamous – both spouses are from the same community. That is, gypsies and gypsies, blacks with blacks, believers with believers.

– Exogamous – spouses from different communities. For example, the husband is Muslim and the wife is Christian.

– Patriarchy is a family dominated by men. In such families, the man’s word is law, while the woman has more responsibilities than rights.

– Matriarchy – in family women dominate.

– Egalitarian – no one dominates, everyone has equal rights.

Over the centuries, the role and family model went through a slow evolution. And of course, this is the individualization of societies, improved living conditions, the women's liberation movement, the spread of mass culture, the growing influence of the media on society and more free time. These and other factors have been translated into all the ongoing changes in the morality of family life and the evolution of the family model in the 21st century. It was then that casual relationships became normal in society. Then our great-great-great-grandmothers did things that we might not even dream of.

Currently partnership marriage became a widespread family type. In middle-class families and intelligentsia it is considered almost the norm. In such a family, as a rule, both spouses work and they have absolutely the same rights and responsibilities. And, at least in theory, it's as much of a deal as it is. In practice, it is often the woman who has to deal with household chores, but this role is flexible. This is a little different than in traditional families, where the man earns money and the woman raises the children and does all the housework.

Speaking about the family, we cannot forget about its functions, and this in turn:

– CHILDREN – allows you to satisfy the emotional needs of the spouse, parent and biological survival of society;

– Sexual function is a socially acceptable form of sexual intercourse;

– Economic function – allows you to guarantee the safety of the family, it consists of the following subfunctions: production, employment, economic and service;

– Care and protection function – this means providing the means of subsistence and care for disabled or sick family members;

– The function of socialization is carried out in two dimensions: as preparing children for independent life and social roles and as mutual adaptation of their behavior and personality traits of spouses;

– Stratification function – includes bringing into the family the social status of its members (especially important in caste societies, as in India.);

– The function of rest is to satisfy the needs of rest, relaxation, entertainment;

– Emotional function is the satisfaction of emotional needs;

– Cultural function – transferring cultural heritage to children by introducing them to works of art, literature, monuments and

other precious relics of the past;

By law, a family comes into existence when a man and woman announce that they are getting married. Such a declaration must be presented to the public in the presence of at least two adult witnesses. This is a so-called civil marriage. To enter into a marriage at a legal level, you need to register it. However, there are obstacles that may prevent such a relationship from occurring.

The first of these is the requirement for those entering marriage up to 18 years of age, but for important reasons, the court may allow women to marry at the age of 16 years. The second reason for refusal to register a marriage is general loss of ability to work due to mental illness or mental retardation. We also have a ban on bigamy and a ban on marriage with direct relatives or between direct kin (for example, son-in-law and mother-in-law), but for important reasons, the court may allow the conclusion of such a relationship.

However, if the marriage was concluded by people who do not meet the legal conditions (for example, one of the spouses did not disclose his terminal illness), there is the possibility of dissolution, but only the court can consider this situation. The end of a marriage can also occur as a result of the death of one of the spouses. The court's consent is not required here. There is another possibility of ending a marriage by dissolving it in court.

And so we considered all possible types of families that can only exist in modern society. In this way, each of us can determine what type of family he has.