explain the function of the family

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Date: 12/12/2022

It is free from the control of elders. They eat in the communal dining room. It provides them food, clothing, shelter, and other essentials, and it also provides them love, comfort, help in times of emotional distress, and other types of intangible support that we all need. Children live in communal dormitories where they are brought up by child caretakers or educators. It is difficult to argue this today, given the low rate of marriage and high rates of relationship breakdowns and divorce. The next function, reproduction, is filling the spot of someone who dies with another life. It is the families job to teach children the ways and values of society. Through the institution of marriage, mating relationship is established. McIver and Page observe that while the family as an institute is enduring and a permanent feature in human society, a particular family is only temporary. The members of a family have emotional attachment with each other. For example, most sociology and marriage-and-family textbooks during the 1950s maintained that the male breadwinnerfemale homemaker nuclear family was the best arrangement for children, as it provided for a familys economic and child-rearing needs. The way that people behave and interact in their roles may not be a result of conscious choice. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. The earlier agricultural family with its numerous economic functions was a self-supporting business enterprise. All children are viewed and cared for as children of the Kibbutz. Family is, therefore, described by Talcott Parsons as a factory which produces human personality. Thirdly, Talcott Parsons refers to two basic and irreducible functions which the family performs in all societies. Among certain tribes like central Australasians and Trobriand islanders, there is marked ignorance as to the causes of paternity, and some like the Fox and the Hopi Indians of America determine relationships not on the basis of individuals, but according to the general divisions of age and sex in society. Further, smallness of the family brings stability in the family. Another function is economic and emotional security. Because structure of the family changes over a time in terms of size, composition and status of persons. A ongoing society must replace its members. In the developed patriarchal system of the past, the patriarch had unlimited and undisputed authority over his wife, sons and daughters. According to Parsons there are now just two irreducible functions performed by the nuclear family : Talcott Parsons was writing in 1950s, so its quite possible that even the two functions he identified are no longer performed by the family today (of course some people argue that the family didnt even perform the functions he claimed they did back in the 1950s!). socialization. of children.maintienace & physical care.love & nurturance.production of. goods & services.social control. of children.addition of. When descent is traced through the father, it is called patrilineal family. The importance of family to the society may be discussed from the following points of view: To begin with, the family provides opportunity for the sexual gratification for the spouses. It socializes children, provides practical and emotional support for its members, regulates sexual reproduction, and provides its members with a social identity. Third, the family helps regulate sexual activity and sexual reproduction. Classification of families is generally done on the basis of organisation (nuclear and joint), forms of marriage (monogamous or polygamous), authority (matriarchal or patriarchal) and residence etc. Fourthly, since an individual is born in a family, he acquires a social status at birth the son or daughter of a particular family, the membership of a particular class or caste, etc. The family is the first and all-pervading factor in the childs education at socialization and, even though other groups have their share of importance in the later stages for the development of the grown-up child, the influence of the family is not only primary but of lasting character. We may consider, in the first place, the effects of applied science. Rituals, ceremonies and worship are carried out To what extent have the functions of the family changed over time, and to what extent have they declined? A functional understanding of the family thus stresses the ways in which the family as a social institution helps make society possible. As Mack and Young say, The family is the basic primary group and the natural matrix of personality. Responsible for the addition of new members through reproduction. Socialization includes teaching children the ways and values of society. It is known as the smallest primary group. the four function of the family are regulation of sexual activity, reproduction, socialization, economic & emontional security. The Chenchuas of Andhra Pradesh live in this type of family. Family satisfies sexual desires of male and female through the institution of marriage. Beyond discussing the familys functions, the functional perspective on the family maintains that sudden or far-reaching changes in conventional family structure and processes threaten the familys stability and thus that of society. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Today, the vast majority of children go to school from the age of 4-18, with the parents taking on a secondary role in their education. 1. The four functions of family are the regulation of sexual activity, reproduction, socialization, and economic and emotional security. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. The family can also be a source of conflict, including physical violence and emotional cruelty, for its own members. This is a norm that is forbidding sexual relations or marriage between certain relatives. Fulfill the adults' sexual and emotional needs. Specific roles may also vary from society to society. The last function of the family is economic and emotional security. Worlds of pain: Life in the working-class family. Contrasted with this is the urban family which is confined largely, in so far as the economic activities are concerned, to the function of justly dealing out an income earned by the members of the family who work outside. Best answer. Its members seek about the culture due to proper education. He is made social through the process of socialisation. He points out that while certain developed societies like the Puebes Indians are still matriarchal certain very simple and primitive societies like the Phillippine Negritos are patriarchal and patrilineal. This will be its only function., Industrialism demanded masses of workers ready and able to move off the land in pursuit of jobs and to move again whenever necessary. In China, there is a policy that allows families to have only one child. Society, that is the collectivity, keep the collective and wider view in mind, has to ensure, by evolving mores and folkways, that the individual member in a family do perform all those functions towards each other on the basis of which the wider network of social relationships in dependent for its success. The Family serves the society as an instrument of sexual control and cultural transmission. Families reproduce so that they can replace members of their society when other members pass on. The family provides emotional, psychological moral and material support to members. The family has to ensure provision of.physical security in terms of food, clothing, shelter and other needs to its offspring or other dependent individual members of the family e.g grandparents. Some of the functions have been transferred to outside agencies, for example cooking of launches to restaurants and canteens, some laundering to outside laundries. Every human being is a member of some family. It has own system of reckoning descent. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. The final piece to the puzzle of the family is economic and emotional security. The sex instinct is the natural and biological urge of human beings. (1976). Hence, reproduction is possible without marriage and family. The helpless child that is born into a family cannot forthwith look after itself, and the obligations of the members of his family to provide him with means of living are of primary importance. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2017 SociologyDiscussion - All rights reserved Terms of Service Privacy Policy Contact Us. Religious function: Family is the centre for the Religious training of the children who learn various religious virtues from their parents. Society governs rules pertaining to childbearing and childrearing, which include eligibility to marry, parental rights, and the acceptable amount of children per family. They eat, live and sleep in the dormitories away from their parents. regulation of sexual activity reproducation is The family transmits these property. The nuclear family is independent and economically self-sufficient. Some sociologists are of the view that mankind is entering a golden age in so far as family relationships are concerned. We return to family violence later in this chapter. Although there are differences between one Kibbutzim and another, the general pattern of family life in a Kibbutzim may be described as follows. Survival depends on teaching children the ways and values of the society. 2017 SociologyDiscussion - All rights reserved. Similarly some tribes follow the practice of clan exogamy. The factory, instead of the homestead, became the unit of production, because the steam boiler was too big for the home and the power generated required more space for the machinery. A family is the socially accepted unit for bearing and raising children. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. We have already noted the helpless condition of a human baby at birth and for several years thereafter. The Functions of the Family: While considering the process of socialization of a child, we considered the importance of a family to every individual. The function of socialization depends on families to pass down the ways and values of society. Half of the states in the US allow marriages between first cousins, but a person cannot marry their parents, grandparents, siblings, etc. The Family is a universal institutions. This distinguishes the family from all other associations that grow out of the needs of the individual organism so as to fulfill them. A declining trend is noticeable in the regulation of sexual behaviour by the family. Dear Reader, For example, the father plays with his sons toy train and indulges in many other childish pranks in his childs company. The individualistic West European countries and the American States favour the nuclear family which is also known as the conjugal family. The focus of this theory is how families communicate and connect through symbols such as words, gestures, rules and roles. Blue-collar marriage. The first is regulation of sexual activity. The second function, Reproduction, means that societies must replace their own members to survive. You just dont understand: Women and men in conversation. Most families accumulate much property such as land, goods, money and other forms of wealth. Not every family will meet these needs though. To provide for the economic needs of the family labor is divided based on age and gender. Additionally, socialization is another function of family. The form of a family may have undergone a change in the recent years,, but some of its basic functions continue to have importance. 9. For example, the One Child Policy in China only allows couples to have one child, and they are heavily fined if they have more than one. For example, a family is expected to provide a loving and caring environment for their children. It is, however, contended by some that Kibbutz may be looked upon as a large extended family because Kibbutz is a unit of production, a unit of child rearing, a unit of socializing the child in the culture of the Kibbutz as well as a unit of consumption and recreation. In no other social institution is it easier to detect the impact of rapid social and economic changes that are overtaking society in every country as a result of technological revolution and industrialisation. Explain the functions of the family. Although the functional perspective assumes the family provides its members emotional comfort and support, many families do just the opposite and are far from the harmonious, happy groups depicted in the 1950s television shows. Why or why not. Once produced, the personality must be kept stable. Its aimed at satisfying its material needs (food, shelter, Lastly, economic and emotional support is a function of family. But it is not a self-sufficient producing unit. (ii) the number of mates that a person can lawfully take. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Romantic love is the common basis for American marriages and dating relationships, but it is much less common in several other contemporary nations. However, about half of the states allow first cousin marriage.. not done. It socializes children, provides practical and emotional support for its members, regulates sexual reproduction, and provides its members with a social identity. The family gives moral and emotional support for the individual member, providing his defence against social isolation and loneliness and satisfying his need for personal happiness and love. The prescriptive and proscriptive rules which contain sexual activity between the spouses within the family prevent the probable disruptive effects on social order that would result if the sex drive were allowed free play. It should however, be borne in mind that the functions of the family for society are inseparable from its functions for its individual members. Industrialized societies sometimes divide labor by gender as well, though division of labor by age is significantly more common. Family in all its forms has, at all times, been the group that helped some to gratify physical needs, to beget children and to rear them up, to maintain the line of descent and to obtain a sense of economic security and security in old age. Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices. It occupies a nuclear position in society. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The functions of the family are regulation of sexual activity, reproduction, socialization, and economic and emotional security. The family, according to Maclver and Page, is a group defined by a sex relationship sufficiently precise and enduring to provide for the procreation and upbringing of children. the fourth and final of the functions is the economic and emotional security that you must provide for your children, the men and the women may or may not perform different roles within your family. { "11.01:_Prelude_to_The_Family" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "11.02:_The_Family_in_Cross-Cultural_and_Historical_Perspectives" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "11.03:_Sociological_Perspectives_on_the_Family" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "11.04:_Family_Patterns_in_the_United_States_Today" : "property get [Map 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I hope this helped you understand! For example, it is generally disapproving for Americans to marry their nuclear or extended family. It primarily relies on the biological reproduction of its own members. To conclude, there are certain core functions with which the family is always and everywhere concerned. Hence, one must marry outside his own gotra. Regulation of sexual activity tells people who they can marry and who they can't marry. Family is one example of such an institution. Urban centres, however, have minimized the influence of religion upon life but, wherever the family still adopts a religious attitude, the home continues to be the chief instructor as to the human understanding of the ways of God. (e) Supplemented sub-nuclear family refer to a group of relatives, members of a formerly complete nuclear family along with some other unmarried, divorced or widowed relative who was not a member of the nuclear family. There are many functions of a family. It provides them food, clothing, shelter, and other essentials, and it also provides them love, comfort, help in times of emotional distress, and other types of intangible support that we all need. Labor is divide on the basis of gender, which is later divided within families. There is also change in the reproduction function of the family. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Before the Education Act of 1870 children were not required to go to school, so what education many of them received had to take place within the family. It is the familes job to teach it's kids the way of the world through values and morals. According to Family Function: a historical and research review, sociologists Lidz, Schwab, Bell, and Stephenson note the six functions as: Procreation. For his survival it is necessary that the family must feed and protect him and, at the same time, teach him various cultural aids. It meets emotional and sexual needs, it ensures the reproduction of children; it acts as basic economic unit; and it provides for the care and training of children. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Familial life is not a phenomenon that can exist without the sanctions of society. This-is because of the fact that, unlike lower animals, he is not endowed with instinct which may simplify his adjustment to the environment. No instincts impel him to build a shelter, to kill other animals, to grow plants, or to create tools. One is born in family, grows in it, works for it and dies in it. This places responsibility on the family to teach children the norms of society, including things such as values, customs, and what is accepted and polite behavior. Family Types: 3 Main Types of Family | Sociology, Features of Family: 8 Distinctive features of Family, Features of a Rural Family in India (3 Features), Trends in the Modern Family in India (5 Trends), 100 + Sociology Questions & Answers for MA Entrance Exams (2019,2020,2021), 100 + Sociology Questions and Answers for M.Phil Entrance Exams, 100 + Sociology Questions and Answers for Ph.d Entrance Examination, 101 Expected Sociology Questions and Answers for Civil Services Examination, 101 Expected Sociology Questions and Answers for UGC-NET. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Some cultures, like China, only allow a certain number of children to each set of parents. Privacy Policy 8. Before publishing your articles on this site, please read the following pages: 1. He learns it spontaneously and less ungrudgingly than under specific circumstances. All these refer to the compositional aspect of this institution. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. As previous chapters indicated, no society is possible without adequate socialization of its young. The last named trait enabled man to build several cultural aids to protect himself, to collect food, to build shelter, etc. The family presents itself to the child as an educative group of most fundamental kind. Family provides protection and shelter to orphans, widow and her children. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Those four functions are regulation of sexual activity, reproduction, socialization, and economic/emotional security. In most societies the family is the major unit through which socialization occurs. Mating relationship is established through the institution of marriage. This is the situation today in parts of India, Pakistan, and other developing nations and was the norm for much of the Western world until the late 18th and early 19th centuries (Lystra, 1989). The definition of "incest" and the incest taboo that bans it differ from one society to another. Patriarchal Family: Causes of the Decay of Patriarchal Family! Legal. The former term is used to refer to a childs legally recognized father and the latter to his supposed biological father. They work for the Kibbutz, not for the family. Many of the traditional functions of the family have been taken away by special agencies in modern times. Establishment of household life or provision of a home is another essential function of the family. Who knows that in future such cases would not multiply? The family may be either patriarchal or matriarchal on the basis of authority. Some studies, for example, focus on how husbands and wives communicate and the degree to which they communicate successfully (Tannen, 2001). Yet it cannot be said that any given family is continuing. The government can also play a part in families because it can fulfill economic functions that would be the task of families in traditional societies. The changing functions of the family are discussed below. We have, finally, to take note of the fact that complexities of modem life have forced upon the state various social and economic responsibilities which were previously the exclusive concern of the family. Finally, the family is also an agent of socialisation. The modern family has transferred the educational function to outside agencies such as nursery schools, Kindergarten and Montessori schools. Love between husband and wife, parents and children makes the family an institution of self-sacrifice. Usually, in most of the modern societies, descent is taken from the fathers line, and these families may be regarded as patrilineal. Different sociologists have classified the functions of the family differently. According to Elliot and Meril, Family is the biological social unit composed of husband, wife and children. In this type of family inheritance of property takes place along the male line of descent. The family is a descent group through the male line which is firmly vested with authority. Except some states let you marry your first cousin. This type of family is based on companionship between parents and children. There are four functions of a family. This is a big "no no" in our society. Finally, when he takes a partner and engages in the task of procreation, he is physically as well as mentally moulded by the demands of the family life into which he has entered. In order for a society to survive, procreation must take place. Thus the extended family gradually shed its excess weight and the so-called nuclear family emerged a stripped down, portable family unit consisting only of parents and-a small set of children. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. If the family itself does not enjoy the sanction of the society, the children in it cannot enjoy any status and they grow up as problematic individuals. A family thus provides both control and expression of sexual drives and in doing so performs important functions for its individual members, for the family as an institution and for society as a whole. The responsibility of the family in imparting education to children has declined considerably. (i) The choice of the mate and the mates identity. Children are born into their parents social class, race and ethnicity, religion, and so forth. The family ideally serves several functions for society. Report a Violation, Family Features: Distinctive Features of Family in India, Family: Meaning, Characteristics, Function and Types, Essay on Social Change: Meaning, Characteristics and other details. Because families pass along their wealth to their children, and because families differ greatly in the amount of wealth they have, the family helps reinforce existing inequality. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. -feminists see the family as serving the needs of Komarovsky, M. (1964). Family exerts most profound influence on its members. The extent to which the family has lost its authority particularly over the younger members is the exact measure of the harm that has been caused to this group as an effective social organization and as the very nucleus of society. The Nayar family is a typical example. Although the functional perspective assumes the family provides its members emotional comfort and support, many families do just the opposite and are far from the harmonious, happy groups depicted in the 1950s television shows. It hands over the social heritage to the generations to come. Regulation of sexual activity includes the incest taboo. Emphasis on conjugal ties (between husband and wife) is supposed to weaken the stability of joint family. This enables the couple to stand the strains and stresses of everyday life which tend to make the personality unstable. Hence, emotion is the foundation on which every family is built. Although in some states you can marry your first cousin. The emotional tendencies of co-habiting and procreating bring persons together, and at later stages the love for the offspring and other allied interests stabilize the family. Disclaimer 9. The consanguine family comprises a nucleus of blood relatives surrounded by a fringe of wives and others who are incidental to the maintenance of the family unit. It is not possible to indicate, at this stage, fairly firmly the shape of things to come. The practice of clan exogamy is widely followed among the Indian tribes like the Gond, the Ho, the Khasi etc. First, the family is the primary unit for socializing children. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". We also need reproduction to sustain ourselves as a people because without it we would go extinct. Marriage is monogamous. First, the family as a social institution contributes to social inequality in several ways. Learn how your comment data is processed. Thirdly, the family helps an individual develop an integrated personality. The members of the family visit their relations. On the other hand the conjugal family, typical of a modern society, is small, transient, isolated and relatively insecure but democratic. In this function family members must replace those who have passed away or moved away. On this depends the health and growth of its members. All societies have regulations around this subject, limiting who can get married to who. Some societies regulate things like how many children a family can have, who takes care of the children, and who can bear children in the first place. The family creates the necessary environment in which his personality may blossom basked by the warmth of family affection. Thank you for reading, I hope this helped. Content Guidelines 2. Why or why not. The relationship that develops around reproduction and care of off-spring between father, mother and children is thus lengthened, enlarged and refined. Regulation of sexual activity is so that societies can get rid of incest. Today the importance of family as an economic unit has been lessened as most of the goods for consumption are purchased readymade from the market. Thus, for example, there are social restrictions on divorce, in almost every society. social institutions; class-11; Share It On Facebook Twitter Email. In addition, sudden or far-reaching changes in the familys structure or processes threaten its stability and weaken society. Reproduction needs to take place in the function of a family because societies need to replace the members who die or move away. These possibilities are not Utopian. Families are there to protect children, be there for them, and keep them safe from harm. Parents, siblilngs, and other relatives usually serve as the earliest role model for children. The role behaviour that is learned within the family becomes the model or prototype for role behaviour required in other segments of the society. One can, however, make a safe prediction that the family will not remain the same. It meets emotional and Regulation and control of sex impulses. In our society, the family is the basic economy unit and the division of labor is based on age rather than gender. On the other hand, Germany and other countries with low birthrates encourage families to reproduce. The family is supossed to enforce the incest taboo. When the couple after marriage moves to settle in an independent residence which is neither attached to the brides family of origin nor bridegrooms family of origin it is called neolocal residence. Whether a family has more children is based off of how many children they want, who can have children, and whether they can take on more responsibilty. Welcome to the Spring Semester of Sociology, October 2016 The wife finds in the husband love, security, protection and strength, while the husband expects from her affection, tenderness, help and devotion. Its also likely that parents have less control over children today, compared to the 1950s, because of the impact of the media. Endogamy means marriage within a group, while exogamy means marriage with someone outside his group. The content of the socialization process is the cultural traditions of the society; by passing them to the next generation the family acts as a conduit or transmission belt by which the culture is kept alive. Every family is based on human impulses of mating, procreation, motherly devotion and parental love and care. Both Murdock and Parsons have been criticised on the ground that they have failed to explore functional alternatives to the family. Parents teach their children the ways and norms of how a society is run, and what will be expected of them as they grow up. The family is the major unit for teaching these norms and the major unit through which sexual reproduction occurs. The specific characteristics of modern Western family are generally attributed to the development of industrial society, according to Ogburn and Nimkoff. Even now in the distant villages that have not felt the impact of industrialization and urbanization, family members recreate in each others company and find entertainment in the display of their respective talents. Subscribers to this view include L.H. This new style family, far more mobile than the traditional extended family, became the standard model in all the industrial countries. The Veddas of Ceylon have a considerably developed social system, but their familial organization is matrilineal and matrilocal in character. Regulation of sexual activity includes laws concerning incest. This is to be found not only in Indian society in which caste and religion prevent commensally relationships from growing among individuals belonging to different castes or religions, but also in Western stratified societies. The members of a family have a common habitation or household. Strictly defined, family consists of parents and children. Descent may be recognized through male line or through the mothers line. In India, barring a few small communities, the patrilineal form is predominant as also in most of the Western, Middle Eastern and African countries. In all societies there is sexual activity. There has been various forms of the patriarchal family. Matriarchal family is also called mother-right family or maternal family under which the status, name and sometimes inheritance is transmitted through the female line. First, the family is the primary unit for socializing children. K. Davis has mentioned four main functions of family. Another function is reproduction. In order to survive, societies must replace members who have died or have moved away. SPSS 13.0 was used in data analysis, and demographic information about parents was depicted in frequencies and percentages. Socialization of the family is the first agent of socialization. Similarly, industrialisation has shattered agrarian family structure and helped to usher in family patterns suited to demands of factory life and urban living which, by the way, is itself a consequence of industrialization. according to the consideration of each of these factors, one may determine the type of the family that one may find in different societies and in different parts of the world. Family is the first agent of socialization. A final function of the family is economic and emotional security. Another aspect of family life is the status that it grants to its members. Regulation of sexual activity enforces some type of incest taboo within society. The family is composed of persons who interact and communicate with each other in their social roles such as husband and wife, mother and father, son and daughter etc. The incest taboo that most societies have, which prohibits sex between certain relatives, helps minimize conflict within the family if sex occurred among its members and to establish social ties among different families and thus among society as a whole. The LibreTexts libraries arePowered by NICE CXone Expertand are supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the UC Davis Office of the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program, and Merlot. Of course, one does admit of variations in the practice of matriarchy. The family members included in the incest taboo varies. Thus, one is a Brahmin or a Sudra by being born into a Brahmin or a Sudra family. Thus domestic groups may be made up of individuals between whom no kinship ties exist. Parents, siblings, and, if the family is extended rather than nuclear, other relatives all help socialize children from the time they are born. Most societies do not allow marriage or intercourse between siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, and other close relatives. Sure Start is a good example of the government getting more involved in parenting and Police and social services will intervene to attempt to regulate the behaviour of young offenders. From the above discussion it is clear that there has been a great change in the functions of the family. There are four different types of functions for a family. They are there to teach and mold the child into an acceptable member of society. In the family, the child learns to discharge certain functions which, in the larger world, serve the purpose of training and education. Sometimes even mothers work outside. An endogamous family is one which consists of husband and wife who belong to same group such as caste or tribe. The analysis of functions. Family is usually the first agent of socialization and parents, siblings, and other relatives usually serve as the earliest role models. Now recreation is available in clubs and hotels rather than at home. Socialisation refers to the process through which the growing individual learns the habits, attitudes, values and beliefs of the social group into which he has been born and becomes a person. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Talcott Parsons believes that family is essential for producing socialised personalities. In India, among the Hindus there is a strong feeling in favour of endogamy and penalties for those violating the norms can be harsh. Societies vary enormously in the importance they attach to each of these functions. Besides, the family relationship allows the adult members to act out childish elements of their own personalities which they have retained from childhood but which cannot be given expression in an adult company. It socializes children, it provides emotional and practical support for its members, it helps regulate sexual activity and sexual reproduction, and it provides its members with a social identity. Recall that the functional perspective emphasizes that social institutions perform several important functions to help preserve social stability and otherwise keep a society working. This identifies the norms for age, number of children, eligibility for marriage, and rights and responsibilities of parents. The children learn various religious virtues from their parents. Lastly, there is economic and emotional security. Thus, their principles function is that of the consumption of goods and services which they purchase. Another aspect is that of residence of its members. We have to consider, in the second place, the impact of the changes which take place in the larger society on the family. An individual belonging to a class ranked high in the class hierarchy may invite a person who enjoys a comparatively lower social ranking to join him at a dinner in some hotel or restaurant. There are four functions of family. The third function is reproduction, which is mainly used to replace members of societies who died or moved away. In India, the changes in the joint family are also closely connected with the rise and growth of an industrial economy. Some studies, for example, focus on how husbands and wives communicate and the degree to which they communicate successfully (Tannen, 2001).Tannen, D. (2001). All these aspects make this institution different from all other units of social structure. The prestige of the family brings pride to its members and the lack of it frustrates and disappoints them. When, on the other hand, the married children continue to live with their respective spouses under the same roof with the parents, a joint family comes into existence. The family can also be a source of conflict, including physical violence and emotional cruelty, for its own members. Rubin, L. B. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Now it is found that the family is losing the religious functions performed in the past. Several sociologists hold that in older times there was nothing known as a family. Second, the family can also be a source of conflict for its own members. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. When a family comprises of the spouses and their unwedded children, it is regarded as a conjugal or a nuclear family. Family is regarded as the first society of human beings. The family maintains a common but a distinctive culture. Many family duties which were discharged formerly by the parents have now been transferred to external agencies. 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