1.

FAMILY

Family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society. Men and women of full age have the
right to marry and found a family. Marriage is a legal union of two adults: a man and a woman. Marriage is
an important concept when talking about family life in our society. Marriage in our society tends to be of the
serial monogamy type. It means that you can only be legally married to one partner of the opposite sex.
Some societies practise strict monogamy. It means that you are married to your partner until his/her death –
divorce is prohibited. In some societies, various forms of polygamy are practised. It means that a man can be
married to more than one woman or a woman can be married to more than one man.
In some societies, choice of marriage partner is a matter of individual choice – people meet, fall in
love and marry. In others, arranged marriages are the norm (societies with Hindu religion, e. g. India).
Kinship means connections between people that are “blood relationships”.
Household is a group of people who have a common residence. There is not necessarily any family
or kinship relationship between them.
The legal union of two adults is considered the norm in most modern societies. However,
cohabitation is an increasingly popular choice. It is the idea that two people live together and raise their
children without being legally/formally married.
Family consists of people who are socially-related to one another. Reproduction and the upbringing
of children is an important function of the family. One of the basic rights of the parents is to decide how
many children to have and when to have them. The main role of parents is to raise their children. Parents
should teach their children how to differentiate between right and wrong, how to solve problems in life,
become independent people and care about others. Children learn how to get on with people, how to be
tolerant, self-disciplined, polite and helpful. A family is the most important unit that provides protection,
education, social interaction. It also supplies basic physical, economic, and educational need in modern
society. Children should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and
understanding. The family is also expected to educate the child so that it could develop all its abilities.
Firstly, children should feel that they are loved by their parents and this is the most important. Apart from
that, parents should be able to recognize when it is appropriate to react strictly. Using of punishments should
be the last option.
There are different types of parenting styles: authoritarian, authoritative (democratic), permissive
(liberal) and over-caring. Authoritative (democratic) parents lead a dialogue with their children and respect
their opinions. They might have high expectations for their children, but they also help them, support and
encourage them. Authoritarian parents insist on unquestioning obedience and enforce good behaviour
through threats and harsh punishments. They expect their orders to be obeyed without questions. Such
parents set strict rules without attempting to find compromises, they often force their children to do
something what they do not like without considering their interests and desires, they punish them for
everything and don’t give them much freedom. Such an approach often leads to a generation gap between
parents and their own children. On the other hand, some parents are too permissive, which means that they
allow their children almost everything. Very liberal parents give too much freedom to their children without
limits. The result of their upbringing is usually negative because the children show little respect towards
them, they are often impolite, rude and sometimes aggressive. Over-caring parents give too much love and
usually bring up spoilt and dependent children who are unable to set up their own families.
Differences between how children are raised nowadays and how our parents and grandparents were
raised has led to generation gaps. Young people often feel that their opinions differ from their parents’
opinions. Parents often argue with their children about clothes, hairstyle, music, hobbies, interests. The main
cause of the conflicts is the fact that young people live in different world than their parents. Children should
understand that it is sometimes difficult for their parents to follow new trends. To avoid the conflicts parents
should try to talk to their children, understand them and make compromises.
In the past the role of husband was to go to work and earn money, while his wife stayed at home to
take care of the household and children. The industrial revolution caused great changes in family structure.
Many wives started working outside the home and many husbands started sharing the duties involved in
running the household. Besides that, the average age for marriage is much higher than it was in the past.
Statistics show that the majority of young people get married in their late twenties or early thirties.
Moreover, according to research, the number of children is going down every year, because young families
don’t want to have many children. Nowadays, it is difficult to find a well-paid job and families don’t have
enough money to bring up more than two children. Besides that, parents often prefer their career to children.
They tend to spend too much time working, so they do not have time for their children. Today, families face
many crises – famine, poverty, unemployment, as well as economic changes and wage-earning.
All family members have specific social roles with various duties and responsibilities. Domestic
chores, such as cooking, shopping, washing-up, vacuuming and cleaning, should be divided among family
members.
Families get together for various occasions and anniversaries, such as birthdays, graduation,
weddings, christening, religious celebrations and funerals.
Kinds of family structures:
Nuclear Family – consists of two generations of family members living in the same household. It consists of
a mother, father and children living together in one home.
Extended Family – consists of three or more generations (children, parents, grandparents) living in the same
household.
Single-Parent Family – involves a single person plus dependent children. The presence of this family
structure can be attributed to three main factors: divorce has increased
pregnancy outside marriage
the death of a marriage partner
Reconstituted Families (Step Families) – are one consequence of high rates of divorce and remarriage.
These families are headed by step-mothers and step-fathers. This type of family is becoming increasingly
common.
Nowadays, the divorce rate is very high, more and more couples want to divorce. The most common
reasons are lack of love, love affairs outside marriage, financial problems, unemployment, living with
parents, misunderstandings, different interests and opinions, addiction to alcohol, drugs or gambling.
 1. QUESTIONS

1. What are the functions of family in society?

2. What types of marriage do you know?
3. Make a list of reasons why people get married. In your opinion, what is a good age to get
married at?
4. Compare the roles of husband and wife in the past and today.
5. Define different family structures. Which one do you belong to?
6. Introduce members of your family from the point of view of their age, physical appearance,
personal traits and hobbies. Tell us about your childhood and how it has shaped your life.
7. Which member of your family are you closest to and explain why?
8. What are the qualities of good parents? What are the differences between democratic,
authoritarian, authoritative, over-caring, permissive and uninvolved parenting styles?
9. What are the most important qualities of a good son or daughter?
10. Specify various duties and responsibilities required from children.
How do you help your parents? Do you get pocket money?
11. What problems usually arise when talking about ‘the generation gap’? What are the main
causes and consequences? Name possible ways of bridging it in order to make a good
mutual relationship. Do you feel the generation gap in your family?
12. Which occasions do family members get together? What about your family gatherings?
13. Name at least three problems modern families have to face today. What are they caused by?
What are the most common causes of divorce?

ROLEPLAYS / SIMULATIONS

You would like to throw a party celebrating your birthday. Explain who you would like to invite
and why.
Your parents do not like some of your friends who are eccentric and behave unconventionally. They
want you to have a family get-together. You prefer socialising with your friends, so give as many
points as possible to justify your friends’ presence at the event.

You share your bedroom with your sibling, who is very untidy. What would you do to make
him/her not leave his/her stuff about all the time, put his/her things away, not chat with his/her
friends for hours on end, and how would you force him/her to share the chores?

You have decided to spend a year abroad. You have some savings in the bank, but you would like
to borrow two thousand euros from your parents. Try to persuade your parents to lend you the
money. Decide how and when you want to pay them back.
 1. PICTURES

1 Make assumptions about the relationships of family members shown in the set of the photos.
2 What are the pros and cons of being a part of a big family or being the only child?
3 Make a list of reasons why people remain single, live in cohabitation or get married.
4 What is your vision of an ideal family?