13 Family and Home Making

K. C. Leelavathy

epgp books

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The family is the most important primary group in society .It is the simplest and basic unit of society were an individual get comforts and satisfaction for good living. The word family is derive from Latin word ‘famulus’ which means a servant. In Roman law the word denote a group of producers and slaves and other servants as well as members connected by common descent or marriage. They are providing for the needs & comforts for male members of the family and children. She quietly play the leading role in keeping the family to be together maintaining its wellbeing contributing towards stability and wellbeing of the society. She quietly play the leading role in keeping the family to be together maintaining its wellbeing contributing towards stability and wellbeing of the society. She manages the house with meager income. They have meager income. She provides economic role in fact it is extension of family welfare role. She take cares of catering and she goes out and she take up the multiple burdens of the family and she does very quietly. Role of a home maker is distinguishable usages. Associated with the social possession structurally given demand are norms, Tabus, expectation, responsibilities. Roles & Responsibilities Handled by Women. Not able to manage with the role. Conflict will create some problems among the individuals.

 

According M.F. Nimkoff says that “family is a more or less durable association of husband and wife with or without child, or of a man or woman alone, with children.

 

GENERAL FEATURE OF FAMILY

  1. A mating relationship.
  2. Selection of mates: wife or husband may be selected by parents of them.
  3. A form of marriage: family is a part of a social institution called marriage.
  4. A system of nomenclature.
  5. A way of tracing the descent: family give common name and decency in social system.
  6.  A common residence: family require a home or a shelter to live in .
  7.  An economic provision: family provides for the satisfaction of the economic needs of its member.

 

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF FAMILY

  1. Universality.
  2. Emotional basis: the family is grounded in emotion and sentiments.
  3. Limited size. According to size of family, mostly they are two types joint and nuclear family. In nuclear family only a couple and their children are belong in that family. In joint family, not only one generation but also can see more on that family.
  4. Formative influence.
  5. Nuclear position in social structure.
  6. Responsibility of members: in a family all members have their own duties and responsibilities for betterment of their family.
  7. Social regulation.
  8. The permanent and temporary nature of the family: family as institution it is a permanent but family as association it is temporary.

 

PHASES OF FAMILY

 

1.      Premarital role

2.      Familial role

3.      Extra familial role

 

PREMARITAL ROLE:

 

Some functions of family are basic to its continued existence. They are referred to as essential functions by MacIver. These functions are given to elders for provide better family situation to children. They are:Responsibilities, grow up with values,education,knowledge, skills.

 

FAMILIAL ROLE:

 

This is also some kind of function which are done by the family members. These are characters which are the responsibilities which are like values, knowledge, and skill of family member for preparation future.

 

EXTRA FAMILIAL ROLE:

 

In this phase, activities of family member out of the family which indirectly benefit. Like regulating, socializing supervising, political life. And social legislation also included in this phase, were the family members should understand rules and regulations, Property, Marriage act, Legal provisions for safety.

 

TYPES OF FAMILY

  1. ON THE BASIS OF MARRIAGE, a, polygamous b, polyandrous c, monogamous
  2. ON THE BASIS OF NATURE OF RESIDENCE OF FAMILY, a, matrilocal family, the family belong in mother’s place. b, patrilocal family, the family belong in father ‘s .c, changing residence.
  3. ON THE BASIS OF ANCESTRY OR DESCENT, a, matrilineal, the family which transmitting properties of ancestor in mother’s family. b, patrilineal family, were the ancestor is belongs to father’s family.
  4. ON THE BASIS OF THE NATURE OF AUTHORITY FAMILY, a, matriarchal family, the family is control by mother, b, patriarchal family, in this family father have controlling power.
  5. ON THE BASIS OF SIZE OR STRUCTURE, a, nuclear family, maximum number of this family is six, b, joint family, and this family have more than generation.
  6. ON THE BASIS OF NATURE OF RELATION SHIPS, a, the conjugal family which consist of adult member among whom there exists sex relations, b, the consanguine family which consists of member among whom there exists what is known as “blood relationship”-brother and sister , father and son, etc.Structural Definitions of the Family.

 

STRUCTURAL FUNCTION OF FAMILY

 

Structural definitions of the family characteristically define the characteristics of family members such as those who share a place of residence, or who are related through blood ties or legal contracts. A commonly used definition is that of the Census Bureau, “a householder and one or more other persons living in the same household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption” ( Census 1990). This definition includes many family types commonly regarded as families including traditional families (breadwinner husband, homemaker wife and their children), remarried families, dual-earner families, and single parent families. Yet it also omits some relationships that are commonly regarded as an integral part of families:

  • ™  A grandparent who does not reside in the household
  • ™   A noncustodial parent
  • ™  An unmarried parent who does not reside with his/her child
  • ™  A child in a divorced family who spends half of the week with one parent and stepparent, and the other half with another parent and stepparent
  • ™  A man and woman who are legally married but maintain separate apartments and see each other on weekends.

 

Another frequently used structural definition is “two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption” (Ooms and Preister, 1988). This definition broadens the scope by counting as “family” people who do not live together, but are related biologically or through legal contracts. Yet, though this definition is more inclusive, some would contend it still excludes some arrangements that many might recognize as legitimate families. For example, long-term foster families are not related by birth, marriage, or adoption, yet carry out many family functions over a significant period of time. Both these structural definitions exclude communal living arrangements and gay and lesbian couples.Legal Definition of the Family.

 

LEGAL DEFINITION OF FAMILY

 

Although there are many references in law and public policy to the family, there is no clear legal definition of the term. You cannot, for example, turn to a definition of “family” in the Wisconsin statutes. There is no such entry. However, the fact that there is no explicit definition of the family in the law does not mean that courts and other legal policymakers do not base decisions on a particular view of what is a family. That view is, more likely than not, a traditional one. Someone has remarked that American family law is middle-class, mid-western and middleaged. Nowhere is this more evident than in the response of the law to changing family forms. A reference to “family” is usually to a traditional model of a mother and father, married to each other and their biological or legally adopted children.

 

When the family form is less traditional, difficulties of definition arise. Informal families in which the parents are not married or same gender relationships for which formal marriage is not available create problems, even in cases where these changing societal attitudes come in the ranks of the middle class that segment of our society whose values are most likely to be expressed in our public policy in terms of statutes and case law.

 

When the courts are faced with the necessity of determining whether these units constitute a family, they respond in the manner described earlier in this briefing paper the definition often depends on the circumstances of the case. An excellent example of this approach to the definition of “family” is found in the landmark United States Supreme Court case of Moore v. the City of East Cleveland. In that case a grandmother lived with her son, his son and another grandson who was a cousin. The local zoning ordinance limited dwellings in the area to single families and the grandmother had been notified that she had to move because she was in violation of the ordinance: her grandchildren were not of a single family. When she failed to move, she was convicted of violating the ordinance. The case eventually made its way to the United States Supreme Court. That court held the municipal ordinance to be unconstitutional as a denial of substantive due process because it interfered with freedom of personal choice in matters of family life. At least for the purposes of zoning regulation, the family that the constitution protects from governmental intrusion includes some extended families.

 

The difficulty with this approach to defining the family is that the analysis may reflect value judgements about nontraditional lifestyles that are unrelated to the psychological, supportive and dependence relationships involved. On the other hand, it may be that a pragmatic approach, considering a closely-involved unit as a family for some purposes, but not for others, is the best solution.

 

The lack of a definition of the family in the law stems partly from the fact that the family has no legal status separate from its members. The role of the law is usually one of defining and enforcing rights and obligations of the individuals who are members of the family husbands and wives, domestic partners, parents and children. This is why the field of law, now called family law, was historically described as the law of domestic relations; it deals with the relations of individuals in a certain type of relationship, known as the family. The substance of family law is not the rights of the family, but of its members.

 

This emphasis on the rights and responsibilities of the members of family units has the advantage of allowing persons in nontraditional relationships to assert rights and seek remedies without relaying on family law doctrines or a family relationship. A case recently decided in Wisconsin Court of Appeals illustrates this approach. The case involved an unmarried couple who lived together for seven years, sharing expenses equally. Each partner had children of a previous relationship. When the relationship broke up, family law would have afforded the woman no economic relief. Therefore, she sought payment for her services for cleaning and cooking and a share of the increase in value in the home he owned, resulting from work he had done while they were living together relying on theories of contract and unjust enrichment. The man sued for the child support he had provided the woman’s children. The court of appeals found sufficient evidence to sustain a jury finding that the woman was entitled to most of the money she sought, but that the man was not entitled to child support.

 

The law has different ways of responding to societal changes and changing family forms will continue to result in changing legal responses.

 

Any dialogue about defining the family can’t escape the reality of the diversity of American families. The next section focuses on Wisconsin and the changes that have occurred in households and families in the last three decades.

 

CHANGING FAMILY PATTERNS

 

The family as a basic social institution has been undergoing change. The modern family radically differ from that of the traditional. The family has never been at rest. Both in its structure and functions change have taken place. Some of these changes may be examined here.

1, The sexual regulation function of family has not change much.

2, The reproductive function family has suffered particularly in western societies.

3, In the past fifty years the parental and the educational functions of family have been shifted to certain external agencies.

4, The protective function of family decline in particular families.

5, The economic function of family has been disturbed greatly.

6, It seems that socializing function.

7, The status – ascription function has been weakened in modern society.

8, The recreational function of the family is losing importance.

 

DEMAND OF FAMILY

 

Family having high demand in society. Specially because of transferring of culture, status ascribing, agents of socialization. Family educate children not only the educational knowledge but also the values and behaviour. Couples understand each other and take the family together then only the children will understand harmony of the family.These are the Challenging Demands women have infront of them, they are trying to face it by equipping themselves proper skills. So that they need independence, freedom, exporters, They want to participate in the social life, They need to be courageous, They have to act as according to situation, They need to be assertive, They need to be considerate, They need to be patented times. Family motivate talents and skill of the other member in family. Family give more security and care to children in family. Family make individual to think humane and to be kind to others. All over these family is the first education centre.

 

HOME MAKING

 

Home is an essential place were needed well planning, controlling, evaluation. And all the resources in the family for the purpose of attaining the family goals. In Indian families mother should be the home maker and a home maker should have deeds an artist vision, Skills and efforts for all desirable results, skill of cooking,Taking care of children with all total perspective.When she is doing something, she requesting the children to along with them and perform that way they can save energy.When the problem arising between them she try to solve the problem and analysing i.e. She is excellent analyser.

 

STEPS TO SOLVE FAMILY PROBLEMS:

 

They should maintain Love, Affection, bonding, Understanding, Creativity, Emotional attachment, Respect & appreciation. Through this children learn how to behave in front of elders and learn code of conduct in society which is expecting from a child in a particular family background. These morals of family and values are learn by children through seeing from their parents only. So mother should be very care full to give good experience to their child for their betterment.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Further, of all the groups of that affect the lives of individuals in society touches them so intimately or so continuously as does the family. From the moment of birth to the moment of death the family exerts a constant influence.

 

The family is the first group in which we find ourselves. Every one of us live in a family and grows up with the values and morals of it. Family is giving common name and status to each individual in the family. And member of the family have a role of motivator in Youngers life. Experienced elders give good models to their new generation the family. Family is small group consist of father, mother and their children. And family is a construction of marriage.

 

The family is said to be universal because it is found in more societies than any other social institution, including the economy, the state, religious communities, and educational organizations. Yet this universal term conveys a variety of images. For some, it may bring to mind the work of American painter Norman Rockwell white picket fences, and freckled boys and girls playing under the watchful eye of doting parents and community elders. The word family may mean something quite different to an African-American, an American Indian, or a southeast Asian refugee, a stepparent, a foster parent, a landlord, or a zoning board member. One’s image of family may reflect one’s position in the family life cycle ranging from a childless couple to the “sandwich generation” with both young and old dependents to the “empty nest” stage.

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REFERENCES

  1. C.N. SHANKAR RAO, SOCIOLOGY PRNCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY WITH AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGICAL THOUGHT, S Chand and company limited. , new Delhi, page no: 348-364.