Chapter 10: The Family

Family- is the basic institution and the primary group in society.

According to Murdock- he defines the family as a social group
characterized by common residence, economic cooperation, and
reproduction.
According to Burgess and Locke- he defines family as a group of persons
united by ties of marriage, blood or adaption, constituting a single
household, interacting and communicating with each other in their
respective social roles of husband and wife, mother and father, son and
daughter, brother and sister, and creating and maintaining a common
culture.

Marriage
an important institutional element of the family is marriage.
is an institution consisting of a cluster of mores and folkways, of attitudes,
ideas, and ideals, of social definitions and legal restrictions.

People marry for a combination of reasons:

love
economic and emotional security
the parents wishes
escape from loneliness
unhappy home situation
money
companionship
protection
adventure
common interest

According to Family Code of the Philippines, which became effective on

August 3, 1988- defines marriage as special contact of permanent union
between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the
establishment of conjugal and family life.

The New Family Code speaks of two aspects of marriages

1. As a contract- applies to only a man and a woman. The law also

prescribes penal and civic sanctions, like criminal action, for adultery or
concubinage, legal separation, or action for support.
2. As a status- once a contract of marriage is valid, the status of being
married is created between parties.

Forms of Marriage:
1. Monogamy- permits a man to take only one spouse at a time.
2. Polygamy- plural marriage and may assume in 3 forms:

Polygyny-a marriage of one man to two man or more women at the

same time. It is practiced by Muslims and Mormons, being confined to
the upper socio-economic levels and becomes a status of symbol for
the confined man.
Polyandry- a marriage of a woman to two or more men at the same
time. The practiced is quite rare but may found among the Kaingang of
Brazil.
Group Marriage

Selections of Marriage Partners

2 types of norms regarding the selection:
1. Endogamy- refers to the norm which dictates that one should marry
within ones clan or ethnic group. Parents may also contrive to have their
children marry within the religious group, locality or social class.
2. Exogamy- prescribes that one marry outside ones clan or ethnic group.

Family Structures
the structure of the family varies from culture to another. Within a given
society there may be variations among the family, however, an observer can
perceive a more or less dominant or typical type.

Classification of Families
1. Based on internal Organization or membership- here,
family may be classified as nuclear or extended.
Nuclear- sometimes called primary or elementary family. It is
composed of a husband, wife, and children in a union recognized by

other members of society.

Murdock- he states that every normal adult in every society belongs
to two kinds of nuclear families, namely, the family of orientation
and the family of procreation.
The family of orientation- is the family into which one is born, and where
one is reared socialized. It consists of a father, a mother, brothers and
sisters.
The family of Procretion- the family established through marriage and
consists of a husband, a wife, sons and daughters.
Extended Family- it is composed of two or more nuclear families,
economically and socially related to each other.
Linton distinguishes two types of family structures corresponding to
the nuclear and extended families. He refers to them as:

The conjugal family- it is considers the spouses and their offspring

as of prime importance and which has a fringe of comparatively
unimportant relatives.
The consanguineal family- it is considers the nucleus of blood
relatives as more important than the spouses. Blood relationships
formed during childhood are emphasized.

Advantage and Disadvantage of Extended family

Advantage: Its likelihood for permanence, for a member can turn to his kin
for help in times of crisis and thus withstand the stresses and strains of life.
Disadvantage: Danger that the children may developed emotional
problems due to the excessive child-centeredness of the family and the
solicitude of the parents for them.

2. Based on Descent- it implies cultural norms which affiliate a person

with a particular group of kinsfolk for certain social purposes and services
such as mutual assistance and regulation of marriage.
Types of Families on the basis of descent:

Patrilineal descent- affiliates a person with a group of relatives

through his or her father.
Matrilineal descent- affiliates a person with a group of relatives
through his or her mother.

Bilateral descent- affiliates a person with a group of relatives through

both his and her parents.

3. Based on Residence

Patrilocal- residence requires that the newly married couple live with
or near the domicile of the parents of the bridegroom.
Matrilocal- residence requires that the newly married couple live with
or near the domicile of the parents of the bride.
Bilocal- residence gives the couple a choice of staying with either the
grooms parents or the brides parents, depending on factors like
relative wealth of the families or their status in life, the wishes of the
parents, or certain personal preferences of the bride and the groom.
Neolocal- residence permits the newly married couple reside
independently of the parents of either groom or bride.
Avunculocal- residence prescribes that the newly married couple
reside with near the maternal uncle of the groom. This type of
residence is very rare.

4. Based on authority
Families are classified into the following types:

Patriarchal Family- one in which the authority is vested in the oldest

male in the family, often the father. The sons, especially the eldest,
enjoy prestige and privileges. The males speak for the familial group
with regard to property, relationships, legal obligations and criminal
offenses. This type of family is further characterized by family
solidarity and ancestor worship.
Matriarchal Family- one in which the authority is vested in the
mother or the mothers kin. This type is found in new societies.
Egalitarian Family- one in which the husband and the wife exercise a
more or less equal amount of authority.
Matricetric Family- recently emerged type usually found in the
suburbs of the United States. Burgess and Locke attribute its
emergence to the fact that in suburban families, the father commutes
and is absent for the greater part of the day.

Functions of the Family

The family regulates sexual behavior and is the unit for production.
Within the marriage bond, sex expression is socially sanctioned.
The family performs the function of biological maintenance. The human
infant is born helpless ad the parents fill the roles of protector,
provider, and guardian.
The family is the chief agency for socializing the child.
The family gives its member status.
The family is an important mechanism for social control.
The family performs economic functions, especially in simple societies.

Structural Characteristics of the Filipino Family

Among the Muslims, the more common type is the joint family. The
young couple and their children generally live as a dependent unit with
the family of either spouse, if they are Tausug, and with that of the
wife, they are Samal.
Blood kinship- plays an important role in the Filipino family so that
the family may be considered consanguineal. This is especially in rural
areas
Family Alliance- is further extended by the compadre or
compadrazgo system which is formed through the rituals of baptism,
confirmation and marriage. Thus, sponsors for these occasions become
linked to the family and are expected to help the family or may expect
to be helped by the family when occasions arise.
Although Father is usually the head of the family, the other is equally
vested with the authority of children. Grandparents are also given
authority, and so are aunts and uncles.
The Filipino family is bilateral in terms of reckoning descent and social
allocation.
In terms of residence, the Filipino family maybe said to be bilocal and
neolocal.
In marriage, monogamy is the norm, although polygyny is allowed
among the Muslims and other cultural communities

Courtship and Marriage

Courtship- is the stage preparatory to marriage and may include all forms
of behavior by which individual seeks to win the consent of another
marriage.

A study made by Medina- showed shorter courtship periods, more

intermarriages, and more marriages arranged by non-relatives such as
employers, sponsors, compadres, and friends among urban couples than
among the rural and intramarried couples.
Church Wedding- is the accepted practice, an influence of the Catholic
religion.
Civil Marriage- is frowned upon and is not considered a binding union by
Catholics.

Social Change and the Filipino Family

Geographical mobility
Increasing population
Increasing industrialization and urbanization
The idea of universal education
The changed status and role of the Filipino Woman
The diffusion of the mass media

These social changes bring about conflict in values and mores,

which may turn bring about social problems. Among these are
conflicts in the:

Families
Separation and desertion
Abortion
Illegitimacy
Prostitution
The youth problem
Juvenile delinquency
Drug abuse

Reporters:
Excel
Joy
Marticio

C.

Queeny
Simon

C.