Running Head: FAMILY IN SOCIETY

Family: Does it Belong in Todays Society?

Davinder Bassi
xxx xxx xxx
SOCIO 002 099
Professor X
December 1, 2013

FAMILY IN SOCIETY

The institution of family has undergone profound changes in the last 60 years. Since
industrialization, women entering the workforce, the post-war baby boom, followed by advances
in technology, families have had to cope. As society has progressed, the structure and function of
the family unit has evolved. In Canada, there have been significant fluctuations with respect to
marriage, divorce, and children (Steckley & Letts, 2013, pp. 259- 266). Once, the nuclear family
was the norm, but that is no longer the case. There have also been changes in work patterns,
living arrangements, social expectations and cultural values (Farrell, VandeVusse, & Ocobock,
2012). The study of family is on-going and its shift has also been noted in the east, namely India
(Sooryamoorthy & Radhamany, 2012). Traditional Indian families have been subject to
industrialization and modernization but urbanization has caused them to evolve into what they
have become today. The extended or joint family system has been replaced by extended or
nuclear types (Sooryamoorthy & Radhamany, 2012). Consequently, in both eastern and western
societies, regardless of size or form, family continues to serve a fundamental purpose: to provide
comfort and stability, vital to the growth and development of its future generations, making it an
integral part of todays society.
Initially, one must understand the concept of family and its structure. Meriam-Webster
defines it as a group of people who are related to each other or a persons children (2013). This
definition is quite vague when it comes to the actual composition of what one considers a family.
Today, there are almost as many variations as there are families. Since the 1950s, the most
common form has been termed a nuclear family, made up of two married, heterosexual adults
raising their biological and/ or adopted offspring. Other forms may have included grandparents,
aunts, uncles and cousins more aptly called an extended family. They may have also included
married children and their offspring. These larger-type extended families are more common in

FAMILY IN SOCIETY

eastern cultures than in western and are sometimes referred to as a joint family structure
(Sooryamoorthy & Radhamany, 2012). Frances Goldsheider and Regina Bures further describe
family as a simple household, unrelated (by blood) adults [living] with or without children, or
a complex household two or more adults who are related but not married to each other and
hence could reasonably be expected to live separately (Steckley & Letts, 2013, p.258). Social
change has also given rise to the single-parent families. Predominantly female-headed, their
numbers have been increasing as overall divorce rates have steadily risen (Steckley & Letts,
2013, p.262). For some cultures, polygamy is an accepted practice, where families termed
polygynous (having many wives) are able to raise their offspring collectively as can be seen in
British Columbia, many parts of the U.S. as well as in the east (Steckley & Letts, 2013, p.274).
It can also be observed that the structure of family has transformed following the changes
within the institution of marriage. Nowadays, there are many alternatives to marriage. One may
choose to remain single or live in a common-law relationship, both outside of marriage (Farrell
et al., 2012). As the age of first marriage has risen in Canada, many children have continued
living with their parents contributing to what has been called a cluttered nest (Steckley & Letts,
2013, p.265). Reasons for this are primarily economic. The higher cost of living, rising house
prices, and more education and time needed to build a career make it difficult for children to start
a household of their own. Another change in marriage has been an increase in exogamous
marriages, that is, marriage outside ones group. In 2006, Reginald Bibby presented a report
indicating Canadians had a higher approval rating of intergroup marriages comparing rates from
1975 to 2005 (Steckley & Letts, 2013, p.273). Even in eastern cultures, a shift in endogamous
marriages between castes has been observed to no longer be the norm (Sooryamoorthy &

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Radhamany, 2012). As values become more liberal in eastern and western cultures, likewise, the
basic family unit has been evolving.
The importance of family in todays society rests upon its primary function: to provide
basic life necessities for its members regardless of family type. These necessities include food,
shelter, clothing, and healthcare. In western culture, education is also considered a basic life
necessity. Canada mandates children to attend school until the ages of sixteen to eighteen years,
depending on the province or territory they reside (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2013).
For any third world country, education is considered a luxury, where only the wealthy have
access to it. Nevertheless, it is still necessary for senior family members to educate its young,
however informal that may be. The ideal family also provides security, love, trust and emotional
fulfillment for those in its group. This, in turn, gives them a cohesiveness rarely found elsewhere.
The family bond that is created lasts the entire lifespan. The higher mortality rate found in
todays society, means an aging population needs to be managed. As such, family has taken on
the added function of care-givers for its elderly, not just the sick and disabled. Eastern cultures
do so within their joint family system, whereas western cultures more commonly employ the use
outside care facilities. At any rate, both family types make provisions for their seniors.
Another function of family essential to todays society is its financial gain. By grouping
adults in one household, with or without children, they are able to maintain a better standard of
living than if each were to live individually. With the cost of living constantly rising, the basic
family unit, irrespective of size, is able to take control of its members quality of life by
cohabiting. This can be done through a legally-binding marriage or an informal common-law
union. In doing so, families with children are able to have childcare provided for them primarily
from one or any adult member of the household. Cohabiting also benefits economically in the

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case of job loss by providing a safety net since todays global job market can be quite
unpredictable. By living together with other employed adults, one is able to seek new
employment while being supported by other family members. When all adults are employed,
living expenses can be shared as well as any savings. All family members benefit in this manner.
Contributing to a family unit is also significant to society for its division of household
labour. As more adults work full-time within a household, it is necessary to divide domestic
work. Many studies on this division in heterosexual married couples have been documented,
though not nearly as much on single-parent, cohabiting, and gay/ lesbian families (Farrell et al.,
2012). Overall, the consistent finding has been that gender is the deciding factor in how domestic
work is divided, regardless of type of family as mentioned above (Farrell et al., 2012).
Nevertheless, as society continues to transform into a faster-paced, more technology-dependent
one, the demands on each member of the family will only increase. Having someone to share this
second shift, as Hochschild and Machung called it in 1989 will help to reduce any additional
frustration and pressure caused by time constraints (Steckley & Letts, 2013, p.270) (Farrell et al.,
2012).
Reproduction in the family unit has always been a way of legitimizing procreation with
social regulation of sexual conduct in order to continue the family lineage. But with more
contemporary forms of family in todays society, more career-driven adults, dual career parents
thus older parents, womens fecundity or ability to conceive has declined later in life (Steckley &
Letts, 2013, p.262). This could be detrimental to any society as it contributes to a decreased total
fertility rate, a projection of the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime. In
Canada alone, it has been over forty years since the total fertility rate has been above the
replacement rate (Steckley & Letts, 2013, p.264). It should be of no surprise then that an increase

FAMILY IN SOCIETY

in the use of assisted reproductive technologies over the last thirty years has been observed
(Farrell et al., 2012). Bali Ram (2012) has also noted a decline in fertility since the mid 1970s in
India. That is why in order for society to propagate, any form of family will suffice. The need for
childcare, basic necessities and emotional support all contribute to every societys proliferation.
Lastly, one of the most powerful agents of socialization is that of family making it crucial
to the healthy growth and development of individuals in todays society (Steckley & Letts, 2013,
p.96). Since it is also the first agent of socialization a child is exposed to, it often has the most
lasting and profound effects upon them. Family teaches culture including background, family
roots, primary household language, food and festivities to name a few. Family also teaches
morals, values and traditions often tied closely to religion, a particular set of customs or a belief
system. Through the teen years, family supports them in their personal development as they seek
their own identity. Once other agents of socialization begin their influence, it is often interpreted
from the perspective of the family. An individual who has been given enough guidance to make
positive choices for themselves is better equipped to perform well in school, have good peer
relationships, and eventually attain full-time employment. Conversely, those with poor or no
family socialization show signs early on in school with more conflicts, poor grades, and
difficulties with authority. In the course of time, they do not achieve a proper education and may
or may not be able to be employed. Unemployment, leads these individuals to become a burden
on society. Often times, crime is used to supplement or in fact, support those in this lower
socioeconomic class as they have not learned the benefits of hard work, morals, or values. One
can see there is more crime today than 60 years ago including mass shootings, gang violence,
sexual abuse, child abuse, etc. In order for todays society to reduce these negative outcomes,

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one must look at how family socialization can be supported to produce more successful members
of society.
In conclusion, as the size and form of the family unit has evolved, it has not reduced its impact
on its members. Whether the term used to describe the family is nuclear or extended, simple or
complex, single-parent or polygynous, endogamous or exogamous, homosexual or heterosexual,
they all serve the same purpose: to love and support one another, which in and of itself is
paramount for todays society. However, each family approach to provision of basic family
needs, emotional security, economic stability, childcare, support of its elderly, division of
conjugal roles and fertility may differ. Whatever approach is used, eastern or western,
contemporary or conventional, the fundamental purpose is to adapt to the needs of each person as
well as provide a positive growing environment through socialization thus producing successful,
contributing members of society. Our future depends on family.

FAMILY IN SOCIETY

References
Citizenship and Immigration Canada. (2013). Living in Canada. Retrieved from
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/welcome.pdf
Family. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster.com online. Retrieved November 30, 2013, from
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/family
Farrell, B., VandeVusse, A., & Ocobock, A. (2012). Family change and the state of family
sociology. Current Sociology, 60(3). Retrieved from
http://csi.sagepub.com.rap.ocls.ca/content/60/3/283.full.pdf+html

Ram, B. (2012). Fertility decline and family change in India: a demographic perspective. Journal
of Comparative Family Studies, 43(1). Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com.rap.ocls.ca/docview/939527277
Sooryamoorthy, R. (2012). The Indian family: needs for a revisit. Journal of Comparative Family Studies,
43(1). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.rap.ocls.ca/docview/939526052

Steckley, J., & Letts, G. K. (2013). Elements of Sociology. Don Mills: Oxford University Press.