What is Family?
This paper will shed light by emphasizing the social institution family. Family is a primary institution of this society which works as the base of the social organization and institution. This paper will focus on family roles, relationships, changes and family policies. Family is an important factor for every individual to be a person as rearing and caring happens in the family only for the development and well-being. Family roles are important to maintain the structure and cohesion in the family and which will also help to maintain the relationship between the family member. Though, the patriarchal and traditional approach of the family is now changing according to the time because of modernization of the society, which affects the family roles and relationships also and bring a change in our society.
For understanding the concept and to gain knowledge about the same, one should know what family means. Sociologically, a family is a group of people who are related by birth, marriage or live together and also the individuals who have blood relation among each other. Each family members are important as they provide support, security and care for each other.
All the family members have some specific roles which they should maintain in order to maintain the structure of the family relationship of the family between the members. Family members, from grandparents to children, all have different activities according to their age and gender, which they perform in a setting like family. Family roles are important as this help to survive in the family structure and to keep harmony in the family. Respect for the adult members of the family, helping the family members in their difficulties, sharing and proper communication, celebration and have a family get together to remove the boredom, keeping the harmony, maintaining the family relationship these all should be followed and maintained to sustain the structure of the family (Karetak, Tester & Tagalik, 2017). Thus, for prolonging the structure of this social institution, family members of different ages and gender should carry on their particular roles for strengthening the bond.
Family relationships are for the well-being of the members and for the diversity across the life course of any individual. The relationship has a major impact on family structure as they are connected with different important ways and stages of life and social connection. Family members and connections among them can provide a developed sense of well being of a family and for its benefit to remain happy. Depending on the nature and the quality of the family relationship, the lifestyle and happiness can be measured, which influence the physical, mental, emotional well being of individuals. Among many relationships, the primary relationship of any family is the marital relationship, which defines the context. A happily married relationship can bring happiness to the family and can develop a sense of well being by removing the challenges through supporting each other. The marital relationship can be suggested as the base of the family as a couple gives birth and help to maintain the family tree from where the intergenerational relationship between the members occurred. The younger generation make bonds with the adults and older generations which creates the bond stronger between them and give an opportunity to support each other at their difficult times (Thomas, Liu & Umberson, 2017).
Importance of Family Roles
Parenthood’s increased social integration helps to have proper communication with their children. Adult children and parents have a wide age gap which sometimes includes negativity between them. But, at times of difficulty, parents always remain there for their children’s well being and to keep the balance of the family on the right track so that the family can have a positive impact. The roles between the parents are also different for their gender difference (Thomas, Liu & Umberson, 2017). Often mothers are seen as a caregiver and house maker, and fathers are bread earners. But this notion is changing after modernization and industrialism. The substantial difference between them is evident enough, where a mother seems to be more pressurized than a father.
Gender difference and inequality has a deep impact on their equation of relationship in the family. Mothers are the ones who have different types of activities, including household chores to do and they are the ones who are blamed if something goes wrong in the family. But. Slowly and steadily, this equation and particular responsibility for a particular gender is changing and developing a positive aspect regarding the same. The major role evolving process which started to impact the family structure started to shift after industrialization and modernization. The new family trends have changed the gender-specific roles and expanded their nature of development. Female members of the family also get to achieve economic power as they also start to income and contribute to the family. The demand for gender inequality changes these factors and notions. Female members started to income and contribute, whereas male members contributed to household chores and also took other responsibilities. In contemporary family, increasing awareness of gender equality and its notion changes the family structure and develop the women’s role. The family members tend to share their responsibilities so that any one member does not feel pressurized. Modern society influences this dynamic entity, family, to develop and to change their specific roles for specific genders (Olah, Kotowska & Richter, 2018).
The changes in the family pattern, which is an influence because of the development and modernization of the society, help to develop the female economic activity and situation. In Western Europe, this new family structure emerged at first, and then according to the time, these changes expanded worldwide. The transformation of female roles, which increase women’s employment and which help them to feel empowered, not only change the female roles, but the male roles are also transformed. Male members were not usually involved in other responsibilities than earning, but this transformation shows a different way for the male member to involve in child caring, taking responsibilities of house and which help them to connects with the children more and more as this different notion introduced fatherhood which changes the social norms, family norms, roles, relationship altogether. This redefinition and transformation are crucial in terms of replacing the patriarchal and traditional thinking of family norms and roles with modernized and contemporary notions and perspectives of family norms and structure. When the discussion starts about family and parenting, instead of focusing on motherhood and their activities which will eventually increase the lens of gender difference from father to mother, the emphasis should remain on both. Rather, focus on fathers’ approaches of parental responsibilities and their transformation to reinvent the relationship and the roles, especially in this twenty-first century (Olah, Kotowska & Richter, 2018).
Family Relationships
The family policy can be defined as the policies which are directly related to family matters and which can have an impact on family members. Policymakers do not have any choice to make whether or not to affect the family life or the family members as all the policies are already created beforehand and according to those actions and interactions were taken. The main purpose of family policy is to take care of the family as a social institution so that the structure is properly maintained. Health care, food, security and safety, education, every need of a family is taken care of by the governments and the organization according to the policies. From this point of view onwards, the policies started to focus on other issues regarding family to solve those without making them complicated. Relationship issues are the main aspect which needs to cover nowadays under the family policies. Promoting families as a priority and important institution of society will encourage the policymakers and the researchers to work so that creating policies can help the family members. Policies evaluated and analyzed the different factors of families and tried to implement those policies so that families can function as an organized institution with the developed concept. Family policies are effective to help the family in reality to solve the issues related to family matters (Bogenschneider, n.d.). Family policies help to make work the family roles in a more compatible way (Andersen et al., 2015).
Conclusion
Family is such an institution that works like a base of society. Family members and the relationship between them and the gender-specific roles of the family is changing according to time because of the influence of modernization. The traditional concept of family is replaced by empowering women and by creating different types of policies to help the families with difficulties overcome their issues. However, from the above discussion, this can be concluded that family have different issues and perspective which needs to be covered, and some aspect needs to be changed for their well being and development. Society and social factors are linked with family; thus, giving priority to this institution is necessary. The family relationship should be strong so that communication and interaction between the individuals can be done in a good way. Not only these, but family is also that setting through which one can learn and grow in their life. Thus, giving importance to the women or female members of the family is important as the change, and the transition can start and spread towards a more developing society.
Reference
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