Which of the Following Statements Describes a Nuclear Family?
J Family Med Prim Care. 2013 Oct-December; ii(4): 306–310.
The Family unit and Family Construction Classification Redefined for the Current Times
Rahul Sharma
Department of Customs Medicine, University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi, Bharat
Abstract
The family is a basic unit of study in many medical and social science disciplines. Definitions of family accept varied from country to state, and also inside land. Because of this and the changing realities of the current times, there is a felt demand for redefining the family and the common family structure types, for the purpose of study of the family as a cistron in wellness and other variables of interest. A redefinition of a "family unit" has been proposed and various nuances of the definition are as well discussed in detail. A nomenclature scheme for the diverse types of family has as well been put forrad. A few exceptional case scenarios have been envisaged and their nomenclature as per the new scheme is discussed, in a bid to clarify the classification scheme further. The proposed scheme should bear witness to be of employ across various countries and cultures, for broadly classifying the family structure. The unique scenarios of particular cultures can be taken into account by defining region or culture-specific subtypes of the overall types of family unit structure.
Keywords: Nomenclature, definition, family, family structure, types of family
Introduction
The family every bit an integrated and functional unit of society has for a considerable catamenia of fourth dimension captured the attention and imagination of researchers.[1] While the family itself is a affair of study, equally important for research is its part as a factor influencing and affecting the development, behavior, and well-being of the individual. The family unit is a bones unit of study in many social scientific discipline disciplines, such equally folklore, psychology, economics, anthropology, social psychiatry, and social work.[2] Information technology is also a unit of written report in the medical sciences especially in agreement the epidemiology and the natural history of diseases. It also forms the basic unit for family unit medicine. Demography definitions of family unit take varied from state to country and also from census to census within country. The give-and-take household has often been used equally a replacement for family. Using the definition equally "all people living in one household" may be erroneous, as on one mitt it may include people who do not share kinship, and on other hand may exclude those kin members who are temporarily away.[3] This type of definition fails to identify units that office equally families in an economic, social or emotional sense only exercise not unremarkably reside in the same household.[4] Although the literature often focuses on family living arrangements, family membership includes obligations beyond and between generations, no matter where family members are living.[5]
The UNESCO study stated that a family is a kinship unit and that fifty-fifty when its members do non share a common household, the unit may exist as a social reality.[iii] This definition may be too wide to serve the purpose of identification of a family unit for the purpose of assessment as a factor in variables such as health. Simply to give an example, a family in a developing state has a son living in the United states, happily married there with a wife, and he sends across some coin to the other family members back abode occasionally and visits the state once in many years. Should he withal exist counted as a member of the original family? Does this person (and his married woman) share the same risks to their immediate health every bit the other family members back in the shared household? Would this individual and his dependants in the new surroundings have access to the same kind of wellness care options equally the other family members living in the country of birth? And would the offspring of this person born in the foreign land experience the same sociocultural and ecology exposures, every bit (south)he would take come into contact with growing upwardly in the country of origin?
Trask[6] observed that while in the past, locale mattered, today social relationships are maintained over great distances with ease. Global communications such as the cyberspace, e-mail, and satellite linkups are facilitating these relationships over infinite and time. Still, keeping in listen the previous pertinent questions that are raised if we want to consider the "family" equally a cistron influencing and interacting with other variable characteristics (such equally health, surroundings, social behavior, etc.), the scales are still tilted toward defining the family unit as people ordinarily sharing a common living expanse. The pregnant of the term "family unit" also depends on whether information technology is being interpreted in a social, biological, cultural, or statistical sense.[4] It is important to place a family unit unit and the members constituting the unit of measurement, for the purpose of studying their health, for example.
Need for Redefining
Desai (1994), as cited in Sonawat[two] defined the family as a unit of measurement of ii or more persons united by marriage, blood, adoption, or consensual union, in full general consulting a unmarried household, interacting and communicating with each other. While the definition is mostly fine, the interacting and communicating with each other may be a difficult thing to arm-twist or determine. An existing textbook of the medical specialty of customs medicine makes it more objective by defining the interdependence part as "individuals living together and eating from a common kitchen."[7] It considers and defines 3 types of families: Nuclear, joint, and three generation families. However, practical experience in customs has shown that these categories are not mutually exhaustive.
In that location are several new social dynamics and realities emerging with time. For example, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 of India recognizes and provides protection to female person living in a relationship in the nature of a marriage with a male partner.[eight] Family unit enquiry provides insight into the structure of society and the changes taking identify in the types, composition, and growth of families.[iv] Families tin be classified in several different dimensions, for example, past union type (monogamous, polygamous), by location (patrilocal, matrilocal, and avunculocal), authority (patriarchy, matriarchy), and by kin limerick (nuclear, joint).[3] In the nowadays new classification, only the kin composition has been taken into account. Adjectives can be added to define the family every bit per matrimony type or by locus of residence or authority.
In a social sense people may see themselves as being members of several families, every bit members of families with their parents and siblings and also members of families that they take formed themselves.[four] Nevertheless, in the current proposed classification for the purpose of family, the view is that an private will in usual circumstance vest to one family only in a given role.
Because of the multitude of definitions of "family" and the changing realities of the electric current times, there is a felt need for redefining the family and the common types, for the purpose of study of the family unit equally a factor in health and other variables of interest. The following definition of a "family" is hence proposed:
"People related past matrimony, nascence, consanguinity or legal adoption, who share a mutual kitchen and financial resources on a regular ground."
Nuances of the Definition
The family will contain of people ordinarily living in the aforementioned house, unless piece of work, study, imprisonment, solitude, foreign sojourn, or any other exigencies compel a member to temporarily live away from the shared business firm. Members who have been disowned legally volition cease to be members of the family unit. Members living away from the concrete bounds of the shared firm, who are not expected to return back to living in the house in the future, volition also finish to be considered equally members of this family, even though they may be sharing financial resources.
Common kitchen does non merely hateful but sharing of a physical infrastructure of a kitchen, simply also sharing of common cooked meals in the kitchen. In such families where sets of members share the kitchen together but do not share financial resources, and those where sets of members share financial resources just practise not share the kitchen together, the dissimilar sets of members should exist counted as different families. Regarding common financial resources of the family, it is the sharing that is more of import than contributing. An single relative may be there who is non earning and thus not contributing economically to the family purse, but will exist counted toward the family if (southward)he is sharing the family unit financial resources.
The term "on a regular ground" in the definition, is left open-concluded deliberately. In some families, people may have had tiffs and stopped sharing food together for a menstruum of time that may be few days, few weeks, or few months. After what catamenia of time practice we say that they stop comprising a unmarried family unit? Like dilemma is at that place for a time period cutoff regarding nonsharing of fiscal resources. And a very important aspect in this conclusion would be future intent, that is, whether the constituents call up the differences are irrevocable or they think the possibility of getting together is in that location, whatever may exist the period of nonsharing thus far. In example of whatever doubt, it is best left to a subjective assessment of the private family unit at hand. The researcher may straight inquire the constituents whether they withal consider themselves as belonging to a single common family or not. It has been noted earlier that family membership and obligations are subjective and can only be fully understood from the perspective of the family unit concerned.[5]
A student who goes to reside in any other city for few years of pedagogy and stays in a hostel, with guardians, or in a private adaptation, does not cease to be a office of the original family for those years, simply considering (s)he is not sharing the family unit'southward common kitchen. Still, to be counted every bit a member of the original family, (due south)he must proceed to share in or receive money or other things of monetary value from the financial resource pool of the family. One important caveat would be that the individual must take the intent of returning to the original family in the future, unless compelled by needs of higher studies or task.
Another case may be of a young developed fellow member of the family unit who has gone away for work, or who went abroad for higher teaching and ends up finding a vocation there. Such a person may visit dorsum on rare occasions to his or her family of origin, but is reasonably expecting to be staying put in the new location for the foreseeable hereafter. Such a member would non then be exposed to the take a chance factors or the protective social factors common to the other members sharing a residence. And so this person should be counted as belonging to a separate new family, irrespective of whether (southward)he has married and irrespective of sharing of financial resources with the original family unit back home.
Biologically unrelated individuals living together in an institutional setting, for example, hostel, boarding school, working women's hostel, and and then on, or living together in a single business firm, will be counted as belonging to their family of origin or as separate family units (single private families) equally the instance may exist depending on their futurity intent. They will not be combined or considered together to class new family units. A person imprisoned for a known flow of fourth dimension does not cease to exist a member of the original family (unless legally disowned by the caput of the family, or by the next head of the family if (s)he happens to be the caput). This is because the person is expected to take the intent of returning to the original family unit of measurement as presently every bit the menses of solitude is over.
Classification Scheme for Family Construction
A new classification scheme for the various types of family structure is being proposed, keeping in mind the redefined "family." The various types of family nether the proposed nomenclature scheme are detailed in the Table i. The first step was to define the various types of family possible, which will cover the myriad variations possible in the current times. And so came the question of coming up with suitable terms to label the categories of family unit types, and it was idea of to come upwards with a uniform terminology scheme-based on the classic terms.
Table one
The proposed classification of types of family
The give-and-take "nuclear" was picked upon, that represents a married couple as forming the "nucleus" of a family, as per existing classifications of family unit structure. Continuing with the discussion "nucleus," terms from the diminutive world were explored to extend the analogies to the family structure types. For example, a proton would be an incomplete nucleus, a solitary existence. Electrons would be something outside the nucleus, that is, a married couple (nucleus) is not there. An cantlet would be having a single nucleus simply and possibly multiple electrons. Ii nuclei cannot be there in an atom, it would have to be a molecule. So the presence of two married couples makes a family "molecular." It may exist clarified hither that terms from physics were chosen here just for the classification of the proposed family types. This was done as the word "nuclear" was already being used. Use of these terms borrowed from physics is expected to aid in easier appreciation and recall of the various family types.
The archetype term of "joint family" has been retained to define the complex sharing of resource past multiple couples. Yet, the traditional "joint family" has likewise been redefined and has two unlike meanings depending on the number of generations present. Mostly across various cultures, obligations to siblings are usually weaker than to parents.[five] This is the reason why the proposed definition of articulation family considers unlike number of couples, depending on the number of generations involved. Two married brothers (or ii sisters) living together with their respective families would qualify to be termed as a joint family.
It is a difficult task to categorize families co-ordinate to any theoretical blazon or to generalize across or within cultures.[five] An attempt has been made to try to redefine the family also as the types of family unit to proceed upward with the changing times. However, as per practical experience, the community throws up scenarios which may examination any theoretical model of nomenclature. Keeping this in mind, an exercise was done to contemplate a few infrequent case scenarios and discuss their classification as per the new model, in a bid to clarify the classification scheme further [Table 2].
Tabular array ii
Discussion of a few case scenarios and examples of classification equally per the new scheme
Changing Family Dynamics in the Electric current Times
A newspaper on the structure of families in New Zealand over time has observed that the family is constantly irresolute and diversifying there. Aforementioned-sexual practice couples have been included in the data, only they can be identified as subsets of couple-only and two parent families. Sure types of family unit that are condign more prevalent there include one-parent families and couple-simply families.[4] As per the new classification, these types of families can be identified equally Two-Electron and Iii-Nuclear family, respectively. The state of affairs of a family with a married couple only and no children tin can be termed as a "nuclear couple family", simply it should be classified as a subtype of the nuclear family unit simply and not equally a carve up type. Similarly, the sole-parent family tin can exist identified as a subtype of an electron family (type II).
Unlike a previous definition given by Desai, every bit cited in Sonawat,[two] "relationship by consensual union" has not been taken as one of the criteria for defining the family, in the bones definition proposed. As mentioned earlier, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 of India recognizes "domestic relationships in the nature of marriage,"[eight] but the legal and social positions are notwithstanding evolving. However, in view of the social realities, a nomenclature for families based upon such nuclear relationships has been put forrard with the use of qualifier "quasi-" (type 7). Elliott and Gray[5] have besides discussed the grayness zone acquired by remarriage families (or "blended families" equally they term it) in classification of families. There may exist differences in both the emotional and fiscal support given to children between "natural" and "new" parents. Also, for many children, both their natural parents may play a very real part in their lives fifty-fifty if they practice not live in the same household.[4] These are emerging social realities in the Indian context too. Only, counting an individual (e.g., the separated "natural" father/mother) in more than ane family may lead to factual mismatches and likewise create lot of confusion. It is best to consider the remarriage family too as within the frame of the seven types of family unit set in the new classification, and to characterization them as a subtype "remarriage family" if required.
Importance of the Irresolute Family Dynamics for Health
Health has been shown to have multifactorial causation. The family surroundings touch the health of an individual in several ways. Members of a family can be expected to share the risk factors for their health that may arise from various social characteristics of their shared housing, neighborhood, community, society, and culture. They would also share the positive factors contributing toward good health. All the members of a family living together who share the financial resource of the family unit unit would likewise share the risks of ill-health and costs of health care as well equally the protection offered by availability of coin with the family to tide over health-related issues.
Living in a family unit would also mean commonly exposure to like dietary behaviors and wellness-related lifestyles, among the family members. Another important attribute shared would be the healthcare-seeking blueprint and preference. The changing dynamics of family unit limerick can have important impact on the protective as well every bit risk factors influencing health. Thus, an updated definition and classification scheme for types of families serves an of import purpose for the practitioners of various medical and social science disciplines in the current times.
Concluding Remarks
It is to be expected that the irresolute societal arrangements in the current times volition be a huge claiming for any model of classification of family construction. On height of that is the challenge to proceed the possible classification groups to the minimum possible, and so that analysis of the family structure as a cistron in health and other outcomes, in future studies, does non become an inordinately complex exercise. This is a proposed redefinition of "family" and a proposed scheme of classification of family construction, to try to friction match the pace of change of current societies. While the objective was mainly to redefine keeping the Indian cultural environment in mind, the sheer heterogeneity of the Indian population in terms of sociocultural milieu is immense. The electric current proposed scheme should generally suffice for use in other countries and cultures, for broadly classifying the family construction. The intricacies and unique scenarios of detail cultures can be taken into account by defining region or civilisation-specific subtypes of the overall types of family structure defined in the present commodity.
Footnotes
Source of Support: Nil
Conflict of Interest: None declared
References
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Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4649868/
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