Family

Family: Family is the smallest human group of the society. The first step of the group life is the family
life. Every man borns in a family. There does not exist liny human society where there is no family.
Family is a small social institution where parents and their children live together.
Definition of Family: Professor Nimkoff, while defining family says "family is more or less a
permanent organization where husband and wife live together with or without children." Sociologist
Maclver syas, "family is a permanent group specified for procreation and rearing up of children and
characterised hy permanent relationship between man and woman".
Marriage is the important precondition for the formation of family. A man marries a woman in a
socially recognized manner and constitute a single family. In primitive society however, family was
constituted without marriage. But it is not possible in our society.
Classification of family: Although family is a universal institution, and different types of families
came into being due to the differences in society or country, that means on the basis of different
criteria the family is divided into various forms. They are described below :
1. Family may be divided into 3 types on the basis of the number of husband and wife. Such as (i)
Monogamous family (ii) Polygamous family and (iii) Poliandrous family.
(i) Monogamous family: The family which is formed by the marriage between one man and one
woman at a time is called monogamous family. In a modern civilized society this type of family is
more common. In this type of family the relation between husband and wife is not based on
domination rather on cordiality.
(ii) Polygamous family: The family which is formed by the marriage of more than one woman to a
man at a time is called Polygamous family. Generally, this type of Polygamous family is found in rural
agricultural muslim society. Again, in the society where the number of women is higher in
comparison to man, Polygamous family is found in large number.
(iii) Ployandrous family: The family which is formed by the marriage of one women with more than
one men at a time is called polyandrous family.
This type of family is not yet found in Bangladesh. It is found among the Todda tribes of India.
The family has been divided again into two types on the basis of who holds the power or authority.
They are: (i) Patriarchal family (ii) Matriarchal family.
(i)Patriarchal family: If the power and authority in the family lie with father ,husband or with any
elderly male member that family is called Patriarchal family.Father is the owner of all properties of
the family and he is the administrator of the family.
(ii) Matriarchal family: When the authority of family lies with mother ,wife or on any elderly woman
that family is called Matriarchal family: Type of family the ownership of properties lies with woman.
The Matriarchal family is found among the Garo tribe in Bangladesh.
The family can be divided into 3 types on the basis of post-marriage locus of residence. They are :
(I) Patrilocal family (ii) Matrilocal family (iii) Neolocal family
Patrilocal family: If after marriage, husband and wife lives at husband’s father's house, it is called
Patrilocal family. The families in muslim and Hindu community in Bangladesh are Patrilocal family.
Matrilocal family: If after marriage housband lives in wife's mother's house it is called matrilocal
family. This type of family is found among the Garos in Bangladesh.
Neolocal family: In case of neolocal family couple after marriage does, not live in the house of either
father or mother. They live at their own house, this is called neolocal family. The neolocal family is
found in the urban areas in our country.
The family is divided into two types on the basis of lineage. They are: (i) patrilineal family (ii)
Matrilineal family.
Patrilineal family: The family in which the lineage is counted from the father's descent is called
patrilineal family. In this type of family name, status, title an inheritance of properties etc. are
inherited partially. The Hindu and Muslim families in Bangladesh are patrilineal.
Matrilineal family: The family in which lineage is counted from the mother's descent is called
Matrilineal family. The important characteristic of this type of family is that family by status, title
and inheritance all follow the line of the mother's descent. This type of family is found in the Garo
community of Bangladesh. '
The family is divided into three types on the basis of the size such as- (i) Nuclear family (ii) Extended
family (iii) Joint family.
Nuclear family: Nuclear family generally formed consisting of husband and wife with one or more
unmarried sons and daughters.
(ii) Extended family: Extended family includes husband and wife, married and unmarried sons and
daughters; grandsons and grand-daughters. At least three generations are found in the Extended
family. This type of family is found in rural agricultural society in Bangladesh.
(iii) Joint family: The Joint family is the combination of some nuclear families. In Joint family the
married son along with his children live under the authority, of parents in the same family.
Everybody is to obey the rules and regulations of the family. Here none can be the owner of private
property. Everybody shares the financial responsibilities.
Functions of family: The need and importance of family is the uppermost in comparison to other
institutions of the society. Its impact on society, therefore, is also greater. As a social institution
family performs the following functions :
1.Biological function: The most important function of family is to meet the sexual needs of men and
women. The family meets these needs though marriage.
2.Procreation and rearing of children: Family is the only recognised institution of procreation of
children. It is the responsibility of family to rear up the children as ideal citizens through care and
protection after the birth of the children.
3. Socialization: The foundation stone of the character of a child is laid down in the family. From the
childhood a child learns customs, norms and the social behaviour, etc. from the family. It is essential
to have healthy environment in die family. The socialization of child cannot be really completed
without good environment of the family.
4. Economic function: It is the responsibility of the family to meet the economic and other needs
of the members of the family. There was a time when family was the center of all economic
activities. In those days all necessary things of the family were produced at home. That is why family.
That is why family was called the unit of production. But with the passage of time the economic
activities of family have been successfully taken over by mills, factories, shops, bazars, banks etc.
Now the members of the family work outside home to earn money. So, at present the family is called
the unit of income.
5. Educational function: Home is one of the most important institution of education for the children.
After birth children gets the primary education in home. Though at the present the educational
institution has taken over the entire responsibility of imparting the education, the children still learn
about social behavior, discipline, morality and religious rites at home.
6.Religious function: The responsibility of the children’s moral and religious education was once
entrusted entirely to the family. But at present this task has been taken over by religious
institutions. But it is a fact that the children still forms their preliminary concept of the creator and
the morality at home.
7.Protective function: To protect the members of the family from all sort of diversities and sickness
is the responsibility of the family. Though at present the degree of such protective function of family
has been reduced considerably still family provides physical and moral protection to its members.
8.Recrational function: There once was a time when family was the centre for all sorts of recreation.
But with the advancement of industrial civilization different kinds of institutions have emerged for
recreational activities. Nevertheless, the family still performs such recreational activities organizing
picnics, sight seeing or entertaining T.V shows and holding birthday parties at home. Recently many
changes have occurred in the functions of the family. Different kinds of and institutions have grown
up for economic, educational, is, protective and recreational activities. The importance of family in
respect to procreation and rearing of children and particularly their socialization has still not been
reduced.

__________________________