The Role of Family in Contemporary Society - Essay Example

Family Family is the building block to forming a well-rounded society. Family is therefore, a minuscule of the community or the society (Corbett, 2004, p.1). Family is an institution that an individual first interacts with others other than him or herself and one learns to think, relate, value and respond to what is happening around them. Traditionally and partly in modern society, the family is the means to procreation, companionship and a place that offers safety and security from the harsh external environment (Smith & Young, 1998, p.39). Although the role the family plays has rapidly changed over the years, the family remains a fundamental aspect in human society. The family is the first learning ground where individuals acquire their personality, identity, value system, perceptions, character, conduct and behavior and it is where ideals such as patience, kindness, love, honesty, self-confidence, trust, understanding, compromise, self-control, respect and self-efficacy are, acquired (Goodwin, 1999, p.87). Similarly, from the family individuals acquire negative values such as egocentrism, mistrust, lying, cruelty, violence, and lack of remorsefulness, selfishness, low self –esteem, low self-confidence and low self-efficacy. The family forms a foundation in which the past, present and future of a nation is, based on (Poutziouris, et al., 2006, p.27). Due to the fundamental role, the family has played in traditional and contemporary society, many theorists and disciplines have argued greatly on what the definition of a family is (Corbett, 2004, p.1). According to UK’s definition, a family is ‘a married heterosexual couple and their children’. The report will therefore, analyze how social scientists have challenged this kind of conventional definition of the UK family using an interdisciplinary approach by drawing on three social science disciplines. Social science disciplines The interdisciplinary approach used in this analysis will draw on anthropology, psychology and sociology disciplines. Anthropology can be, defined as the science of the entirety of the human survival, psychology is the science of analyzing human actions, behavior and psychological processes that helps explain why people think, behave, perceive and react the way they do and sociology is the science of assessing and analyzing the society and understanding the human social deeds. The main reason for selecting these three disciplines is the important role they play in helping analyze social systems, social structures and interrelationships among individuals be it in personal or business environments. Challenging the conventional UK’s definition of family The family allows continuity of human race. Through choice, the definition of family has evolved to challenge the definition of the married heterosexual couple and their children sort of family (Corbett, 2004, p.2). People are free to choose whom they marry and the family arrangements they want to engage in, since, they are not slaves to traditions. With shifting ideals, people are more likely to define families based on what they perceive to be valuable to them and discard anything contrary to that (Mitchell, 2006, p.81). This is, based on sociological theory that states that the actions and conduct of people are, founded on choice. It is important to note that, the reasons why people marry have contributed to the varied definition of families. The structure of a family can be, defined based on the reason why an individual gets into one in the first place (Haviland, 2009, p.240). For instance, a couple may start a family for economic reasons and may therefore delay or decide not to have children, in their own eyes they are a complete family, since they provide each other with companionship, intimacy and all the other elements accessible by the married heterosexual couple and their children sort of family (Robert & Amy, 2008, p.83). According to sociologists Giddens, contemporary couples form families for love and late modern couples form families because they want to and therefore, for the latter, if the couple no longer feels they want to, they quit, seek and form new families. Sociologists define family as a unit of married couple with a child (Keilman, 2003, p.12). The UK’s definition does limit what the function of a family is. In modern lifestyle, couples are more susceptible to infertility (Keilman, 2003, p.15) and therefore, they may remain childless for life or alternatively they may be fertile and choose to adopt other people’s children. This is in order to provide better care, love, trust, a family and a home for the adopted children. By defining the family as the UK does, does it mean a childless couple with adopted children is not a family? This is, especially refuted by psychologists who argue that individuals or groups that offer a haven for security, safety, comfort, freedom of expression, they share together in grief, pain, sadness, joy and happiness and is eager to protect one another, constitutes to what a family is. The use of ‘heterosexual’ in the definition of a family initiates new debate as modern societies has seen a boom in marriages of people from the same sex, be it gay(for male couples) and lesbian(for female couples) (Smith & Young, 1998, p.131). Basing the argument on anthropology, families made of same sex marriages just as a heterosexual marriage does not influence the social order. According to anthropological studies on family households, kinship correlation, family units in varied cultures over time, heterosexuality does not influence the feasibility of social orders (Lee, 1982, p.70). They mention that what constitute to effective, quality, stable and human societies and social systems is existence of divergent types and forms of family and as such are families not exclusive to heterosexuality but involving families from same sex marriages among others. Important to note is that historical, social, religious, political and economic ideals and customs among varying nations globally, foster separate concepts on what a family is. Psychologists argue that an effective and competent family is which that is able to offer financial, physical, emotional and psychological support and enhances the welfare of the individuals involved (Poutziouris, et al., 2006, p.59). If this is so, it disputes the UK’s definition as grandparents or relatives can offer financial, physical, emotional and psychological support for children when the parents are not available due to death, when the parents are unavailable for health reasons, incarceration or when parents work away from their children (Corbett, 2004, p.2). By denying that people other than a married heterosexual couple with their children may constitute a family, it prejudices and alienates people in families not defined as such, their rights, and their access to benefits, roles and safety that is, awarded to heterosexual married couples with their children (Robert & Amy, 2008, p.104). This is because, there are no research findings that suggest children raised by other types of social set ups other than the UK’s definition of family are less capable and limited in any way. In modern society, the role of women has rapidly shifted from the traditional contexts, as more women are acquiring higher education and seeking formal employments that are taking a lot of their time from family life. With this, women have become more independent and confident enough to live single lives happily and more often than not, getting children out of wedlock purposely with the intention of raising the child or children alone. Consequently, calling for a change into what a family is. Similarly, there are more single-father families, as father and children live together as a family with a vacant position of a mother by either choice, divorce, death or any other reason (Keilman, 2003, p.20) and polygamous settings. This family setup is no lesser a family, if it is able to develop positive identity for the children, are able to provide safety, security, provide for the basic needs of the involved parties such as food, water, clothing and shelter. In addition, the set up is no lesser a family if it offers emotional, psychological, social, emotional and physical support and drill into the individuals positive values and virtues such as trust, love, care, respect, kindness, patience, empathy and sympathy among others (Carey, 2003, p.303). The family relations and associations are, connected through legal ties and biological links and since they are naturally social, they set standards and principles of conduct for the family members that transcends to the general community (Poutziouris, et al., 2006, p.117). This is because community is composed of variety of family set ups and systems (Haviland, 2009, p.241). Sociologists view family as a social phenomenon. Modern social scientists criticize the married heterosexual couples with their children definition of family owing to structural family changes that involves social set ups involving couples with children from previous engagements hence, stepfamilies and children who support their siblings hence, children-led families (Corbett, 2004, p.2). Sociologists argue that change of family structures and personal associations due to industrialization, has resulted in discarding traditional values and cultures placed on social life and social systems. Although it is arguable, this has led to breakdown of ethical and moral frameworks on one hand and creation of increased multiplicity and variety of lifestyles that initiates democratization of social interrelationships among society members on the other (Robert & Amy, 2008, p.35). There is need to redefine what family is to incorporate the changes and alterations that has occurred to social systems, personal relationships and perceptions of what individuals considers a value and virtue, that will be inherited by children in the new family set ups. More focus should be, placed on what the role, the function of the family is, and what it should be, expected to offer to its members while defining family rather than defining family based on the number of people or the type of people who constitutes it. Combining the anthropological, sociological and psychological elements, a family should be, defined as a social grouping or set up that is able to offer emotional, psychological, physical, social and spiritual support for each of its members. By fostering effective and stable relationships, that promotes cohesiveness and unity among the members of a society to promote the welfare of the human race. Conclusion Defining a family as a married heterosexual couple and their children, as UK does is limited. Using anthropological, sociological, and psychological arguments, the report has identified other social set-ups that do qualify to be, defined as a family. This is because, there are social settings that functions and operates as the married heterosexual couple and their children does. This includes single parenthood, families from same sex marriages and stepfamilies among others. Works Cited Carey, Gregory. Human Genetics for the Social Sciences. London: SAGE, 2003. Corbett, Andrew. What is a Family? And Why it Matters: Achieving a Workable dDefinition. Singapore: Tasmanian Family Institute, 2004. Goodwin, Robin. Personal Relationships Across Cultures. New York: Routledge, 1999. Haviland, William, Prins Harald, and Walrath Dana. The Essence of Anthropology. London: Cengage Learning, 2009. Keilman, Nico. 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