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Family

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Family denotes a group of people or animals (many species form the equivalent of a human family wherein the adults care for the young) affiliated by a consanguinity, affinity or co-residence. Although the concept of consanguinity originally referred to relations by "blood," anthropologists[who?] have argued that one must understand the idea of "blood" metaphorically, and that many societies understand 'family' through other concepts rather than through genetic distance.

One of the primary functions of the family is to produce and reproduce persons, biologically and socially. Thus, one's experience of one's family shifts over time. From the perspective of children, the family is a family of orientation: the family serves to locate children socially, and plays a major role in their enculturation and socialization. From the point of view of the parent(s), the family is a family of procreation the goal of which is to produce and enculturate and socialize children. However, producing children is not the only function of the family; in societies with a sexual division of labor, marriage, and the resulting relationship between two people, is necessary for the formation of an economically productive household.

A conjugal family includes only the husband, the wife, and unmarried children who are not of age. The most common form of this family is regularly referred to as a nuclear family.

A consanguineal family consists of a parent and his or her children, and other people.

A matrifocal family consists of a mother and her children. Generally, these children are her biological offspring, although adoption of children is a practice in nearly every society. This kind of family is common where women have the resources to rear their children by themselves, or where men are more mobile than women.

For more information about Family, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with family

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Couples who do the dishes together stay happier

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Dec 15, 2009 | popularity 3.3 / 5 (3) | comments 1

A new study published by The University of Western Ontario reveals that couples who share the responsibility for paid and unpaid work report higher average measures of happiness and life satisfaction than those in other family ...


Chinese experts say there are only about 1,600 wild pandas in China

Panda genome resembles dog: Chinese media

Biology / Biotechnology

created Dec 13, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (9) | comments 1

A detailed genome map of the giant panda completed by Chinese scientists has shown that the notoriously shy animal is genetically similar to the dog, state media reported Sunday.


Proximity to convenience stores fosters child obesity

Medicine & Health / Health

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity 2 / 5 (1) | comments 1

Childhood obesity is directly related to how close kids live to convenience stores, according to the preliminary findings of a major Canadian study presented at the Entretiens Jacques-Cartier in Lyon, France. The ongoing ...


Naturally skinny people have their own challenges

Medicine & Health / Health

created Dec 15, 2009 | popularity 2 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Nancy Brueheim wishes she could break 100 pounds. Without working at it, Brueheim, who is 71 and stands 5-foot-2, fluctuates between 95 and 98 pounds.


The therapeutic benefits of the human-animal bond

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Nov 30, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 0

A pet owner knows the enormous joy and comfort that an animal can provide, especially in troubled times. Most pets are considered important members of the family and irreplaceable companions. A growing body of research now ...


Informal social networks better at encouraging Hispanics to prepare for disasters, study finds

Medicine & Health / Health

created Dec 16, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Lay health teachers who engaged Hispanics inside their social networks were more effective than mailers at encouraging participants to prepare disaster plans.


Parents encouraged to avoid purchasing lottery tickets as gifts for minors

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Dec 15, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- In the flurry of activity before the holidays, some well-meaning family members consider buying lottery tickets and scratch cards as affordable, colourful, and potentially promising gift options for the children ...


UN: Fight climate change with free condoms (AP)

UN: Fight climate change with free condoms

Space & Earth / Environment

created Nov 18, 2009 | popularity 2.9 / 5 (12) | comments 38

(AP) -- The battle against global warming could be helped if the world slowed population growth by making free condoms and family planning advice more widely available, the U.N. Population Fund said Wednesday.


Widowed facing higher mortality risk, MSU researcher finds

Widowed facing higher mortality risk, researcher finds

Medicine & Health / Health

created Dec 02, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Married people in the United States are living longer these days, but the widowed are experiencing a higher mortality rate, according to new research by a Michigan State University sociologist.


Hippo ancestry disputed: Researchers rebut family tree involving hippos, whales and pigs

Biology / Evolution

created Mar 18, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (8) | comments 0

Hippos spend lots of time in the water and now it turns out (or researchers argue), they are the closest living relative to whales. It also turns out, the two are swimming in a bit of controversy.


Physicians knowledge of childhood food allergies needs room for improvement

Medicine & Health / Health

created Dec 09, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

With an estimated four to six percent of children in the U.S. suffering from food allergies, a new study shows that pediatricians and family physicians aren't always confident they have the ability to diagnose or treat food ...


Study: Internet use leads to more diverse networks

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Nov 04, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(AP) -- A new study confirms what your 130 Facebook friends and scores of Twitter followers may have already told you: The Internet and mobile phones are not linked to social isolation.


A virtual physician's conference

A virtual physician's conference

Technology / Software

created Dec 07, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Telemedicine facilitates communication between family physicians, hospitals and nursing services -- yet current solutions lack flexibility and are consequently very expensive. A new software program is now ...


Today's parents 'not to blame' for teenage problem behaviour

Today's parents 'not to blame' for teenage problem behaviour

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Jul 31, 2009 | popularity 2.9 / 5 (21) | comments 33

(PhysOrg.com) -- Poor parenting is not the reason for an increase in problem behaviour amongst teenagers, according to research led by Oxford University.


Family stability may be more crucial than two parents for child success

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Aug 31, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

The advantage that children get from living in two-parent families may actually be due to family stability more than the fact that their parents are married. A new study finds that children who who are born and grow up in ...