Family
hideFamily 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
Hippo ancestry disputed: Researchers rebut family tree involving hippos, whales and pigs
Mar 18, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (8) |
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.
UN: Fight climate change with free condoms
Nov 18, 2009 |
2.9 / 5 (12) |
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.
Study: Internet use leads to more diverse networks
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Nov 04, 2009 |
not rated yet |
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.
Ancient bison genetic treasure trove for farmers
Oct 20, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Genetic information from an extinct species of bison preserved in permafrost for thousands of years could help improve modern agricultural livestock and breeding programs, according to University ...
Family stability may be more crucial than two parents for child success
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Aug 31, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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 ...
Today's parents 'not to blame' for teenage problem behaviour
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Jul 31, 2009 |
2.9 / 5 (21) |
33
(PhysOrg.com) -- Poor parenting is not the reason for an increase in problem behaviour amongst teenagers, according to research led by Oxford University.
Staying together 'for kids' sake' isn't always best
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Jun 01, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- The research is clear: Adolescents tend to fare better -- academically and behaviorally -- when they live with both biological parents. But when their parents frequently argue, young adults are significantly ...
Plant Gene Mapping May Lead to Better Biofuel Production
Apr 13, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- By creating a 'family tree' of genes expressed in one form of woody plant and a less woody, herbaceous species, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory ...
New clues about mitochondrial 'growth spurts'
Mar 02, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
Mitochondria are restless, continually merging and splitting. But contrary to conventional wisdom, the size of these organelles depends on more than fusion and fission, as Berman et al. show. Mitochondrial ...
You can childproof your computer
Feb 27, 2009 |
4 / 5 (2) |
1
Every few months, I receive a question from a reader whose computer was never the same after a grandchild came to visit.
Study identifies new gene associated with ALS
Feb 26, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
A collaborative research effort spanning nearly a decade between researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and King’s College London (KCL) has identified a novel gene for inherited amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ...
Youths are most influenced by negative family members and by positive adults outside the family
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Feb 26, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
0
While children look up to and aspire to be like a positive family member or peer, they are more likely to imitate traits of other role models -- including negative role models, which can lead to behavioral problems, according ...
Early bad behaviour predicts troubled path, according to study
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Jan 16, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- It seems the ill-advised roads taken early in life are mostly one-way.
Organometallic compounds as new drugs? Cobalt-containing aspirin complex with potential anti-tumor properties
Jan 13, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (4) |
0
Despite considerable progress in modern chemotherapy, there remains a large demand for innovative anti-tumor agents. A new approach involves modeling the pharmacological properties of established drugs with organometallic ...
Unmarried dads' involvement with child secured during pregnancy, study says
Dec 15, 2008 |
4.2 / 5 (6) |
0
The best chance of "reeling-in" an unmarried father and building the foundations for a stable family life are the critical months of pregnancy, says new research from the University of Maryland.
