STEP FAMILIES

Step Families

Step Families

Introduction

There are differences and debates about definitions of the family, which vary with time, context, and geography. Theorists do not always agree on a common definition. The traditional or nuclear family is widely used to describe a group consisting of two parents and their children living together as a unit. A family may, however, be described as a group of people related by blood or marriage and even one that comprises all the descendants of a common ancestor. It is therefore necessary to identify relevant contexts when reviewing what the family is perceived to be, as this differs greatly worldwide. It is also important to examine definitions, as these affect people's lives and the choices they make and that are made for them. The study of families is difficult because some academic commentators believe that either “the family” does not exist, or that it is in decline because family forms are diverse and fluid in contemporary societies.

Family Members

Members of the nuclear family tend to be as follows: mother: a female parent; father: a male parent; son: male child of the parent; daughter: a female child of the parent; brother: male child of the same parent; sister: female child of the same parent; grandfather: father of a father or mother; and grandmother: mother of a father or mother. Half brothers or sisters are those who share only parent with another child of the family, and the terms stepbrother or stepsister refer to their new relationship with one another when one of their biological parents marries one of the other child's biological parents (Cashdan, 1999).

Negative Functions of the Family

Feminist thought, led by sociologist Ann Oakley, argues that the family can carry out negative functions, particularly for women. For example, it argues that women's work in the home is unpaid and demeaning, and so is motherhood. It also says that the family gives men more power and control over women with regard to finances and sexual behavior; in many societies, men believe they are entitled to conjugal rights, and women may be punished for refusing. Feminists also argue that women are kept in the private sphere of the family, which is regulated by men. One example is that in Great Britain, where rape within marriage was not made illegal until 1989. Others argue that women are repressed by being subjected to some religious edicts that declare their lives have half the value of men(Wright, 1998).

Emergence of the Nontraditional Family

Over the last 30 years, the definition of family has been broadened from that of the nuclear family (two married parents and their biological children) to include any group of people fulfilling the core function of a family, which is caring and providing for each other. This includes single-parent households, blended families (including children from previous marriages), multigenerational families, unmarried partners, and same-sex couples. Sometimes the legal definition of family has been updated to include such arrangements, for instance by extending employer-based health insurance benefits to unmarried and same-sex domestic partners and their ...