The family as the main social institution. Family as a small group Family as a social institution examples

Family is social group, within which there is a certain relationship. It can be blood relationship, marriage or adoption. All its members have a common budget, life, presence and responsibility for each other. There are also between them, which lead to biological ties, legal norms, responsibility, etc. The family is the most important social institution. Many specialists are concerned about this topic, so they are diligently engaged in its research. Further in the article we will consider this definition in more detail, we will find out the functions and goals designated by the state in front of the "cell of society". The classification and characteristics of the main types will also be given below. Consider also the basic elements of the family and the group in society.

Divorces. Statistical data

A family is a small social group that is interconnected by many factors, such as marriage. But, unfortunately, in our time, according to statistics, the number of divorces is steadily growing, and Russia has recently taken a leading place in such a list. Previously, it has always been overtaken by the United States. Although, of course, many new alliances are being created. Every year, 2 million marriages are registered in our country.

The Needs of Humanity

The family as a social group and social institution arose a long time ago, before religion, the army, the state. Even the American Abraham Maslow, who diligently studied psychology, created a model that shows what exactly a person desires in the first place. The concept of a family as a social group includes:

1. Sexual and physiological needs.

2. Confidence in the safety of existence.

3. Communication with other people.

4. The need to be recognized as a person in society.

5. Self-realization.

Thanks to the combination of these needs, the entire structure of the family is formed. There are several categories. According to the number of children, families are divided into childless, small and large families. There is a classification according to how long the spouses live together: newlyweds, middle marital age, elderly couple. There are also rural and urban, authoritarian and egalitarian families (according to who is in charge in the family).

Historical facts

The family as the most important social institution creates the history of all mankind. After all, even in ancient times there were groups of people who were united by something in common. By the way, some primitive societies still exist, for example, among the peoples of the North or the tribes of Central Africa, where the institution of marriage is almost the only one that functions stably. There are no specific laws, the police and the court are not responsible. But any such unions, however, have as a social group. For example, which includes a husband, wife and their children. If there are still relatives - grandmother, grandfather, grandchildren, cousins, etc. - then this will be an extended family. But, unfortunately, at the present time, most people do not really keep in touch with other relatives, so the nuclear family is a social institution that is more common today. Which is very bad, because under any life circumstances one could get help from relatives, if one does not forget that they exist.

Forms of marriage

The concept of a family as a social group includes a traditional view. It all starts with a relationship between a man and a woman, which develops into something more. And it doesn't matter if this union has children or not, they can connect their destinies together. Subsequently, it may also fall apart as a result of a divorce or the death of one of the spouses. Such a family in which a child is raised by one parent is called incomplete in the sociological literature. There is also such a thing as exogamy. It lies in the fact that the choice of a partner is limited to a specific group of people.

After all, for example, it is forbidden to marry according to legal and moral standards for your own brother - a brother or cousin. Some societies prohibit the choice of a future spouse within their clan, tribe. It also happens that an alliance between persons of different races, different strata of society is impossible. More popular in the West is monogamy, which involves marriage between two people of the opposite sex. Although there are nations in which polygamy is preferred (a union where there is more than one person in a marriage). There are even non-standard relationships when several girls and several men unite in a family. And it also happens that one woman has several husbands. This phenomenon is called polyandry. But mostly from non-standard marriages, polygamy is the most popular. Thus, the family, as the most important social institution, must comply with the laws adopted where it was formed.

The prevalence of divorces, their causes

Sociologists have noticed that since 1970 the number of divorces has been increasing, and now they are so common that, according to statistics, half of Russians who form families will certainly divorce after some time. By the way, it has been proven that when there is an economic downturn in the country, the number of divorces also increases, and when the economy is calm, then they become less. Probably, if a person feels financial stability, which gives him one and other factors come back to normal, he feels satisfaction. The family as a social group and social institution directly depends on society and its instability. Many countries try to prevent divorce by making it nearly impossible or giving privileges to one spouse. For example, in Italy until the twentieth century. the task of dissolving the marriage was impossible. Only then did the government take pity on those whose unions turned out to be unsuccessful, allowing divorces. But in most countries, if a husband leaves his wife, then he must ensure her life at the level at which she was during the marriage. In this case, the man loses his financial condition. In Russia, people share property. If the children stay with their mother (mostly they do), then the father must provide for them financially. There are many different nuances in the legislation of each country.

human features

In one country or another, the social institution - the family (whose functions are supported by marriage) - acquires special features, its own nature. It has been scientifically proven that not any creature, but only people, can conceive a child at a desirable period for them. After all, many animals breed only at a certain time, and a person has no such restrictions, on any day intimacy between a woman and a man can be realized. Another difference is that a newborn child is in a helpless state for a long time. He needs care and care that his mother can give, and the father, in turn, must provide him economically, namely, give him everything he needs: food, clothes, etc. Back in ancient times, when society was just beginning to develop , the mother looked after the baby, cooked food, took care of her relatives. At the same time, the father, in turn, provided them with protection and food. A man has always been a hunter, a getter, doing hard work. People of opposite sexes entered into a relationship, offspring developed, children appeared. No one performed the tasks of the other, it was considered wrong, because everyone had their own duties. It is inherent in nature in the human body and is transmitted genetically from generation to generation.

Heir Benefit

As for agriculture and production, it can be said that the family here performs very important role. Thanks to continuity, material resources appeared. All property was transferred to the heir, thus, the parents were confident in the state of the future of their children, among whom property, statuses, privileges were subsequently distributed and redistributed. This, one might say, is the replacement of some people in a certain place by others, and this chain will never stop. The family is the main social institution that performs this function, determines the advantages of generations, the role of father and mother. After all, everything that the parents had was passed on to the children. This ensured not only the confidence of the heirs in the future, but also the continuation of one or another production. And this is important for the whole society, because without a mechanism that will always replace some people with others, it will not exist. On the other hand, for example, some production important for the city will not be lost, because the heir will continue to take care of it when his father is no longer able to manage the business or dies.

Status

A child receives a stable position when he is born into a legitimate family. Everything that parents have will be inherited by him, but moreover, this also applies to social status, religion, etc. None of this will be lost, everything will go to the heir. In general, human relations are built in such a way that you can find out the relatives of a particular person, her condition, status. The family is a social institution that shows the position of a person in society, largely due to his origin. Although in modern world You can earn some status through your own efforts. For example, a father, working in some company in an important position, will not be able to pass it on to his son. In order for the latter to receive it, he must achieve it himself. But a lot has been preserved and passing: property (after all, you can transfer an inheritance), the social status of an individual, etc. Each country dictates its own rules, so different nations have different laws that relate to marriage, divorce, heredity. But in general, the family is a social institution of society, which has its own rules and nuances.

The importance of proper parenting

From childhood, the mother teaches the child the lessons of social life, he learns from the examples of his parents to live on. It is very important to ensure a good emotional life for your offspring, because in this case there is a direct connection: how he is brought up in the family, he will be like that in life. Of course, the character of a person depends on genes, but family upbringing also makes a big contribution to it. Much depends on the feelings, the mood that the father or mother gives. It is close people who should prevent the appearance of aggressive qualities in a developing teenager, give him a sense of security, and share their emotions.

From birth, a person is formed as a person, because with every passing minute he learns something new, feels something that he has never felt before. All this leaves an imprint on the future character, on individuality. They say that, for example, what kind of relationship between father and mother will be observed by their son, this is how he will treat women in the future, what feelings his parents will give him, and he is the same around.

Suicide due to relationships that didn't work out

E. Durkheim studied the statistics on suicides. And it has been observed that those who are single or divorced are more likely to commit suicide than those who are married, as well as those who do not have children, although they are married. So, the happier the spouses, the more, the less likely they are to attempt suicide. According to statistics, 30% of murders are committed within the family. Sometimes even the social system can upset the balance of the cell of society.

How to save a relationship?

Many spouses make a kind of plan. The family as a social group in this case receives certain tasks, goals. Together they find ways to achieve them. Spouses must preserve their hearth, provide their children with a good upbringing and living conditions, and direct the development of the child in the right direction from childhood. These foundations of family structure, laid down in ancient generations, still exist. The problems of the family as a social institution should be considered by all relatives. Together they must preserve and pass on to their heirs ideas about the foundations of the structure of society, which so affect the preservation of the family, regardless of political regimes. The family is an intermediary acting between the individual and society. It is she who helps a person to find himself in this world, to realize his qualities, talents, gives him protection, helps to stand out from the crowd, to be individual. This is the most important task of the family. And if she does not do all this, then she will not fulfill her functions. A person who does not have a family will feel his own inferiority more and more with each passing year. At the same time, some negative qualities may appear and develop in him. This is very important nuances that you should pay attention to when raising a child. After all, the formation of his personality begins from the first days.

Development of the individuality of each person

The family as a social group and social institution plays an important role. After all, it is she who brings up an individual who can live in society. On the other hand, it protects from external factors, supports in difficult times. A person does not worry about anyone in the world, does not worry, as for his relative. And, without hesitation, helps loved ones. It is in the family that you can find comfort, sympathy, consolation, protection. When this institution collapses, then a person loses the support that he had before.

Meaning

The family is a small social group, but it is very important for the whole society. With changes in politics and economics, its structures and functions also change. The emergence of a modernized, urbanized and industrial society has had a huge impact on the modern cell of society. The level of mobility of its members began to grow. In other words, such situations have already become commonplace when one of the family members has to move to another city, where he was offered a job or promotion, leaving his relatives. And since most members of modern society prefer material well-being, success, career growth, the proposed options are no longer considered unacceptable for them. And if this happens, then, from a social point of view, in this case, the internal relations of family members also change, because the social status of one of them, his financial situation, his views, and aspirations change. All this leads to the fact that the bonds that bind relatives gradually become weak, and then disappear altogether.

Conclusion

At the present time, especially for urban residents, it is increasingly difficult to maintain communication between generations. By and large, the structure is extremely weakened. Basically, all the care of its members is directed only to the care of children, their treatment and education. The rest of the relatives - especially the elderly - are often left behind. The misunderstandings and material instability that arise on this basis contribute to the destruction of relations between a man and a woman, the emergence of quarrels, and often even lead to separation. The problems of the spiritual closeness of the spouses are important, but the issues that need to be addressed with all family members are paramount. The family as a social group and social institution will function and achieve success only when each of its members understands that his achievements, his merits influence it, and the origin of the individual, his social position plays a very small role. Now personal merits have an undeniable advantage over obligations. After all, with the help of them, a person will decide where to live, what to do. Unfortunately, the nuclear system is more vulnerable and dependent on external factors (diseases, death, monetary losses) than the patriarchal one, in which everyone supports each other, helps, and if some problem happens, everyone can solve it together. Today, all the actions and thoughts of our state and society are aimed at creating conditions for the harmonious development of the family in Russia, at preserving its spiritual value, socio-cultural nature, and ties between relatives.

The family is both a social institution and a small group.
The family is the main social institution that contributes to the satisfaction of the most important human needs, first of all, the reproduction of the person himself.
A family is a small social group based on marriage or consanguinity, connected by personal relationships, common life and mutual responsibility.
Family Functions:
- reproductive - biological reproduction of the population;
- socialization of the individual - is the primary agent of socialization, under its influence a personality is formed;
- household - housekeeping, caring for children and disabled family members;
- economic - accumulation and transfer of property, material support for family members;
- socio-status - giving a person a hereditary status, for example, nationality, belonging to a certain dynasty, estate;
- psychological - providing emotional support to family members;
- protective - physical, economic, psychological protection of family members;
- spiritual and moral - personal development of family members;
- leisure - the organization of rational leisure, family vacations.

Classification of family structures:

1. monogamous families are based on the marriage of one man to one woman.
   polygamous- multiple marriage, there are two types:
   polygyny- marriage of one man with several women (harem);
   polyandry the marriage of one woman to several men.
2. Patrilineal families- inheritance of the family name, property and social status is carried out by the father, matrilineal- by mother.
3. Patriarchal families- the head is the father;
   matriarchal- the mother enjoys the highest authority and influence;
   partnership- Spouses are equal, rational distribution of responsibilities.
4. Nuclear- consisting of a married couple and minor children dependent on them.
   Extended- cohabitation of several generations of relatives (parents, children, grandparents, aunts, nephews).
5. Childless, small children, large families(three or more children).
6. Authoritarian(based on the rigid authority of parents), liberal (based on self-determination of the individual, regardless of habits, customs), democratic (based on the equal participation of all family members in solving the most important family issues).

The main trends in the development of the modern family:

- the predominance of nuclear, small families;
— distribution of partner-type families;
- increasing the average age of marriage;
- the spread of cohabitation, trial marriages, the emergence in some countries of same-sex marriages;
- reduction of the leading positions of the family in the socialization of the individual (associated with the active participation of women in public relations: career, business, politics, working grandmothers).
Another social institution, the institution of marriage, is closely connected with the institution of the family; most often it is the married couple that forms the basis of the family.
In sociology marriage- a historically changing social form of relations between a man and a woman, streamlining sexual relations.
In a legal sense marriage- a voluntary and free union of a woman and a man, concluded in the manner prescribed by law, aimed at creating a family and giving rise to mutual personal, as well as property rights and obligations of spouses.
In accordance with the Family Code of the Russian Federation, only legally formalized, concluded and registered in the civil registry offices are recognized.

Conditions required for marriage:

a) mutual voluntary consent of those entering into marriage;
b) personal participation in filing an application, registration of marriage;
c) reaching the age of marriage, i.e. 18 years; if there are valid reasons (pregnancy of the bride), at the request of the spouses, the age of marriage can be reduced to 16 years; in some subjects of the Russian Federation, for example, in the Rostov region, marriage is possible from 14 years. For minors, the written consent of the parents or persons replacing them is required;
d) none of the persons entering into marriage should be recognized by the court as legally incompetent due to mental disorder;
e) the absence of another registered marriage for the persons entering into marriage;
f) lack of close relationship between the persons entering into marriage. Marriage between parents and children, grandchildren and grandfathers, grandmothers, between siblings, between adopted children and adoptive parents is prohibited.
The marriage is concluded after a month from the date of filing the application. In the presence of valid circumstances, marriage can be concluded on the day of application.
State registration of marriage is carried out by any civil registry office on the territory of the Russian Federation at the choice of the persons entering into marriage.

Grounds for declaring a marriage invalid:

a) non-compliance by persons who have entered into marriage with the conditions of its conclusion established by law;
b) concealment by a person entering into marriage, the presence of a venereal disease or HIV infection;
c) the conclusion of a fictitious marriage, i.e. with no intention of starting a family.
Grounds for termination of marriage are the death or declaration of one of the spouses dead, as well as the dissolution of marriage in the manner prescribed by law.
Exists There are two ways to dissolve a marriage:
1. In the civil registry offices(simplified order)
1) upon mutual consent to the dissolution of the marriage of spouses who do not have common minor children;
2) at the request of one of the spouses, if the other spouse is recognized by the court as missing, incompetent or sentenced for committing a crime to imprisonment for a term of more than three years.
Dissolution of marriage in these cases is carried out regardless of whether the spouses have common minor children.
2. In a court
1) in the event of disputes between spouses during the dissolution of marriage in the registry office (for example, on the division of property), such disputes are considered by the court;
2) if the spouses have common minor children, except for the cases noted above;
3) in the absence of the consent of one of the spouses to divorce;
4) if one of the spouses evades the dissolution of the marriage in the registry office, although he does not object to such dissolution (for example, refuses to submit a corresponding application, etc.).
The law establishes a number restrictions on husband's rights to submit demands for divorce (in particular, he does not have the right, without the consent of his wife, to initiate a divorce case during the wife's pregnancy and within a year after the birth of the child).
The dissolution of a marriage is carried out if the court determines that the further joint life of the spouses and the preservation of the family are impossible. In this case, the court has the right to take measures to reconcile the spouses. If there is mutual consent to the dissolution of the marriage of spouses who have common minor children, the court dissolves the marriage without clarifying the motives for the divorce.
When considering a case on dissolution of a marriage, the court decides on which of the parents, after the divorce, minor children will live, from which of the parents and in what amounts to collect child support, as well as on the division of property that is in the common property of the spouses. On all these issues, the spouses themselves can conclude an agreement and submit it to the court.
The dissolution of marriage by the court is carried out after a month from the date of filing by the spouses of the application for dissolution of marriage.

Marriage is considered terminated:

a) in case of its dissolution in the registry office - from the date of state registration of the dissolution of marriage in the register of acts of civil status;
b) in case of dissolution of marriage in a judicial proceeding - on the day the court decision enters into legal force (however, in this case, state registration of divorce is also necessary).
Spouses are not entitled to remarry until they receive a certificate of divorce from the civil registry office.

Genealogy defines the family as a community of blood relatives and people related as a result of marriage. And modern Russian law understands this term as a group of people united by personal duties and rights that are the result of marriage, kinship or guardianship.

It has the following characteristics:

• Organizes life. This type of community means that partners have a common budget, domestic relationships and responsibilities.
• It is based on marriage, which is a form of interaction between husband and wife, defines the rights and obligations of spouses in parental, financial and other areas, and regulates their intimate life.
• It is a small social group.
• Describes the relationship of partners with relatives and children. Since, in addition to the union, the basis of such a community is kinship and guardianship.

Sociology considers the concept of the family from two positions at once: as a social institution and as a small group. The first is responsible for meeting the needs of society, and the second is responsible for meeting the needs of each member of the group.

The purpose of such an association from the point of view of public interests is the reproduction of the population. But in addition to fulfilling the social and personal need for childbearing, such groups also perform other functions:

• Economic and economic. Spouses lead common household, jointly provide for their dependent family members and care for elderly relatives and children.

• Educational. Within the framework of the community, the upbringing of children, their initial socialization and the transfer of cultural and personal values ​​to them are carried out.

• Production. IN modern society this function has lost its significance, since production activities are now removed from the scope of this association.

• Leisure organization. This function is of particular importance, as now the family becomes the main place of rest.

• Emotional. This includes building comfortable relationships within the group, mutual enrichment of interests and psychological assistance within the group.

• social control. Relatives ensure the fulfillment of certain social norms, including those who, for some reason, do not have the ability to independently take into account the rules accepted in society.

• And others.

It is believed that the family transmits the most valuable experience accumulated by older generations. But it must be borne in mind that the transfer is not limited only to information approved by society, since the process of selecting, assimilating and processing this information is carried out based on the interests of specific people. Within the framework of this community, bad habits, such as: alcohol addiction, smoking, immorality, etc., can be laid down as value orientations.

The reproduction of the population is one of the most important functions of the family as a social institution. The need for the birth of children corresponds to instincts and is useful to society. But at the same time, the realization of this role leads to an increase in the pathological burden. According to statistics, women with higher education give birth less often than those who have only primary. This means that children are more likely to be born to parents with an unstable financial situation and less prepared for the need to raise a child. The time that a woman spends on caring for a small child, doing household chores and duties, hinders the realization of her abilities in the professional field.

The specifics of the family as a social institution

It has a stable structure. This community is a self-regulating system in which all participants themselves form a culture of communication, develop common life values. During this process, conflicts and contradictions may arise, the resolution of which is achieved as a result of mutual concessions and agreements. These measures to establish interaction are carried out at the expense of the internal culture of people, their moral and maturity, and contributes to their personal development.

The next feature is its connection with other institutions: the state, culture, religion, education, public opinion, etc. Since this form of community is legalized by society, it is regulated by the rules of law and morality, as well as sanctions aimed at maintaining it.

Development of the family as a social institution

Usually, the following stages of this process are distinguished:

• Premarital.
• Creation of a union.
• Becoming.
• Beginning and end of childbearing.
• Parenting.
• Separation from the family of the last child.
• Disintegration due to the death of a spouse or divorce.

Each of these periods has its own social and economic characteristics.

Types and forms of family and marriage relations

At different stages of economic and social development, as well as in the presence of special cultural, religious and ethnic conditions, marriage takes various forms.

A family usually refers to a couple with or without one or more children. Or a similar couple in the past, broken up due to divorce or the death of one of the spouses. In this case, the group of husband or wife and children is called "incomplete".

According to their type of relationship is divided into:

• Nuclear. The community consists only of husband, wife and dependent children.

• Expanded or patriarchal. In this case, the group also includes representatives of other generations of the family: grandfathers, grandmothers, grandchildren, cousins, etc.

For a society that has retained the traditional distribution of roles, an extended type is more characteristic. And modern society is more inclined towards nuclear relations.

The form of marriage can be:

• Monogamous. A couple enters the union - one man and one woman.

• Polygamous. In the second case, there are more than two partners in a relationship. Most of these relationships are found in traditional societies, and are associated with religious or economic reasons.

In certain countries, one can find examples of a rare form of polygamy - group marriage, in which several men and women participate in the same union. And for example, polygyny is typical for eastern countries - polygamy, in which one man has several wives. But there are cultures in which polyandry is found. In this case, the family has one wife and several husbands.

Historically, according to the distribution of power, family relations are divided into:

• Matriarchy - women have the right to make fundamental decisions.

• Patriarchy - the main power belongs to men.

• Democratic family. Partners are equally capable of providing for family life and are equal in status.

According to the principle of choosing partners, there are the following forms of marriage:

• Endogamy. Spouses were chosen from members of the same clan, tribe or group.

• Exogamy. In this case, relations within a narrow circle are excluded: family, tribe, clan, etc. In civilized countries, because of the danger of degeneration and the appearance of hereditary diseases, unions between relatives are prohibited.

Also, these associations can be classified in terms of its residence, the type of upbringing of children, the place of a person in the family, the number of children and many other factors.

Problems of the modern family as a social institution

From the point of view of fulfilling its main purpose as a social institution, the family has the following difficulties:

• A large number of divorces, low reproductive and educational ability leads to the fact that modern marital relations do not satisfy the basic needs of society.

• Industrial, technical and social progress led to the emergence of contradictions between professional and traditional family male and female roles, which in turn reduced the cohesion of a community of this type as a group.

• Traditional marriage unions have lost their prestige for young people.

Changes in society have led to the emergence of a large number of atypical families:

• Maternal, in which women decide to give birth to a child outside of marriage or a serious relationship.

• Incomplete. This species is formed as a result of divorce.

• Youth, in which partners live together, but do not formalize their union. And they marry only after the discovery of the desired pregnancy. However, not all relationships end in marriage.

• cohabitation, in which married man lives and has a common child with an unmarried woman.

• "Godwin marriages" in which the spouses live, own property and manage the household separately.

Families with only one child, loners who refuse any relationship, and trial marriages are also common. There are two main reasons for these changes:

• Strengthening the economic independence of women, as well as substantial state material assistance to single mothers and the elderly, which allows the elderly to live separately from their children, and removes the dependence of a woman on a male breadwinner.

• Democratization, giving equal rights to people of any gender and age. Thus, a woman can decide for herself the need for marital relations with a man.

For secondary reasons leading to such a large number divorces, we can attribute the lack of a religious and state basis for marriage, as well as the development of medicine and contraception, which allow regulating the birth rate.

There are many predictions about the future of the family, both positive and negative. But even with regard to the general direction of changes, serious researchers do not look far because of the lack of statistical information. But there is an assumption that now this community is evolving into a new form. It is assumed that with this type of marriage, relationships will be built as a union between equal individuals.

And now in modern society the following trends are observed:

• The democratic (egalitarian) type of relations has become widespread.

• The transition from patriarchal forms to nuclear groups began.

• The rights and obligations of spouses are not clearly fixed.

• The functions of the family have changed.

• The number of children has decreased.

• The overall increase in marriages has decreased and the number of divorces, single people or living in a trial marriage has increased.

Introduction 2

Chapter 1. The concept of "social institution" 4

Chapter 2. Types and functions of social institutions 7

Chapter 3 Family as the most important social institution 11

Conclusion 16

List of used literature 19

Introduction

Family is always super important. To her, whatever she may be, we owe our birth and personal development, we are at a crossroads in front of her, choosing our own answer to the question of marital status, we consider her almost the main measure of our own wealth.

From a theoretical point of view, an objectively distant consideration of the family not only sets alienation in the subtext, but also, bringing to the light of God the "mirror of statistics", in addition to more or less curious private conclusions, leads to rather trivial general conclusions such as "a strong family - a strong state" and vice versa. It is necessary to search for other approaches to the disclosure of family problems. One of these approaches is value. Its essence is to consider the family as a value developed by mankind, to realize the real achievability of this value today and to foresee its further spread as a component of progress.

This approach allows us to abstract from many trivial aspects of the topic, from all problems that do not fall into the focus of value consideration (definitions of marriage and family, their evolution in the course of history, etc.), to digress from any complete review of the results of specific sociological studies devoted to various aspects of the family and family relationships. These studies are certainly needed, but their excess can create the illusion that the presence of such studies as an obligatory basis for any research is almost the only criterion for being scientific in sociology. The planned value approach to the family, in principle, cannot be realized through empiricism, because, not being a self-developing system, the family itself does not contain most of the material that could serve to explain and understand what it is and what is happening to it. should happen.

A value approach to the family as a sociocultural phenomenon is feasible within the framework of sociology. It is known that the family is included aspect by aspect in the consideration of many sciences - philosophy, psychology, ethics, demography, sexology (the list goes on). Sociology sees the family as a special integrity, and this interest in the study of the family as a whole, as a system, puts sociology in a special relationship to it, because a systemic, holistic consideration involves the integration of all knowledge about the family, and not the allocation of its own (along with others) aspect.

The question of the role of the family in society is central to understanding family issues. But which family should we talk about? About modern. The one that was the product of the long development of mankind and which can be attributed to modern not only in historical time, the same for everyone, but also in social time, which also counts the speed of social transformations. Recognizing the vagueness of the modern criterion put forward, it is worth noting that within the limits of this uncertainty it still works and allows, for example, the patriarchal type of family not to be classified as modern.

1. The concept of "social institution".

Social institutions (from the Latin institutum - establishment, institution) are historically established stable forms of organizing the joint activities of people. The term "social institution" is used in a wide variety of meanings. They talk about the institution of the family, the institution of education, health care, the institution of the state, etc. The first, most often used meaning of the term "social institution" is associated with the characteristics of any kind of ordering, formalization and standardization of social relations and relations. And the process of streamlining, formalization and standardization is called institutionalization.

The process of institutionalization includes a number of points:

1) One of the necessary conditions for the emergence of social institutions is the corresponding social need. Institutions are designed to organize the joint activities of people in order to meet certain social needs. Thus, the institution of the family satisfies the need for the reproduction of the human race and the upbringing of children, implements relations between the sexes, generations, etc. The institution of higher education provides training for the workforce, enables a person to develop his abilities in order to realize them in subsequent activities and ensure his own existence, etc. The emergence of certain social needs, as well as the conditions for their satisfaction, are the first necessary moments of institutionalization.

2) A social institution is formed on the basis of social ties, interactions and relationships of specific individuals, individuals, social groups and other communities. But it, like other social systems, cannot be reduced to the sum of these individuals and their interactions. Social institutions are supra-individual in nature, have their own systemic quality. Consequently, a social institution is an independent public entity that has its own logic of development. From this point of view, social institutions can be considered as organized social systems characterized by the stability of the structure, the integration of their elements and a certain variability of their functions.

What are these systems? What are their main elements? First of all, it is a system of values, norms, ideals, as well as patterns of activity and behavior of people and other elements of the sociocultural process. This system guarantees similar behavior of people, coordinates and directs certain aspirations into the mainstream, establishes ways to satisfy their needs, resolves conflicts,

arising in the process of everyday life, provides a state of balance and stability within a particular social community and society as a whole. In itself, the presence of these socio-cultural elements does not yet ensure the functioning of a social institution. In order for it to work, it is necessary that they become the property of the inner world of the individual, be internalized by them in the process of socialization, embodied in the form social roles and statuses. The internalization by individuals of all sociocultural elements, the formation on their basis of a system of personality needs, value orientations and expectations is the second most important element of institutionalization.

3) The third most important element of institutionalization is the organizational design of a social institution. Externally, a social institution is a collection of persons, institutions, equipped with certain material resources and performing a certain social function. Yes, the Institute higher education consists of a certain set of persons: teachers, attendants, officials who operate within institutions such as universities, the ministry or the State Committee for Higher Education, etc., who for their activities have certain material assets (buildings, finances, etc.). d.).

So, each social institution is characterized by the presence of the goal of its activity, specific functions that ensure the achievement of such a goal, a set of social positions and roles typical for this institution. Based on the foregoing, we can give the following definition of a social institution. Social institutions are organized associations of people performing certain socially significant functions, ensuring the joint achievement of goals based on the social roles performed by members, set by social values, norms and patterns of behavior.

2 . Types and functions of social institutions.

Each institution performs its own characteristic social function. The totality of these social functions is formed into the general social functions of social institutions as certain types of social system. These features are very versatile. Sociologists of different trends tried to somehow classify them, to present them in the form of a certain ordered system. The most complete and interesting classification was presented by the so-called "institutional school". Representatives of the institutional school in sociology (Slipset; D. Landberg and others) identified four main functions of social institutions:

1) Reproduction of members of society. The main institution that performs this function is the family, but other social institutions, such as the state, are also involved in it.

2) Socialization - the transfer to individuals of patterns of behavior and methods of activity established in a given society - the institutions of the family, education, religion, etc. 3) Production and distribution. They are provided by economic and social institutions of management and control - the authorities. 4) Management and control functions are carried out through a system of social norms and regulations that implement the appropriate types of behavior: moral and legal norms, customs, administrative decisions, etc. Social institutions control the individual's behavior through a system of rewards and sanctions.

Social institutions differ from each other in their functional qualities: 1) Economic and social institutions - property, exchange, money, banks, business associations of various types - provide the entire set of production and distribution of social wealth, at the same time connecting economic life with other areas of social life.

2) Political institutions - the state, parties, trade unions and other kinds of public organizations pursuing political goals aimed at establishing and maintaining a certain form of political power. Their totality constitutes the political system of a given society. Political institutions ensure the reproduction and sustainable preservation of ideological values, and stabilize the social class structures that dominate in society. 3) Sociocultural and educational institutions aim at the development and subsequent reproduction of cultural and social values, the inclusion of individuals in a certain subculture, as well as the socialization of individuals through the assimilation of stable sociocultural standards of behavior and, finally, the protection of certain values ​​and norms. 4) Normative-orienting - mechanisms of moral and ethical orientation and regulation of the behavior of individuals. Their goal is to give behavior and motivation a moral argument, an ethical basis. These institutions assert imperative universal human values, special codes and ethics of behavior in the community. 5) Normative-sanctioning - social and social regulation of behavior on the basis of norms, rules and regulations enshrined in legal and administrative acts. The binding nature of the norms is ensured by the coercive power of the state and the system of appropriate sanctions. 6) Ceremonial-symbolic and situational-conventional institutions. These institutions are based on the more or less long-term adoption of conventional (by agreement) norms, their official and unofficial consolidation. These rules govern the daily

contacts, various acts of group and intergroup behavior. They determine the order and method of mutual behavior, regulate the methods of transmission and exchange of information, greetings, addresses, etc., the rules of meetings, meetings, the activities of some associations.

Violation of the normative interaction with the social environment, which is the society or community, is called the dysfunction of a social institution. As noted earlier, the basis for the formation and functioning of a particular social institution is the satisfaction of a particular social need. Under the conditions of intensive social processes, the acceleration of the pace of social change, a situation may arise when the changed social needs are not adequately reflected in the structure and functions of the relevant social institutions. As a result, dysfunction may occur in their activities. From a substantive point of view, dysfunction is expressed in the ambiguity of the goals of the institution, the uncertainty of functions, in the fall of its social prestige and authority, the degeneration of its individual functions into "symbolic", ritual activity, that is, activity not aimed at achieving a rational goal.

One of the clear expressions of the dysfunction of a social institution is the personalization of its activities. A social institution, as you know, functions according to its own, objectively operating mechanisms, where each person, on the basis of norms and patterns of behavior, in accordance with his status, plays certain roles. The personalization of a social institution means that it ceases to act in accordance with objective needs and objectively established goals, changing its functions depending on the interests of individuals, their personal qualities and properties.

An unsatisfied social need can bring to life the spontaneous emergence of normatively unregulated activities that seek to make up for the dysfunction of the institution, but at the cost of violating existing norms and rules. In its extreme forms, activity of this kind can be expressed in illegal activities. Thus, the dysfunction of some economic institutions is the reason for the existence of the so-called "shadow economy", resulting in speculation, bribery, theft, etc. Correction of dysfunction can be achieved by changing the social institution itself or by creating a new social institution that satisfies a given social need.

Researchers distinguish two forms of the existence of social institutions: simple and complex. Simple social institutions are organized associations of people who perform certain socially significant functions that ensure the joint achievement of goals based on the members of the institution fulfilling their social roles, determined by social values, ideals, and norms. At this level, the control system did not stand out as an independent system. social values, ideals, norms themselves ensure the stability of the existence and functioning of a social institution.

3. Family as the most important social institution.

A classic example of a simple social institution is the institution of the family. A.G. Kharchev defines the family as an association of people based on marriage and consanguinity, connected by common life and mutual responsibility. Marriage is the foundation of family relationships. Marriage is a historically changing social form of relations between a woman and a man, through which society streamlines and sanctions them. sexual life and establishes their marital and related rights and obligations. But the family, as a rule, is a more complex system of relations than marriage, since it can unite not only spouses, but also their children, as well as other relatives. Therefore, the family should be considered not just as a marriage group, but as a social institution, that is, a system of connections, interactions and relationships of individuals that perform the functions of reproduction of the human race and regulate all connections, interactions and relationships on the basis of certain values ​​and norms, subject to extensive social control through system of positive and negative sanctions.

The family as a social institution goes through a series of stages, the sequence of which develops into a family cycle or family life cycle. Researchers distinguish a different number of phases of this cycle, but the main ones are the following: 1) entering into a first marriage - the formation of a family; 2) the beginning of childbearing - the birth of the first child; 3) the end of childbearing - the birth of the last child; 4) "empty nest" - marriage and separation of the last child from the family; 5) termination of the existence of the family - the death of one of the spouses. At each stage, the family has specific social and economic characteristics.

In the sociology of the family, such general principles for distinguishing types of family organization have been adopted. Depending on the form of marriage, monogamous and polygamous families are distinguished. A monogamous family provides for the existence of a married couple - husband and wife, polygamous - as a rule, flies have the right to have several wives. Depending on the structure of family ties, a simple, nuclear, or complex, extended type of family is distinguished. A nuclear family is a married couple with unmarried children. If some of the children in the family are married, then an extended, or complex, family is formed, including two or more generations.

The family as a social institution arose with the formation of society. The process of formation and functioning of the family is determined by value-normative regulators. Such, for example, as courtship, the choice of a marriage partner, sexual standards of behavior, the norms that guide the wife and husband, parents and children, etc., as well as sanctions for their non-compliance. These values, norms and sanctions are the historically changing form of relations between a man and a woman accepted in a given society, through which they streamline and sanction their sexual life and establish their marital, parental and other related rights and obligations.

At the first stages of the development of society, relations between a man and a woman, older and younger generations were regulated by tribal and tribal customs, which were syncretic norms and patterns of behavior based on religious and moral ideas. With the advent of the state, the regulation of family life acquired a legal character. The legal registration of marriage imposed certain obligations not only on the spouses, but also on the state that sanctioned their union. From now on, social control and sanctions were carried out not only public opinion but also government agencies.

The main, first function of the family, as follows from the definition of A.G. Kharchev, is reproductive, that is, the biological reproduction of the population in social terms and the satisfaction of the need for children - in personal terms. Along with this main function, the family performs a number of other important social functions:

a) educational - socialization of the younger generation, maintaining the cultural reproduction of society;

b) household - maintenance physical health members of the community, caring for children and elderly family members;

c) economic - obtaining material resources of some family members for others, economic support for minors and disabled members of society;

d) the scope of primary social control - the moral regulation of the behavior of family members in various spheres of life, as well as the regulation of responsibility and obligations in relations between spouses, parents and children, representatives of the older and middle generations;

e) spiritual communication - personal development of family members, spiritual mutual enrichment;

f) social status - granting a certain social status to family members, reproduction of the social structure;

g) leisure - organization of rational leisure, mutual enrichment of interests;

h) emotional - obtaining psychological protection, emotional support, emotional stabilization of individuals and their psychological therapy.

To understand the family as a social institution great importance has an analysis of role relationships in the family. The family role is one of the types of social roles of a person in society. Family roles are determined by the place and functions of the individual in the family group and are subdivided primarily into marital (wife, husband), parental (mother, father), children (son, daughter, brother, sister), intergenerational and intragenerational (grandfather, grandmother, elder , junior), etc. The fulfillment of a family role depends on the fulfillment of a number of conditions, primarily on the correct formation of a role image. An individual must clearly understand what it means to be a husband or wife, the eldest or the youngest in the family, what behavior is expected from him, what rules, norms this or that behavior dictates to him. In order to formulate the image of his behavior, the individual must accurately determine his place and the place of others in the role structure of the family. For example, can he play the role of the head of the family, in general or in particular, the main manager of the material wealth of the family. In this regard, the consistency of a particular role with the personality of the performer is of no small importance. A person with weak volitional qualities, although older in age in the family or even in role status, for example, a husband, is far from suitable for the role of the head of the family in modern conditions. For the successful formation of a family, sensitivity to the situational requirements of the family role and the flexibility of role behavior associated with it, which manifests itself in the ability to leave one role without much difficulty, to join a new one as soon as the situation requires, are also of no small importance. For example, one or another wealthy family member played the role of a material patron of its other members, but his financial situation has changed, and a change in the situation immediately requires a change in his role.

Role relations in the family, formed in the performance of certain functions, may be characterized by role agreement or role conflict. Sociologists note that role conflict most often manifests itself as: 1) a conflict of role images, which is associated with their incorrect formation in one or more family members; 2) inter-role conflict, in which the contradiction lies in the opposition of role expectations emanating from different roles. Such conflicts are often observed in multigenerational families, where spouses of the second generation are both children and parents at the same time and must accordingly combine opposite roles; 3) intra-role conflict, in which one role includes conflicting requirements. In a modern family, such problems are most often inherent in the female role. This applies to cases where the role of a woman involves a combination of the traditional female role in the family (housewife, educator of children, caring for family members, etc.) with a modern role that implies equal participation of spouses in providing the family with material resources.

The conflict may deepen if the wife occupies a higher status in the social or professional sphere and transfers the role functions of her status into intra-family relations. In such cases, the ability of spouses to switch roles flexibly is very important. A special place among the prerequisites for role conflict is occupied by difficulties with the psychological development of the role associated with such features of the spouses' personalities as insufficient moral and emotional maturity, unpreparedness for the performance of marital and, in particular, parental roles. For example, a girl, having married, does not want to shift the household chores of the family or give birth to a child on her shoulders, she tries to lead her former way of life, not obeying the restrictions that the role of a mother imposes on her, etc.

Conclusion

So, the family as a cell of society is an inseparable part of society. And the life of society is characterized by the same spiritual and material processes as the life of a family. The higher the culture of the family, therefore, the higher the culture of the whole society. Society consists of people who are fathers and mothers in their families, as well as their children. In this regard, the roles of father and mother in the family, and in particular the educational function of the family, are very important. After all, how parents teach their children to work, respect for elders, love for the environment and people, depends on what kind of society our children will live in.

The consequences of bad communication in the family can be conflicts and divorces, which cause great social harm to society. The fewer divorces in families, the healthier the society.

Thus, society (and it can also be called a large family) depends in direct proportion on the health of the family, just as the health of the family depends on society.

The family is one of the mechanisms of self-organization of society, the work of which is associated with the assertion of a number of universal values. Therefore, the family itself has value and is built into social progress. Of course, the crises of societies and civilizations cannot but deform the family: the vacuum of values, social apathy, nihilism and other social disorders show us that the self-destruction of society inevitably affects the family. But society has no future without progress, and there is no progress without a family.

The family gives rootedness in society: a lonely person either withdraws into himself or dissolves in society, in work, in the performance of public affairs (at the same time, as a rule, the feeling of uselessness to oneself does not go away), and the family makes a person a bearer of the interests of many gender and age groups of the population and even full-fledged consumer.

The family is the stronghold and incendiary of human love, so necessary for everyone and everyone. E. Fromm was right when he argued that the awareness of human separateness without reunion in love is a source of shame and at the same time guilt and anxiety. At all times, in all cultures, a person faces the same question: how to go beyond his individual life and find unity. Love allows you to answer this question positively: “It is not uncommon to find two people in love with each other and not feeling love for anyone else. In fact, their love is the selfishness of two... Love makes a preference, but in another person it loves all of humanity, everything that is alive» 1 . These ideas are not new. Even V. Solovyov believed that the meaning of love is in the justification and salvation of human individuality through the sacrifice of selfishness, but Fromm's argumentation is better oriented to the modern reader.

He who does not experience love in the family is not able to love his neighbor. Love is a unique kind of knowledge, penetration into the secret of personality. “The only way to complete knowledge is an act of love: this act goes beyond thought, goes beyond words. It's a bold dive into the experience of unity." The family helps to reveal the creative potential of the individual, contributes to its creative self-realization. It does not allow a person to forget about values ​​of a different kind. And it is natural that “in general, people who are married are happier than those who are not married (not married), divorced or single as a result of the death of one of the spouses” 2 .

The foregoing is enough for the main conclusion: the enduring significance of the family as a conquest of social progress, its main purpose is to endow people with usefulness, both social and psychological. The value of the family lies in the fact that only it is capable of supplying society with the people it so badly needs, people capable of true love, as well as “finishing” men and women into qualitatively new, harmonious social subjects. After all, only a lover has the right to be called a man. By the way, for whom the "value-lyrical" argument seems inappropriate or unconvincing in form, can use the terminology of system studies. Everyone has the right to an acceptable language for him - if only not to the detriment of meaning.

Literature

A.A. Radugin, K.A. Radugin “Sociology” M. “Center”,

M.P.Mchedlov “Religion and Modernity” M. Publishing House of Political Literature,

Poor M.S., "Family-health-society", M.,

I.A. Kryvelev "History of Religions" M. "Thought",.

IN AND. Garaja “Religious Studies” M. “Aspect Press”,

“Psychological Aspects of Family Life”, ed. I.N. Yablokova M. “Higher School”,

Argyle M. Psychology of happiness. M.,

Berdyaev N. A. Reflections on Eros // Family: A book for reading. M., . Book. 2.

Golod S. I. Family stability: sociological and demographic aspects. L.,

Fromm E. The Art of Love: A Study of the Nature of Love.

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Osipov G.V., Kovalenko Yu.P. "Sociology", M.

Family FAMILY HOW SOCIAL INSTITUTE Completed by: student of the correspondence faculty specialty ... cultural and socially- economic conditions. When analyzing families how social institute usually considered not specific families, but...

This is the definition of a family:

family An association of people based on consanguinity, marriage or adoption, connected by a common life and mutual responsibility for the upbringing of children, is called.

Marriage is the foundation of family relationships.

Marriage- it is a historically changing social form of relations between a woman and a man, through which society streamlines and sanctions their sexual life and establishes their marital and family rights and obligations.

The family, as a rule, is a more complex system of relations than marriage, since it can unite not only spouses, but also their children, as well as other relatives.

The family should be considered not just as a marriage group, but as a social institution, that is, a system of connections, interactions and relationships of individuals that perform the functions of reproduction of the human race and regulate all connections, interactions and relationships on the basis of certain values ​​and norms, subject to extensive social control through the system. positive and negative sanctions.

The family as a social institution goes through a series of stages, the sequence of which develops into a family cycle, or family life cycle.

Researchers identify a different number of phases of this cycle, but the main among them are the following:

1) family formation - entry into the first marriage;

2) the beginning of childbearing - the birth of the first child;

3) the end of childbearing - the birth of the last child:

4) "empty nest" - marriage and separation of the last child from the family;

5) termination of the existence of the family - the death of one of the spouses.

At each stage, the family has specific social and economic characteristics.

The family as a social institution arose with the formation of society. The process of formation and functioning of the family is determined by value-normative regulators.

Such, for example, as courtship, the choice of a marriage partner, sexual standards of behavior, the norms that guide the wife and husband, parents and children, etc., as well as sanctions for their non-compliance.

In the early stages of the development of society relations between a man and a woman, older and younger generations were regulated by tribal and tribal customs, which were syncretic norms and patterns of behavior based on religious and moral ideas.

With the advent of the state, the regulation of family life acquired legal nature. The legal registration of marriage imposed certain obligations not only on the spouses, but also on the state that sanctioned their union. From now on social control and sanctions were carried out not only by public opinion, but also by state bodies.

Proponents of functionalism analyze the family from the point of view of its functions or social needs, whom she serves. Over the past 200 years, the main changes in the functions of the family are associated with its destruction as a cooperative labor association, as well as with the limitation of the ability to transfer family status from parents to children.

main, determining family function, as follows from the definitions of the domestic sociologist A.G. Kharchev and American researcher N. Smelzer, - reproductive, that is, the biological reproduction of the population and the satisfaction of the need for children.

Along with this main function, the family performs a number of other social functions:

1. Educational function - socialization of the younger generation, maintaining the cultural reproduction of society. The family is the main agent of socialization in all societies. It is in it that children learn the basic knowledge necessary to play the roles of adults.

But industrialization and the social changes associated with it to some extent deprived the family of this function. The most important trend was the introduction of a system of mass secondary education.

Already at the age of 4 or 5, children were brought up not only at home, but the teacher had a profound influence on them. System development preschool institutions and voluntary associations for children (e.g. Scouts and summer camps) increased the number of agents of socialization performing this function along with the family.

2. Household function means maintaining the physical health of members of society, caring for children and elderly family members.

In traditional peasant and craft societies, the family performed many welfare functions, such as caring for sick and elderly family members. But these functions have changed radically in the course of the emergence and development of industrial society. IN developed countries Western Europe and in the US, doctors and health care providers have almost completely replaced the family in regards to people's health care, although family members still decide whether there is a need to seek medical attention.

Life insurance, unemployment benefits and funds for social security reduced the need for the family to take full responsibility for helping its members during times of economic hardship. Similarly, social benefits, hospitals, and retirement homes have made it easier for the family to care for the elderly.

In modern Russian society, the level of well-being of the bulk of the population is very low, on the other hand, the social sphere is poorly developed, as a rule, the family takes responsibility for disabled members of society.

3. Economic function means receiving material resources of some family members for others, economic support from the family of minors and disabled members of society.

Among the great changes brought about by the advent of industrial production was the destruction of cooperative production system.

Workers began to work outside the home, and economic role family was reduced to spending money earned by the breadwinner of the family. Although the wife sometimes worked, her main duty was to raise the children. In modern society, as a rule, both spouses work, who either have a joint budget, or each has its own individual one.

In the peasant agriculture and handicraft production, the family was a joint cooperative labor association. Responsibilities were distributed according to the age and sex of family members.

4. The function of primary social control means the moral regulation of the behavior of family members in various spheres of life, as well as the regulation of responsibility and obligations in relations between spouses, parents and children, representatives of the older and middle generations.

5. The function of spiritual communication covers the development of the personality of family members, spiritual enrichment.

6. Social status function means granting a certain social status to family members, the reproduction of the social structure.

In medieval society, there were various customs and laws that more or less automatically fixed the status occupied by families from different walks of life.

Hereditary monarchy is a prime example of this custom. Aristocrats who owned land and titles could pass on their high status to their children. Among the lower class, there were systems of guilds and training in crafts - thus, professions could be passed on from one generation to the next.

The revolutions that took place in the 19th and 20th centuries were carried out with the aim of destruction of class privileges some groups. Among these privileges was the right to pass on title, status and wealth to the next generation. In some countries, including Russia, the United States, the inheritance of aristocratic titles is outlawed.

Progressive taxes, as well as taxes on insurance and in the event of death, also limit the ability to preserve wealth and pass it on by inheritance. However, wealthy high-ranking families still have an advantage when it comes to passing on wealth and status to children. But this is done rather than on the basis of inheritance, but in the form of preparing children for the kind of education and kind of work that provide high status.

Upper-class members are able to pay for elite education and maintain "acquaintances" that promote high status. But these advantages have largely lost their significance, becoming less stable and reliable than before.

7. Leisure function includes the organization of rational leisure, mutual enrichment of interests.

8. Emotional function involves the possibility of obtaining psychological protection, emotional support, emotional stabilization of individuals and their psychological therapy.

Sociologists, comparing the structure of the family in different societies, distinguish several parameters according to which all families can be differentiated into certain varieties. These parameters include: the form of the family, the form of marriage, the pattern of distribution of power in the family, the choice of partner, the choice of residence, and the origin and mode of inheritance of property.

In modern developed societies, the dominant monogamy- Marriage between one man and one woman. However, there are reports of several other forms. Polygamy is called a marriage between one and several other individuals. A marriage between one man and several women is called polygyny; marriage between one woman and several men is called polyandry. Another form is group marriage- between several men and several women.

Most societies favor polygyny. George Murdoch studied many societies and found that 145 of them had polygyny, 40 were monogamous, and only two were polyandry. The rest of the societies did not fit into any of these categories. Since the ratio of men to women is approximately 1:1 in most societies, polygyny is not widely practiced even in those societies where it is considered to be preferable. Otherwise, the number of unmarried men would greatly exceed the number of men with several wives.

Some scholars emphasize the importance economic factors for the predominance of a certain form of family in society.

For example, in Tibet, land belonging to a family is inherited by all sons together. It is not divided into separate plots that are too small to feed each brother's family. Therefore, the brothers use this land together and have a common wife.

Of course, economic factors only partially explain the uniqueness of various forms of the family. Other factors also play an important role.

For example, polygyny is beneficial to women in societies where many men die in war. Similarly, among the inhabitants of the Todas tribe in south india(where the number of women was reduced, since there was a custom to kill born girls) the so-called fraternal polyandry was also practiced (the brothers had a common wife).

The British colonialists put an end to the practice of infanticide, and the number of women among the Todas began to increase rapidly. However, pair marriages never became widespread among the Todas. Instead, brothers who previously would have had one wife in common began to have several common wives. Thus, in Todas society, there was a rarely observed tendency towards group marriage.

Depending on the structure of family ties, simple (nuclear) and complex (extended) are distinguished. family type. Nuclear family is a married couple with unmarried children. If some of the children in the family are married, then extended or complex a family that includes two or more generations, such as grandparents, cousins, grandchildren, etc.

Most family systems in which extended families are considered the norm are patriarchal. This term refers to the power of men over other members of the family.

With matriarchal In the family system, power rightfully belongs to the wife and mother.

IN last years transition from patriarchal to egalitarian family system. This is mainly due to the increase in the number of working women in many industrialized countries. Under such a system, influence and power are distributed between husband and wife almost equally.

Depending on the preferred partner distinguish between exogamous and endogamous families. The rules governing marriages outside certain groups, such as families or clans, are rules of exogamy. Along with them, there are endogamy rules, prescribing marriage within certain groups. Endogamy was characteristic of the caste system that developed in India. The most famous rule of endogamy is prohibition of incest(incest), excluding marriage or sexual relations between persons who are considered close blood relatives.

In almost all societies, this rule applies to the relationship between a child and a parent, as well as siblings. In many societies, this even applies to cousins ​​and other close relatives. The prohibition of incest is not universal, despite its widespread use. Marriages between siblings were encouraged in the pharaonic family in ancient Egypt.

Why is the incest taboo so widespread? This issue is the subject of heated debate. Some researchers have suggested that people have an aversion to incest. Others believe that people have long been aware of the dangers of the genetic consequences of incest. Still others emphasized that rules prohibiting sexual intercourse between non-spousal family members reduced the likelihood of jealousy and conflict.

However, the latter argument loses credibility when you consider that many people are able to share a sexual partner with someone else without any jealousy. And polygyny, which often breeds rivalry between wives, persists despite conflicts. In addition, it was emphasized that the prohibition of incest forced to look for a life partner outside the groups to which people belonged.

Different societies have different residence rules newlyweds. Depending on the nature of the choice of place of residence, sociologists distinguish neolocal, patrilocal and matrilocal types of families.

patrilocal residence, the newlywed leaves her family and lives with her husband's family or near his parents' house. For example, according to the customs of Irish peasants, a young wife enters her husband's family and is under the authority of her mother-in-law.

In societies where the norm is matrilocal residence, Newlyweds must live with or near the bride's parents.

neolocal residence, considered the norm in the West is rare in the rest of the world.

Only in 17 of the 250 societies studied by Murdoch did the newlyweds move to a new location. Patrilocal residence found its way into societies where polygyny, slavery, and frequent wars existed; the members of these societies were usually engaged in hunting and gathering plants. Matrilocal residence was considered the norm in societies where women enjoyed the right to own land. Neolocal residence is associated with monogamy, a tendency towards individualism and equal economic situation men and women.

In the sociology of the family, a particular problem is the problem of determining the pedigree and the nature of the inheritance of property. If a person could count all the people with whom he is related by blood (including ancestors and the most distant relatives), this list would be huge. The rules for determining a pedigree shorten this list and indicate which relatives play an important role in a person's life. There are three types of systems for determining pedigree and property inheritance rules.

The most common is the pedigree through the male line.

In rural Ireland, the main family ties are considered to be between father, son and grandson. Although the wife maintains a relationship with her relatives to some extent and her child inherits her genes to some extent, the children become members of the husband's family.

In some cases, kinship is determined through the female line.

As is customary in the Trobriand Islands, the newlyweds live in the village with their husband, but the property and daily assistance comes from the wife. The mother's property becomes the property of the daughter, and the wife's brother provides the main support for the young family. The way of family life in the Trobriand Islands is based on family ties through the male and female lines.

There is a family system based on two-way ancestry. It is common in 40 percent of the world's cultures. In such systems, the determination of kinship equally takes into account blood relatives by father and mother.