Module 2. MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND THE HOME

Introduction		2
uNIT 1. What is a family? .....................................................................................................		3
	1.1.  WORD FAMILIES ........................................................................................................................	3
	1.2.   DEFINING THE FAMILY ......................................................................................................	4
	1.3.   THE FAMILY TODAY ..........................................................................................................	6
	1.4.  trends in the american family ...................................................................................	10
	1.5.  family backgrounds ........................................................................................................	11
	1.6.   alternative lifestyles .............................................................................................	14
	1.7. REVISION ..........................................................................................................................................	17
unit 2. the family as a socializing agent ...............................................................		17
	2.1.   HOW WE LEARN TO BEHAVE ...........................................................................................	17
	2.2.  FAMILY LESSONS .....................................................................................................................	21
	2.3. REVISION ..........................................................................................................................................	24
uNIT 3. the INFLUENCE OF PEERS ........................................................................................		24
	3.1.   PEER GROUP PRESSURE ....................................................................................................	24
	3.2.  RESPONDING TO GROUP PRESSURE ....................................................................................	27
	3.3.  FAMILY vs peers ....................................................................................................................	28
	3.4. REVISION ..........................................................................................................................................	30
Unit 4. CHECK YOURSELF ........................................................................................................		30

Module 2. MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND THE HOME

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.

Jane Howard

The family is a haven in a heartless world.

Attributed to Christopher Lasch

Introduction

Task 1. “If the family were a fruit, it would be an orange, a circle of sections, held together but separable - each segment distinct”. Letty Cottin Pogrebin

What else can the family be compared with? Elaborate.

Task 2. Look at the cartoon below. Is such a family typical nowadays? Why or why not? If not, what is typical?

Discuss the questions below with the group:

My younger sister has been living with her boyfriend without getting married for 5 years. Isn’t it too much?

All families are different but share some common characteristics. Can you name those?

I’m a full-time mom, wife & housewife. But I’d like to work. How can I combine work and family life so that there’s enough time for everything?

Our son has taken up a habit of playing computer games after midnight, like I usually do. But he mustn’t. How should we explain it to him?

My friends want me to dye my hair red, but my mom won’t let me do that. If I had kids, they’d be absolutely free to do what they want. This’d be right, wouldn’t it?

Our mom and dad never punish us for anything we do. But Mrs. Granger, my teacher, says “if parents want to raise a well-behaved child, they should punish him for misbehaviour”.

Who is right?

Task 3. Use the cluster diagram in Appendix 1 to brainstorm the ideas related to the topic of “Marriage, Family and the Home”. Compare your ideas with the group.

Unit 1. What is a family?

1.1. Word families

Task 1. Study the words and expressions in bold. Look their meanings up in a dictionary. Then complete the sentences with one of the words or expressions.

1. Marriage – wedding – matrimony

   1. They were joined together in holy matrimony

   2. City Hall keeps a record of all the births, deaths and marriages in the county.

   3. After the wedding the bride and groom went straight to the airport for their flight to Fiji.

2. Arranged marriage – mixed marriage – loveless marriage – marriage of convenience – troubled marriage

1. The novel told a story of an empty and troubled marriage, with dreams shattered and hope vanquished.

2. They never managed to feel happy in their loveless marriage.

3. It had been an arranged marriage of money to brains, and they had always argued about who represented which.

4. This was a highly effective marriage of convenience

5. Mixed marriages are becoming more and more commonplace all over the world.

3. Husband – wife – man and wife – spouse – partner

1. Members of the class usually find marriage spouse of the same class.

2. Mom burst into tears as the priest pronounced us man and wife

3. You may choose to pay income tax jointly or separately from your partner

4. Gary is her second husband while Mary is his first wife

4. Single – engaged – newlywed – married – divorced – widowed

1. We are getting married next month.

2. You’ll be glad to hear that Ralph and I, with my father’s consent are engaged to be married.

3. Jeff is 38 years old and still single

4. She’s been widowed for 10 years since her husband was killed in an accident.

5. More than 80% of divorced men, and 75% of divorced women, go on to remarry.

6. Everyone left at about midnight, leaving the newlywed couple alone at last.