Types of family

The diverse data coming from ethnography, history, law and social statistics, establish that the human family is an institution and not a biological fact founded on the natural relationship of consanguinity. The different types of families occur in a wide variety of settings, and their specific functions and meanings depend largely on their relationship to other social institutions. Although the concept of consanguinity originally referred to relations by "blood," cultural anthropologists 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. Sociologists have a special interest in the function and status of these forms in stratified (especially capitalist) societies.

Conjugal (nuclear) family

The term "nuclear family" is commonly used, especially in the United States, to refer to conjugal families. A "conjugal" family includes only the husband, the wife, and unmarried children who are not of age. Sociologists distinguish between conjugal families (relatively independent of the kindred of the parents and of other families in general) and nuclear families (which maintain relatively close ties with their kindred).

Matrifocal family

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.

Extended family

The term "extended family" is also common, especially in United States. This term has two distinct meanings. First, it serves as a synonym of "consanguinal family" (consanguine means "of the same blood"). Second, in societies dominated by the conjugal family, it refers to "kindred" (an egocentric network of relatives that extends beyond the domestic group) who do not belong to the conjugal family. These types refer to ideal or normative structures found in particular societies. Any society will exhibit some variation in the actual composition and conception of families.

Blended family

The term blended family or stepfamily describes families with mixed parents: one or both parents remarried, bringing children of the former family into the new family. Also in sociology, particularly in the works of social psychologist Michael Lamb, traditional family refers to "a middleclass family with a bread-winning father and a stay-at-home mother, married to each other and raising their biological children," and nontraditional to exceptions from this rule.

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Most of the US households are now non-traditional under this definition.

In terms of communication patterns in families, there are a certain set of beliefs within the family that reflect how its members should communicate and interact. These family communication patterns arise from two underlying sets of beliefs. One being conversation orientation (the degree to which the importance of communication is valued) and two, conformity orientation (the degree to which families should emphasize similarities or differences regarding attitudes, beliefs, and values).

Single parent

Single parenthood can be one of life's biggest challenges. Seemingly overnight, women and men may find themselves assum­ing the responsibilities of raising their children on their own. Although in some ways these new parenting circumstances can be just as satisfying an experience as sharing parenting with a spouse, there are problems unique to single parenthood.

More than one fourth of all children in Kazakhstan live with only one parent. Most single-parent situations result from divorce, but some school-age children have experienced the death of a par­ent. Others may have been adopted by an unmarried individual. Children born to a mother who was never married accounted for 25 percent of all children in single-parent families in 1995. 

Although single parenthood may be a dramatic change from the life you once had or imagined, it can be a workable, rewarding family situation. Particularly when it occurs in the aftermath of a divorce, it may be a more desirable cir­cumstance than the tumultuous marriage that preceded it. Many single par­ents describe the contentment they feel in having put the tension and dissension of their marriage behind them, and in making a new life for them­selves and their children.

Most single mothers work. If they weren't already working before their di­vorce, most enter the workplace during the postdivorce period. Although looking for work and finding a job to support the family can be stressful, most single mothers report that they enjoy the autonomy associated with bringing home a paycheck. In many cases they also enjoy a strong sense of satisfaction from their jobs.

As children see their mothers succeeding in the workplace, they often de­velop more respect for them. The children of working mothers also usually have a broadened view of what women can accomplish in life; not surprisingly, then, girls raised in single-parent households tend to see an expanded range of occupational opportunities for themselves later in life.

Although a single mother's work schedule may reduce the amount of time she spends with her children, those hours together tend to become much more precious for everyone. Single parents often develop closer relationships with their children than do parents in more traditional, two-parent families. Other relationships may become more important, too, such as the children's connections with their uncles, aunts, or grandparents.

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