The Functions of the Family

The family is sometimes described as the backbone of society. The family is the first and most important agent in the socialization process. The personalities of each new generation are shaped within the family, so that, ideally, children grow to be well-integrated and contributing members of a larger society. In industrial societies, of course, peer groups, schools, churches, and the mass media are also important in the socialization of children. But this remains the primary function of the family. The family also contributes to the continuing socialization of people throughout their life cycle. Adults learn and change within marriage, and as anyone with children knows, parents are influenced by their children just as their children learn from them.

Regulation of Sexual Activity. Every culture places some restrictions on sexual behaviour. Sexual intercourse is a personal matter of those involved, but is the basis of human reproduction and inheritance; it is also a matter of considerable social importance.

All societies enforce some type of incest taboo — cultural norms that forbid sexual relations or marriage between certain kin. Exactly which kin are subject to the incest taboo is culturally variable. Most Americans consider sexual relations with a parent, grandparent, sibling, aunt, or uncle to be both immoral and unnatural.

But such sexual relations have been condoned — or even encouraged — in some cultures. Brother-sister marriages, for example, were common among the ancient Egyptian, Inca, and Hawaiian nobility; and male nobles of the Azande in eastern Africa are reported to marry their daughters. Some societies forbid sexual relations with cousins, while others do not; in the American society, Catholic religious beliefs prohibit marriage between first cousins, while Jewish religious beliefs do not. Further, about as many states prohibit this practice as many ones allow it. These examples suggest the extent to which the incest taboo is subject to cultural variation.

The significance of the incest taboo is primarily social rather than biological. Contrary to common assumptions, children that result from sexual activity between close relatives rarely have mental or physical abnormalities. Socially speaking, incest taboos serve to minimize sexual competition within families. Incest taboos also encourage marriage outside the family; such alliances provide economic and political advantages to particular families, as well as strengthening social ties among members of society as a whole.

Social Placement. From a biological point of view, of course, the family is not necessary for people to have children. Within families, however, children are born not only as biological beings but also as members of society. Many important social statuses — including race, ethnicity, religion, and social class — are ascribed at birth through the family. This explains society's long-standing concern that children should be born of socially sanctioned marriages. Legitimate birth, especially when parents are of similar position, allows for the most orderly transmission of social standing from parents to children and clarifies inheritance rights.

Material and Emotional Security. In ideal terms, the family protects and supports its members physically, emotionally, and often financially from birth until death. The family is usually a person's most important primary group, and family members generally have intense and enduring relationships with one another. This concern for one another's welfare engenders an important sense of self-worth and security in each individual, as suggested by the fact that individuals living in families tend to be healthier than those who live alone.

However, the intense character of family ties also means that families have the ability to undermine the individual's self-confidence, health, and well-being. This fact has become clear as researchers have studied patterns of family violence and, especially, child abuse.

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