Defining Family Membership and the Right to Continuity of Nurturing Relationships

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Discussion3

House Hold and Family5

Family Kinship6

Responsibilities of Kinship Caregivers8

Characteristics of Kinship Caregivers8

Support for Kinship Caregivers and Their Children9

Social demography and Grandparents raising families10

Challenges Faced by Grandparents11

Adaption and Families12

Conclusion13

References15

Defining Family Membership and the Right to Continuity of Nurturing Relationships

Introduction

What is meant by the term family varies across the world, and a range of family types can be identified in various cultures and societies. Definitions of the family emphasize a common identity, coresidence, economic cooperation, reproduction, emotional connectedness, care work, and domestic labor. For some commentators the core of a family is a heterosexual couples who have children that they raise to adulthood—the so-called nuclear family. Other types of families provide a context in which children grow up, and these include single-parent, same-sex, and stepparent families. Solo living and the choice to remain childless do not exclude people from family membership. Families offer more than procreation of the next generation, the nurturing of the young, sick, and old. Familial relationships and networks provide intimacy and support. They can also be the source of tensions and conflict that can, on occasion, lead to abuse, violence, and death. This paper is a critical response paper on articles and studies by different authors and sociologists.

Discussion

Family members engage in activities with each other and often do so in preference to friends, colleagues, or neighbors. They may talk of “our family” and communicate on a regular basis, or for specific events or life stages such as birthdays, religious festivals, illness, and death. The family is the basic unit in which the physical and emotional needs of individuals are addressed. The membership of families constantly changes with births, deaths, and the development or cessation of relationships that offer various forms of sexual, emotional, and economic support. Biological membership, although not critical to family membership, is relevant to medical history and diseases that may be inherited. Recalling family events, including births, marriages, relationship breakups, and deaths, as well as other less momentous shared experiences, evokes a sense of membership. So too do memories of historical and religious events, such as civil conflicts, economic changes, festivals, and rituals (some of which may be highly idiosyncratic and thus contribute to a sense of distinct identity) (Maccio, 2008).

A notable feature of families in the 21st century is the increased legitimacy of varied types of families in many societies. There are fewer stigmas attached to those who live in diverse family arrangements such as single or same-sex parents, or important alternatives to families, for example, a kibbutz or an orphanage. Nevertheless, families are often, but not exclusively, formed around a married or cohabiting adult couple with other members—children or parents—linked through biological descent or adoption. Extended family members such as aunts, uncles, and cousins may not live with, or close to, immediate members and may not see one another on a regular basis, if at all, although in some cultures close residential proximity is the norm. Nevertheless, the sense of a family identity ...