The Family in Social Context

The dynamic and reciprocal complexities of the social context are clearly evident when we look closely at its most basic unit, the family. Universally, the family context is the primary setting for nurturing children to become competent and contributing members of society and for restoring adults after the stresses of daily work. In what manner, and how well, a given family does this depend on a wide array of factors.

Some of these factors are rooted directly in the specific family setting – from the number and age of children, parents, and other adults in the family to the emotional climate the interactions of these individuals create. Each family relationship (such as that between husband and wife, parent and child, brother and sister, spouse and in-law) affects all the other family members, and all these relationships are mutually influential, affecting everyone involved.

Some of the factors influencing family relationships are less immediate, such as the values of the community regarding gender roles, or the ways in which the structure of the neighborhood institutions might affect family functioning, or the past and current experiences of the grandparents, who, in turn, are influenced by the customs and core beliefs of earlier times. While universally the family is the basic setting for intimacy and growth, the complexity of contexts and histories that affect each family makes the family one of the most varied institutions on earth.

Family as an Institution and its Continuation – Single Parent Families

According to Sernau “Global Problems: The Search for Equity, Peace and Sustainability”, the family, in many ways, is the origin of society and remains the most essential social, economic and political unit, within which individuals experience authority, co-operation and governance. Families teach individuals how to relate to and treat one another and at the same time provide a suitable room for nurturing, development and education. They are truthfully the schools where social and emotional skills are obtained and coined for the rest of the life.

Clearly, families provide a priceless service to society, without families the society could just disappear. In many cases, the families’ contributions to society are ignored. Departing from these grounds, Sernau presents concepts relating to gender inequality and what detrimental effect it might have on the society in general. It is worth mentioning the negative effects of divorce and how it affects the households headed by women, where they are not always officially recognized or accepted as heads of family in a social context.

Therefore, their families may be not entitled to collect certain benefits, such as
access to property and credit rights, which in a long run is an impediment to providing income and nice shelter for the family. In many cases, in one parent families, children get stigmatized by their peers for the absence of their father or mother, thereby enforcing psychological trauma. On my opinion, discrimination against female headed families is destructive and unjust, as females are absolutely capable of providing supporting family environments.

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