Family and Relationships essay

17. Family and Relationships

FAMILY is the basic social group, present in all societies. It should provide companionship and security, love and emotional support.
Different family structures (vary from society to society):

NUCLEAR FAMILY (úplná rodina)
This family includes two adults and their children and it is the main unit in many societies. Advantage is that they have privacy and no one argues with the parents how to raise a child. Disadvantage is that parents have less time for their children so they have to call babysitting or other relatives to come.

EXTENDED FAMILY (široká rodina)
this family includes nuclear family + grandparents and other relatives. They usually live in one house or household and the advantage is that they help each other, they save more money. Disadvantage is that they have almost no privacy and there is never quiet.

SINGLE PARENT FAMILY (jeden rodič)
It’s a result of divorce or unmarried mothers having children or mother of child died so father need to raise a child alone. There is no advantage for anybody to raise the child alone.

STEP FAMILY (nevlastná rodina)
Step family is created by the new marriage of a single parent. There can be problems between the children and step parents they may not like each other or they could be jealous.

UNMARRIED COUPLES (svobodné páry)
Pretty common nowadays a habit is to start a family without getting married. Young people or elderly widowed couples find it economically practical to live together without marriage.

HOMOSEXUAL COUPLES
Homosexuals also live together more often nowadays as it was in the past. They sometimes share their households with the children of one partner or with adopted children.

The family composition in industrial societies has changed dramatically. Couples tend to have less children - averaging 2 (compared to 7 in 1800).
It is partly caused by the continuing changes in women´s roles:
Women have joined the labour force.
Increasing employment and education opportunities of women.
Rising expectations of personal satisfaction through marriage and family.

Some couples choose to postpone having children until their careers are well established or not to have any at all. Childless families may also be the result of the availability of birth control measures (contraception, abortion).

The divorce trend is increasing, partly due to the fact that women are economically more self-supporting and legal grounds for divorce are eased, therefore it´s easier for partners to leave a dissatisfactory relationship.
Causes of split up: unfaithfulness, infertility, interference by in-laws, financial problems, jealousy...

Possible family problems: teenage mothers, abortion, young couples, adoption, generation gap, housing.

Family and Relatives.
Parents are mother and father. Parents take care of children until they grow up.
Grandparents are grandmother and grandfather. They usually help when parents are busy.
Baby is the smallest child, it cannot speak or walk.
Kid is a child
Child is a son (boy) or a daughter (girl)
Children are sons and daughters. (it is plural of child)
Siblings are brothers (boys) and sisters (girls)
Twins are siblings that were born in the same time.
Wedding is a ceremony where two people get married.
Wife is a married woman
Husband is a married man
Divorce is when married people break up. They don’t want to be together.
Single mother is a woman who takes care of her child on her own. She is responsible for all financial, material and emotional needs
Step-parents are step-mother and step-father. They take care of children of their partner.
Step-children Children of one's husband or wife by a previous marriage. They are not bloody related to their step-parents.
Half-brother and half-sister are siblings that have only one parent in common.
Couple is two people in a relationship. Girlfriend and boyfriend or wife and husband.
Partner is one of the couple.
Relatives are all bloody connected people
Aunt is father’s /mother’s sister or uncle’s wife.
Uncle is father’s /mother’s brother or aunt’s husband.
Cousin is aunts’ and uncles’ child.
Fiancée is engaged person going to get married.
Nephew is a son of brother or sister or of one's brother-in-law or sister-in-law.
Niece is a daughter of brother or sister or of one's brother-in-law or sister-in-law.
Relationship is emotional association between people, connection between people.
Adult is fully gown developed person.
Teenager is person aged between 13-19 years