Family lifestyle

Functions of the family

One most important function is to provide for the needs of children. These needs include:• Food and drink• Care and training• Shelter• Secure environment in which they can

develop into adults• Warmth and clothing

• Love and companionship• Boundaries for behaviour• Protection and support• Encouragement with their education

Factors that have brought about change

• Laws• Education• Labour-saving devices• State benefits• Contraception• Divorce

ROLES

• A ROLE includes the duties, responsibilities, rights and behaviour attached to a position an individual holds.

• May be governed by tradition or a set of rules, or it may not be clearly defined and may change over time.

Traditional Roles

• Roles of husband and wife were distinct.• Husband was ‘breadwinner’ and decision

maker.• Wife cared for her home, husband and

children

Shared Roles

• Roles of mother and father are not distinct.• Each parent may have a job and contribute to

family finances.• Household jobs and child care might be

shared.

Role Reversal

• Father cares for the home and the children while the mother earns the money.

Role of children

• To be seen and not heard• Respect their elders• Do as they were told

How children develop male and female roles

is due two main reasons.

1. Physical factors, which make them more suited to certain activities; for example, men usually have muscles and greater strength, and women bear children.

2. The encouragement or discouragement of distinct male and female roles in childhood by:• The expectations of adults• Toys – dolls for girls/trucks for boys• Clothes – pink for girls/blue for boys• The child’s own observations