Family Structure

Family Structure

    Family is where the heart is. This holds true for me in my life as well as other people throughout the country and the world. Likewise, it is also true for the people of Britian. To further understand the British culture, we must look at their family structure and function. We can do this by examining economics, reproduction, socialization, language, and identity function.

A family structure is who the family consists of and how it is organized such as nuclear, blended, extended, single-parent, and more. In England, the main type of family structure is a nuclear family. According to an article by HelpfulProfessor.com, a nuclear family consists of two parents, typically a mother and a father, with one or more children that live together. This is the most common type of family structure and is seen as a traditional family. However, there is also a growing trend of single-parent families in Britian. Family is highly valued in British culture.

               According to an article from Cultural Atlas, marriage sets the stage for these nuclear families. In most cases in England, people will date for a while, move in together and choose to get married. Marriage provides the opportunity to start a family. It is a norm that once people get married, they will have children. There are certain economic impacts as well.

               In an article by easy sociology, they point out that industrialization in the 18th and 19th centuries lead to the nuclear family structure in Britian. This period meant that people had to start working in mines, factories, and other industrial places rather than on the family farm, all working together. Men were seen as the money-makers at this time, supporting the family financially. Women would traditionally stay home and take care of the house and children. However, today women and men both work to support the family.

The nuclear family structure has helped with socialization. Children primary learn socialization through family. The parents can divide and conquer tasks by showing the children how to do tasks, teach social norms and gender roles. Children will also learn language through their parents and conversations that they have. Language will form from where you grew up and how your parents or people around you taught you.

The family setting also ties into how an individual’s identity formation. In the traditional English family, they develop a close-knit connection that leads them towards collectivism rather than individualism. This brings feelings of belonging and bonds. However, it is noted that in another article from easy sociology, the bringing up from a nuclear family can limit a person’s identity exploration. Families instill their religious beliefs, values, and worldview on their children.

Globalization has also affected many British families. From an article published by Revise Sociology, globalization has increased economic growth leading to more childless and single person households. Due to increased migration, there is more ethnic diversity. This also means that there are migrants from various parts of the world that have children with British born people.

The royal family has been a role model for British families. They represent national identity, unity and pride according to Royal UK. They also represent other traits such as stability and the importance of voluntary service. The royal family is also popular with the public. However, there are people who would like to see monarchy go away. In an article from politics.co.uk, they state that the monarchy is undemocratic. They also state that the Church of England favors one religion above another. The cost of the royal family is high, coming from eighty million pounds a year. There are many pros and cons to the monarchy, such as the ones above to take into consideration.

Overall, most British families are nuclear. From the nuclear family standpoint, they can instill values, beliefs, and worldview into the children. Globalization has also brought more diversity and economic growth. The royal family still serves as a role model for British families, but there are some pros and cons to the monarchy. These aspects help shape the worldview and functions of the next generation.

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