Family as Social Institution

For some, single parenthood is just a stage of life rather than a lifelong family form. Many re-partner and form a step family.

Single parent families are at a higher risk of poverty than couple families, as single parenting is likewise associated with an increased risk of a number of negative social, behavioral and emotional outcomes for children.

Psychology and sociology would attest that for a growing child the happiest and most tranquil family situation is the intact primary marriage. Serious parental conflict has bad effects. Studies actually were able to draw the vivid link between the experience of the children of parental violence and juvenile delinquency. This is said to be because of the ensuing lack of emotional attachment of the children to or with their “warring” parents. In fact, it is being observed that the incidence of delinquent behavior is higher in intact homes characterized by a high degree of conflict and neglect than it is in broken homes without conflict.

The lesson here is clear: conflict between parents hurts the children. And in sharp contrast, tranquility and peace in the family and in the marriage help prevent delinquency.

These are marriage in which the partners agree that each may engage in extramarital sexual relationships without being regarded as infidelity. Despite the presupposed agreement, however, jealousy is still a major issue in this set up – similar to the issue of social non-acceptance of open marriages.

Some quarters would make a very strict delineation between polyamorous relationships and swinging relationships.

Step families are families where at least one of the married parents is not the biological parent of all the children. Expectedly, because the main issue that is at stake in this family set up is “territoriality” – that is, there is often “his,” “hers” and “theirs” present – this kind of family is seldom at peace. Conflict is said to result from one set of children having a bad influence on the others, the type of punishment invoked, and/or one particular child receiving too much attention.

Men and women who want to be in an emotionally and/or physically-intimate relationship outside of the sphere of married life are living in. This is done for a good number of reasons: testing their compatibility, establishing financial security before the actual marriage, etc.

These are communities in which resources are shared. In some communes around the world, the concept of family is overextended to include all the members of the community. Naturally, in these communities, exclusivity becomes alien to married and family life.

It is a legal or personal (homosexual) relationship between two individuals living together and sharing a common domestic life. In New Zealand, Oregon and California, domestic partnership is almost taken to mean marriage, or to other legally recognized same-sex or different-sex unions.