Evolution of Family Structures: From Kinship to Modern Forms
What is a Family?
A family is a group of people directly linked by kinship ties. Adult members are responsible for the care of children. Kinship ties are established through marriage or by linking genealogical lines of consanguine relatives (mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, etc.).
Marriage and Family Bonds
Marriage is a sexual union between two adults, socially recognized and approved. When two people marry, they become parents, but marriage also binds a broader group of people. Parents, siblings, and other consanguine relatives become relatives by marriage of the spouse.
Nuclear and Extended Families
The nuclear family consists of two adults living together with their own or adopted children. In many traditional societies, the nuclear family belonged to a wider kinship network. An extended family includes the married couple, their children, and other relatives living in the same household or in close contact, such as grandparents, siblings and their spouses, aunts, and nephews.
Monogamy vs. Polygamy
In Western societies, marriage and family are associated with monogamy. It is illegal to be married to more than one person at a time. However, this is not universal. Polygamy allows for multiple spouses, while polyandry (less common) allows a woman to have multiple husbands simultaneously. Fundamentalist Mormons are a well-known group in the West that practices polygamy, mainly in Utah, despite its illegality.
Diverse Family Forms
There are many forms of family life: single-parent families, reconstituted families, etc. It is more accurate to speak of “families” than of a singular “family.”
The Family Throughout History
The nuclear family in pre-modern times was larger than today’s. Children often worked from a young age, and high mortality rates meant families were less durable. Death of spouses or children often broke family relationships.
Lawrence Stone identifies three stages in the evolution of the family from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century:
1. Sixteenth Century: The dominant form was a nuclear family living in small households but maintaining close community ties. Emotional intimacy was not a primary focus, and marriages were often arranged.
2. Seventeenth to Early Eighteenth Century: A transitional phase, mainly among higher social classes. The nuclear family became more distinct, with increasing importance placed on marital and paternal love, although parental authority also increased.
3. Late Eighteenth Century Onward: Gradual evolution towards the modern Western family system. This family is characterized by strong emotional ties, privacy, and a focus on children’s education. Affective individualism and romantic love became central to marriage.
Other authors, like John Boswell, confirm that pre-modern marriages often began with property agreements, continued with parenting, and ended in love, whereas modern marriages often start with love, continue with child-rearing, and may end with property agreements.
Myths of the Traditional Family
Some believe that family life is losing its foundations, comparing modern families to idealized traditional forms. But were past families truly harmonious and peaceful?
The Victorian family, often admired for its discipline and stability, faced high mortality rates and short marriages. Parental authority was strict, and women were often confined to the home. For poorer families, long working hours left little time for family life, and child labor was widespread. The Victorian family was not the ideal it is sometimes portrayed to be.