👪 Parents and children
Parents are expected to feed, clothe, protect and educate their children, and to teach them how to behave. As children grow, they are expected to respect their parents, help at home and listen to guidance.
Life and Death: Key Ideas » Family Life: Types of Family, Roles and Responsibilities
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 1, 2.7
- Why family life matters and what responsibilities family members have
- The rights of children and four types of family
- What happens when family life breaks down, and how people can help
- Religious and non-religious views of the family
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Unlock This CourseWhy family life matters
For most people, the family is the first group they belong to. A family gives care (food, a home, comfort when you are ill), security (people who will not give up on you) and a place where children are brought up. It is also where children first learn right and wrong, and where values are passed on. In religious families, this includes the faith itself: children learn the prayers, stories and festivals of their religion at home.
Many religions teach that family life is important because it is part of how people are meant to live together. Some believers see the family as a gift from God. Non-religious people value it too, for the love and support it gives.
Key terms:
- Family: a group of people connected by birth, marriage, adoption or deep commitment who care for one another.
- Responsibility: a duty to look after someone or something.
- Generation: all the people of about the same age in a family, such as grandparents, parents and children.
Responsibilities within the family
Family life works because everyone has duties, including duties between different generations.
👵 Caring for older relatives
When grandparents or other older relatives become frail, adult children often help with shopping, visits, meals or personal care. Many religions teach that looking after elderly parents is a duty, and many families do it out of love.
Responsibilities go both ways. Grandparents often help with childcare, and teenagers may look after younger brothers and sisters.
The rights of children
Children have rights as well as duties. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (agreed in 1989) is an international agreement about how children should be treated. In outline, it says that every child has the right to:
- Protection from harm, cruelty and neglect.
- Education.
- A say in decisions that affect them, with their views taken seriously as they grow older.
Some religious people stress that children should respect and obey their parents. Others stress that parents must also respect the child. Most agree that children should be loved and kept safe.
The changing nature of family life
Families today take many forms. You need to know these four:
- Nuclear family: two parents and their children living together.
- Extended family: a household or close network that includes other relatives, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
- Single-parent family: one parent bringing up a child or children on their own.
- Reconstituted (blended) family: a family formed when parents who have had earlier relationships join together, bringing children from earlier relationships, and sometimes having more children together.
There are also families with two parents of the same sex. People often live in a mixture of these forms during their lives, and children are brought up, and home educated, in every one of them.
The roles of men and women have changed too. In the past, the father was often the one who went out to earn money, while the mother stayed home with the children. Today both parents often work, and both share cooking, cleaning and childcare. Some religious groups believe men and women have different God-given roles in the family. Others believe the roles should be shared equally.
Attitudes differ. Some religious people believe the traditional two-parent family is the best setting for children. Others, including many religious people, accept all kinds of families as long as children are loved and cared for.
Common mistakes
- Saying a single-parent family is always an unhappy family. Many are loving and stable. Explain the different views instead.
- Mixing up extended and reconstituted. Extended means more relatives; reconstituted means new partners and step-relatives.
- Writing only about one religion's views. Say that views vary, even within one religion.
When family life breaks down
Family life can break down through divorce, conflict, abuse, illness, money worries or the death of a parent. (How the couple themselves are affected is covered in the lesson on Divorce, Remarriage and Marriage Breakdown.) Others are affected too:
- Children may feel upset, angry or insecure, may have to move home, and may struggle with loyalty to both parents.
- Grandparents and wider family may see less of the grandchildren, or have to take on extra childcare.
- Religious communities may find some members feel judged or leave, and may need to offer support.
- Society may face higher costs, such as housing, benefits and support services, and more children needing extra help.
Sustaining family life
🏠 Religious communities
They can offer family worship and activities, welcome children, mark rites of passage (special ceremonies at key points in life, such as naming, coming of age and marriage), run parenting groups and give counselling or practical help.
🤝 Society and the state
Society can provide parenting classes, counselling, financial help, childcare, and support from charities and local services, to help families stay together and children be brought up well.
Non-religious views of the family
Humanists and other non-religious people see the family as very important, but they do not think any one form is the right one. For a humanist, what matters is love, care and commitment, not whether a family is nuclear, single-parent or any other type. They also believe children should be helped to think for themselves and make up their own minds about beliefs.
Exam-style question
(a) Identify three types of family. [3 marks] (Paper 1, AO1)
(b) Outline two responsibilities within a family. [4 marks] (Paper 1, AO1)
(c) Explain why some people think family life is important. [6 marks] (Paper 1, AO1 and AO2)
(d) 'Children are better off in a family with two parents.' Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks] (Paper 1, AO1 and AO2)
Model answer
(a) 1. Nuclear family (1) 2. Extended family (1) 3. Single-parent family (1)
(b) Parents must look after their children's needs, such as food, safety and education (1), because children cannot look after themselves (1). Adult children may care for elderly parents (1), for example by visiting or helping with daily tasks when they become frail (1).
(c) Family life gives care and security. Children who are loved and fed grow up feeling safe, and adults get support in hard times. It is also where children are brought up and learn values, such as honesty and respect, so the family helps shape the kind of person they become. In religious families, parents also pass on their faith, teaching prayers and taking children to worship, so family life keeps the religion alive for the next generation. Some believers think the family is part of God's plan for human beings, which makes it sacred. Finally, non-religious people value family because love and commitment make people happier and society stronger. (Full marks: several developed reasons with correct terms.)
(d) Plan. For: two parents can share the work and money, give more time and attention, and offer two role models. Some religious people teach that a married mother and father is the ideal setting for children. Against: love and care matter more than numbers. Many single-parent and reconstituted families bring up happy children, and a loving single parent can do better than two parents who are always arguing. Many religious people accept all families, and humanists say the form does not matter. Extended families can also share the work. Conclusion (example): two parents can help, but children do best where they are loved and safe, whatever the family type. In your own answer, add the teachings of your own religion here, and compare them with another view.
Exam tip
In the 12-mark question, do not just list family types. Weigh up the statement: say which key word (such as better) is hardest to prove, and give a reason for your final judgement.