THE FAMILY

The family is a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children,
considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not.
It is the first social group to which an individual is exposed. Family relationships
last a long time & an individuals earliest & longest experience in living takes
place in a family setting.

-While this definition is a good starting point, there are several modern family structures that are
excluded by this definition, such as childless couples or other variations on the family unit.
- It should also be noted that the family is considered a basic social unit because it is within the family
where an individual first develops or shapes morals, values, behavior, and other ways of life before
he/she becomes a member of the other social institutions.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FILIPINO FAMILY

a. The family is closely knit and has strong family ties.
- The Filipinos are known to be family-oriented. We can clearly see the affection and compassion the
members have for each other. This is why a person will put high regards and concerns over the family
before anything else. This is the case of OFWs who pour their blood and sweat working far away from
their families just to provide the best for them.
b. The Filipino family is usually an extended one and therefore, big.
-More often than not, the Filipino family consists of parents, children, and other close relatives, often
living in close proximity.

c. In the Filipino family, kinship ties are extended to include the compadre or
sponsors.
-The Filipino kinship system does not limit to the blood relatives only. It also includes kinship created
by binyag (Baptism) & marriage (as with the compadrazgo system or commonly known as the
comadre-compadre (ninong and ninang system). By this standard we can see that family size is thus
very large among Filipinos.
-It is also a culture that these compadres and comadres will give gifts to their inaanak during
Christmas season.
 d. A great difference exists in the roles of man and woman.
-This is because womens role in the family is typically affiliated to child-rearing and being a
housewife, whiles a mans role is to be the familys breadwinner. Although times have changed,
the difference is still there.

FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY

1.) Reproduction of the race and rearing of the young
2.) Cultural transmission or enculturation
3.) Socialization of the child
4.) Providing affection and sense of security
5.) Providing the environment for personality development and the growth of self-
concept in relation to others
6.) Providing social status

DIFFERENT FAMILY PATTERNS

a. STRUCTURE
Conjugal or nuclear family (wife, husband, and children)

Consanguine or extended family (nuclear family, in-laws, uncles,

aunts, cousins and grandparents)
 -This one reflects more the Filipino attitude towards family, a clannish
tendency.

b. TERMS OF MARRIAGE
Monogamy (one woman/man is married to only one man/woman)
-The typical Filipino marriage follows the monogamy system.

Polyandry
Polygyny

Cenogamy (two or more men mate with two or more women in group
marriage)

c. DESCENT
Patrilineal

Both males and females belong to their father's kin group but not their
mother's. However, only males pass on their family identity to their
children. A woman's children are members of her husband's patrilineal
line. The red people in the diagram below are related to each other
patrilineally. The triangles represent males and circles are females.

Matrilineal
The form of unilineal descent that follows a female line. When using this
pattern, individuals are relatives if they can trace descent through
females to the same female ancestor. While both male and female
children are members of their mother's matrilineal descent group, only
 daughters can pass on the family line to their offspring. The green
people below are related to each other matrilineally. The triangles
represent males and circles are females.

Bilineal [lineage (pagkakamag-anak) is recognized through both the

fathers and mothers line]

d. RESIDENCE
Patrilocal (newly married couple lives with the parents of the husband)
Matrilocal (newly married couple lives with the parents of the wife)
Neolocal (newly married couple lives in a separate household and by
themselves)

e. AUTHORITY
Patriarchal (the father is the head of the household)
Matriarchal (the mother is the head of the household)
Equalitarian (the father and mother is equal in authority)
 ED1
Major Social Institutions: FAMILY

SUBMITTED TO:
Mrs. Concordia Dequitos
Instructor

SUBMITTED BY:
Jaika C. Adalid
BSED II- English
MWF 5:30-6:30 PM