Family Structures That Exist In Today's Society

Submitted By lisahex77
Words: 2056
Pages: 9
Open Document
Questions on assignment eight
1. Discuss three different family structures that exist in today’s society.

In today’s society, children live in a variety of family structures. The image of a `normal` family as being children with two parents married to each other is no longer true. In 2007 it was estimated that around 40 per cent of marriages end in divorce, affecting some 140,000 children a year.
It is important that early years practitioners understand that there are many different types of family structure in which children grow up. Most family structures are able to provide the main ingredients for good parenting: love, consistency and physical care.

Nuclear families
This is the family structure that is often portrayed as `normal` by the media. Parents and their own children live together, with parents having most of the responsibility for caring for their children. Some contact with grandparents and other relatives may talk place, although many nuclear families live in a different town from their relatives.

Nomadic families
Some families may live by travelling from one place to another. There are two main types of travelling families: gypsies and new age travellers.

Gypsies are now recognised by European law as being an ethnic minority and as such are protected from discrimination. They have their own language and cultural identity, and generally travel as extended families.
New age travellers are often groups of younger people who wish to find and alternative way of living.

Both groups see themselves as separate from society.
Homosexual/lesbian families
Some children live with one natural parent and a same- sex step-parent. Fears among the general public that this structure could influence a child’s future sexual identity have not been proven.

2. Outline four factors that can put pressure one family.

While most families provide fantastic care and support for the children, sometimes families can come under pressure.
The way in which parents cope with stress depends on their life circumstances. When parents are under stress they may find it harder to respond to their children’s needs or manage their behaviour. Some stresses that families find them under are short term, such as changing accommodation, while others are long term, for example long-term illness. These may affect the parents’ ability to cope.
Many parents are able to adapt to changes in their lives and will use their friends and families for support. Other parents may not have a strong network, for example they may have recently moved to a new area. Early year’s practitioners need to understand the pressures families can face as they may need to support such families, either by offering a friendly ear or by providing information about services.
Common factors affecting families are:
Financial difficulties
Some families may live on a low income. This might mean they cannot afford to clothe and feed their children as they would wish. Studies that have looked at families on low income have established a link between poverty, poor health and depression. Living on a low income will also affect the type of housing that is available. Parents may find themselves living in cramped temporary accommodation which is unsuitable for children and makes it harder for them to cope.

Unemployment
When parents lose their job, they not only lose their income but can feel that they have failed in some way. Tensions between parents can be heightened as a result of one or more parents being unemployed.
Divorce and separation
Parents who are recently separated from their partner often find it difficult to manage on lower income as well as cope with their own feelings. The situation is often made worse because children’s behaviour alters as they react to the change in circumstances.

Bereavement
Parents can be put under great emotional strain if they suffer the bereavement of a friend of close family member, particularly the death of a child or partner. They may find it
Show More

Related Documents: Family Structures That Exist In Today's Society

Essay about Syllabus: Communication and Discussion Questions

Communication. Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. Participation and Discussion Questions Participate in class discussion. Respond to two discussion questions. Post a weekly summary on Sunday or Monday. Be sure to thoroughly answer the discussion question, and respond to other student’s posts. You are required to be active in the classroom on a minimum of three days with eight “S” posts each week. Active means, a minimum of one substantive (S) post on that given day. You…

Words 2536 - Pages 11

Mat116 Course Syllabus Essay

- MAT 116 Algebra 1A Version 5 12/15/07 MAT 116 MAT 116 Algebra 1A Program Council The Academic Program Councils for each college oversee the design and development of all University of Phoenix curricula. Council members include full-time and practitioner faculty members who have extensive experience in this discipline. Teams of full-time and practitioner faculty content experts are assembled under the direction of these Councils to create specific courses within the academic program. Copyright…

Words 4379 - Pages 18

Essay On Analysis Methods

My learning experiences during the eight weeks class section has been quite versed, as we dealt with different topics, assignment and discussions that range from PICOT question development to DNP project dissemination. Although these topics were quite extensive in their contents, I was able to meet the objectives of the course…

Words 629 - Pages 3

Principles Of Macroeconomics

materials. Individual Forum: You will see one forum with your name on it. This is a private forum, shared only by you and me, the facilitator. Your classmates will not have access to this forum. You can ask questions here. However, if you have general questions about instructions of assignments, please post those in the Main forum, since other students may benefit by that exchange as well. Course Topics & Objectives Week One: Principles of Economics and Supply and Demand  Explain the effects…

Words 3485 - Pages 14

Eyewitness Testimony

Hayne, in their study they examined court transcripts of cross-examination regarding the complaints of sexual abuse in children ranging from the ages of 5-13 years. The children in this study easily complied with the questions that were asked and didn’t ask for said questions to be explained further. The results were that over 75% of the children either changed one aspect of the evidence or retracted the allegations all together. In another study by Zajac and Haynes, children 5-6…

Words 1775 - Pages 8

Interviews assignment on Adult Education Essay

The purpose of this assignment was to get a better understanding on what the average person thinks of the term Adult Education. I randomly selected eight people to interview outside a mall. I started by asking them if they had time to answer a few questions for a research paper I was conducting on Adult Education. I then commenced my interview with the following questions 1. What do you think of when you hear the words, Adult Education 2. Why do most people attend Adult Education 3. Where is…

Words 1138 - Pages 5

Ghost In The Park Essay

Summer Reading Lists and Assignments 2012 Campbell County High School What follows are the expectations for students who will be attending CCHS for the 2012-2013 school year. ALL English classes grades 9 - 12 require summer reading. Below you will find the lists for 9th grade. During the summer, students are expected to complete the reading in addition to the following assignment. As the first day of school is Wednesday, August 15th, next year, it is the expectation that by Monday, August…

Words 1425 - Pages 6

Tree ID Essay example

Late submissions of any assignment will be penalized by 1% per day late. After five (5) days, work will not be graded. If you anticipate a problem, please speak to the professor BEFORE the work is due. All projects and assignments MUST be handed in IN CLASS. Email assignments will only be accepted in extraordinary circumstances, and must be approved by the professor. Assignments: 1. Group Assignment: The major project for this course is a group assignment, the purpose of which is to give…

Words 1687 - Pages 7

What Is Andrew Stadnicki's Five Required Competencies

more than eight months. He has exceeded the expectation performance in his position and the job description. The five required competencies for the position that Andrew have would be communication proficiency, project management, coordination, customer and personal service, and clerical skills. Andrew has demonstrated excellent written communication skills among with co-workers through email and instant messaging. He would not leave any questions unanswered, he would ask every questions as needed…

Words 422 - Pages 2

A Note On Math Inequality And Inequalities

“Solving and Graphing One­Step Inequalities” assignments under “My Teacher Assignments”. There is one addition/subtraction assignment and one multiplication/division assignment. Show all work in math notebook. Option 1: iXL First: Label a new page in your notebook “Inequalities Practice” Then: Go to ixl and login using username password campbell45 Complete : P.22 Inequalities on number lines ­ You must complete a minimum of 40 questions. You will need to take a screenshot/picture of the screen…

Words 684 - Pages 3