Main questions

TOPIC 6. DISADVANTAGED FAMILIES AS AN ENVIRONMENT FOR VICTIMIZATION OF A CHILD'S PERSONALITY. SOCIAL ORPHANITY AS A VICTIMOLOGICAL PROBLEM

1. Social status family and its functions. Components social adaptation families.

2. The concept of “dysfunctional family”, its main characteristics. Typology of dysfunctional families.

3. The concept of social orphanhood, its extent of distribution in modern Belarusian society.

4. Factors and causes of social orphanhood in the Republic of Belarus.

5. Problems of adaptation and socialization of adopted children in a new family.

6. Post-boarding support and adaptation of orphans as a condition for their successful socialization.

1. Khramtsova, F.I. Asocial family as an object of social and pedagogical work / F.I. Khramtsova, A.M. Smolskaya // Social-pedagogical work. – 2008. – No. 5. – P. 24–27.

2. Rutkovskaya, G.I. Professional work with the family as a factor in its preservation and improvement emotional state child / G.I. Rutkovskaya // Social pedagogical work. – 2007. – No. 11. – P. 23–27.

3. Social pedagogy: course of lectures / M.A. Galaguzova [and others]; under general ed. M.A. Galaguzova. – M.: VLADOS, 2000. – P. 166–211.

4. Social work: theory and organization: a manual for university students / P.P. Ukrainian [etc.]; edited by P.P. Ukrainian, S.V. Lapina. – 2nd ed. – Minsk: TetraSystems, 2007. – pp. 90–97.

5. Shakurova, M.V. Methods and technology of work of a social teacher: textbook. allowance / M.V. Shakurova. – 2nd ed. – M.: Academy, 2004. – P. 84–88.

In the modern changing world, it is society, its culture, customs and traditions, features family education become objective (social) factors of victimization, containing characteristics and traits whose influence can make a person a victim.

Among the objective factors of victimization, family has a special place. It plays a vital role in the socialization of the individual. The uniqueness of the family’s position lies in the fact that it acts as an institution, a microfactor, an agent of socialization, and also combines the actions of traditional and institutional mechanisms of socialization (I.S. Kon, M.G. Andreeva, etc.).

In pedagogy, there are various classifications of family functions. Let's consider one of the classifications of family functions, relating, first of all, to the upbringing and development of children:

· reproductive function– due to the need to continue the human race;

· economic and economic-household functions associated with ensuring the material standard of living of the family, organizing everyday life and household management;

· primary socialization function is manifested in the fact that the family, being the most important factor of social influence, a specific social microenvironment, has an overall impact on the physical, mental and social development child;

· educational function is due to the influence of the entire atmosphere and microclimate of the family on the formation of the child’s personality. The educational influence is determined by the nature of the parents’ relationship with their children, the conscious care of the elders for the younger ones, the nature of the demands placed on the child and reasonable guardianship, the personal example of the parents;

· recreational and psychotherapeutic functions, the purpose of which is to provide the child with psychological protection,
in creating a situation of complete acceptance of the child.

Of all the problems facing modern family, for a social teacher the most important problem is social adaptation families into society, since the success of resolving this problem determines whether it will become a factor in the victimization of the child’s personality or a prosperous environment for his socialization. The main characteristic of a family in the process of social adaptation is its social status.

Social status is a combination individual characteristics of family members with their structural And functional parameters. At the same time, among the individual characteristics of family members, socio-demographic, physiological, psychological, pathological habits of adults and developmental characteristics of the child (age, interests, abilities, behavioral deviations, pathological habits, speech and mental disorders, level of intellectual, mental and physical development in accordance with the child’s age, success of communication and learning, etc.).

Structural characteristics of the family include information about the presence of marriage partners (complete, formally complete, incomplete),
about the stages of the family life cycle (young, mature, elderly), the order of marriage (primary, repeated), the number of generations in the family (one or several), the number of children (one child, few children, many children). The listed characteristics of the family contain both its resource capabilities (material, educational, etc.) and potential factors of social risk and victimization of children.

As an analysis of socio-pedagogical practice shows, there are four types of family social status: socio-economic, socio-psychological, socio-cultural, situational-role. The presented types of statuses characterize a family in a certain time period in the process of its social adaptation.

Social status is a combination of the individual characteristics of family members with its structural and functional parameters. At the same time, among the individual characteristics of family members, socio-demographic, physiological, psychological, pathological habits of adults and developmental characteristics of the child (age, interests, abilities, behavioral deviations, pathological habits, speech and mental disorders, level of intellectual, mental and physical development) should be mentioned. in accordance with the child’s age, success of communication and learning, etc.).

Scientists have shown that a family can have at least 4 statuses:

• - socio-economic,
• - socio-psychological
• - sociocultural,
• - situational role-playing.

Family structural characteristics:

• * presence of marriage partners (full-time, formally full-time, incomplete);
• * stage of the family life cycle (young, mature, elderly);
• * procedure for marriage (primary, repeated);
• * number of generations in the family (one or several generations);
• * number of children (large, small).

Social status of the family as a criterion for classifying families

A modern monogamous family can have several types, which differ from each other according to certain criteria:

• 1. According to the kinship structure, a family can be nuclear (married couple with children) and extended (married couple with children and any of the husband’s or wife’s relatives living with them in the same household).
• 2. By the number of children: childless (infertile), one-child, small, large family.
• 3. By structure: with one married couple with or without children; with one married couple with or without children, with one of the spouses’ parents and other relatives; with two or more married couples with or without children, with or without one of the spouses’ parents and other relatives; with mother (father) with children; with mother (father) with children, with one of the parents and other relatives; other families.
• 4. By composition: single-parent family, separate, simple (nuclear), complex (family of several generations), large family.
• 5. Geographically: urban, rural, remote family (living in hard-to-reach areas and in the Far North).
• 6. By homogeneity of social composition: socially homogeneous (homogeneous) families (have a similar level of education and character professional activity spouses); heterogeneous (heterogeneous) families: unite people of different levels of education and professional orientation.
• 7. According to family history: newlyweds; a young family expecting a child; family of middle married age; older marital age; elderly couples.
• 8. Based on the type of leading needs, the satisfaction of which determines the characteristics of the social behavior of members of a family group, families with a “physiological” or “naive consumer” type of consumption (mainly food-oriented); families with an “intellectual” type of consumption.
• 9. By the nature of leisure activities: open families (focused on communication and the cultural industry) and closed (focused on intra-family leisure).
• 10. By the nature of the distribution of household responsibilities: families are traditional (responsibilities are mainly performed by the woman) and collectivist (responsibilities are performed jointly or in turns).

Basic functions of the family

The role of the family in society is incomparable in its strength to any other social institutions, since it is in the family that a person’s personality is formed and developed, mastery of it takes place social roles necessary for painless adaptation of the child in society. The family acts as the first educational institution, with which a person feels a connection throughout his life.

It is in the family that the foundations of a person’s morality are laid, norms of behavior are formed, and the inner world and individual qualities of a person are revealed. The family contributes not only to the formation of personality, but also to a person’s self-affirmation, stimulates his social and creative activity, and reveals his individuality.

Statistics show that the transition to a market economic system had a very painful impact on the state of the family as a social institution. Demographers record a catastrophic drop in the birth rate, sociologists note an increase in the number of asocial families and predict a decline standard of living, the decline of the moral foundations of family education.

Throughout the centuries, families have felt the need to receive support in raising their children. History shows that when people lived large families, then the necessary knowledge and skills of family life were passed on from generation to generation naturally and routinely. In modern industrial society, when family ties between generations are broken, the transfer of necessary knowledge about forming a family and raising children becomes one of the important concerns of society.

The deeper the gap between generations, the greater the need for parents to receive qualified assistance in raising their children. Currently, the need for professional psychologists to help parents in raising children is becoming increasingly clear. social workers, social educators and other specialists. Research shows that not only dysfunctional families, but also quite prosperous families need consultations from these specialists.

The current situation in which our society finds itself has required the search for a new model of social education of the individual in an open social environment, which is carried out today not only by parents, but also by their assistants - social educators, educators, teachers, and the public.

There are several definitions of family. Firstly, a family is a small social group based on marriage and (or) consanguinity, the members of which are united by living together and running a household, emotional connection and mutual responsibilities towards each other.

Secondly, a family is a social institution characterized by a stable form of relationships between people, within which the main part is carried out Everyday life of people: sexual relations, childbirth and primary socialization of children, a significant part of household care, educational and medical care, etc.

Family and marriage relations can be traced in the history of mankind from quite early eras. Already in the Neolithic (15-20 thousand years ago), which dates back to the appearance of Homo sapiens, there were stable communities of people based on a natural gender and age division of functions, jointly running a household and raising children.

At the deepest basis of the family are physiological needs, which in the animal world are called the reproductive instinct. But in addition to the biological laws that manifest themselves in the life of the family, there are also social laws, since the family is a social formation that has its own traditions and specifics in each specific historical type of society.

With all the differences in family relationships recorded in history, there is something common that unites all families. This is a family way of life in which humanity has found the only opportunity to exist, expressing its socio-biological nature.

Scientists identify various functions of the family. We will focus on those that relate, first of all, to the upbringing and development of a child.

Reproductive function(from Latin productjo - self-reproduction, reproduction, production of offspring) is due to the need to continue the human race.

The demographic situation in Russia today is such that the mortality rate exceeds the birth rate. IN last years There is a trend towards an increase in the proportion of families consisting of 2–3 people. Children, according to such families, are possible restrictions on the freedom of parents: in education, work, advanced training, and the realization of their abilities.

Unfortunately, the attitude towards childlessness is not only present, it is increasingly spreading to spouses of childbearing age. This is due to growing material and economic difficulties, a spiritual and material crisis, as a result of which prestigious things (a car, a purebred dog, a villa, etc.) become a priority in the value system, and other reasons.

A number of factors can be identified that are responsible for the reduction in family size: a drop in the birth rate; a tendency to separate young families from their parents; an increase in the proportion of single-parent families in the population as a result of an increase in divorces, widowhood, and the birth of children by single mothers; quality of public health and level of healthcare development in the country. According to experts, 10–15% of the adult population is unable to have children due to poor environmental conditions, immoral lifestyle, illness, poor nutrition, etc.

Economic and household function. Historically, the family has always been the basic economic unit of society. Hunting and arable farming, crafts and trade could exist, since there was always a division of functions in the family. Traditionally, women ran the household, men did crafts. In the age of the scientific and technological revolution, many aspects of people's lives associated with everyday services - cooking, washing, cleaning, tailoring, etc. - were partially transferred to the sphere of household services.

The economic function was associated with the accumulation of wealth for family members: dowry for the bride, bride price for the groom, things to be inherited, insurance for a wedding, for the day of majority, accumulation of funds.

The socio-economic changes taking place in our society are once again activating the economic function of the family in matters of accumulation of property, acquisition of property, privatization of housing, inheritance, etc.

Function of primary socialization. It is due to the fact that the family is first and foremost social group, which actively influences the formation of the child’s personality. In a family, natural-biological and social connections of parents and children are intertwined. These connections are very important, because they determine the characteristics of mental development and the primary socialization of children in reality. early stage their development.

Being one of important factors social influence, specific social microenvironment, the family has an overall influence on the physical, mental and social development of the child. The role of the family is to gradually introduce the child into society so that his development is consistent with the nature of the child and the culture of the country where he was born.

Teaching a child the social experience that humanity has accumulated, the culture of the country where he was born and growing up, its moral standards, and the traditions of the people is the direct function of parents.

Educational function. Raising a child in a family plays an important role in the process of primary socialization, so we will highlight this function separately. Parents were and remain the child's first educators.

Raising a child in a family is a complex social and pedagogical process. It includes the influence of the entire atmosphere and microclimate of the family on the formation of the child’s personality. The possibility of educational influence on a child is already inherent in the very nature of the relationship of parents to children, the essence of which lies in reasonable guardianship, the conscious care of elders for the younger. Father and mother show care, attention, affection to their child, protect them from life’s adversities and difficulties. There are different nature of the requirements of parents and features of the relationship between parents and children.

The demands of parents are realized in their conscious educational activities with the help of conviction, a certain lifestyle and activity of the child, etc. The personal example of parents is the most important means influence on the child's upbringing. Its educational value is based on the inherent children's age tendency to imitate. Without sufficient knowledge and experience, the child copies adults and imitates their actions. The nature of the parents’ relationship, the degree of their mutual consent, attention, sensitivity and respect, ways of solving various problems, tone and nature of conversations - all this is perceived by the child and becomes a model for his own behavior.

The child’s direct experience acquired in the family, in younger age sometimes becomes the only criterion of a child’s attitude towards the world around him and people.

True, even in a family environment, upbringing can be deformed, when the parents are sick, lead an immoral lifestyle, do not have pedagogical culture etc. Of course, the family influences the development of the personality of children not just by the very fact that there is a family, but by a favorable moral and psychological climate, healthy relationships between its members.

Recreational and psychotherapeutic function. Its meaning is that the family should be a niche where a person could feel absolutely protected, be absolutely accepted, despite his status, appearance, life successes, financial situation, etc.

The expression “my home is my castle” well expresses the idea that a healthy, non-conflict family is the most reliable support, the best refuge, where you can at least temporarily hide from all the worries of the outside world, relax and restore your strength.

The traditional model, when a wife met her husband at the hearth, meekly enduring all the insults and irritation of her master, is becoming a thing of the past. The vast majority of women today also work and also bring a load of fatigue into their homes. Observations show that strength is most fully restored in a family environment, in communication with loved ones and children. Joint recreation with children is a factor that has a beneficial effect on the strength of the family, which in our conditions has become almost impossible.

Thus, human existence is currently organized in the form of a family lifestyle. Each of the functions can be implemented with greater or less success outside the family, but their totality can only be performed within the family.

Social status of the family and its typology

Of all the problems facing a modern family, the most important for a social educator is the problem of family adaptation in society. The main characteristic of the adaptation process is social status, that is, the state of the family in the process of its adaptation in society.

Consideration of the family as an integral systemic entity in the process of social adaptation involves the analysis of a number of its structural and functional characteristics, as well as analysis individual characteristics family members.

The following structural characteristics of the family are important for a social educator:

¨ presence of marriage partners (full-time, formally full-time, incomplete);

¨ stage of the family life cycle (young, mature, elderly);

¨ procedure for marriage (primary, repeated);

¨ number of generations in the family (one or several generations);

¨ number of children (large, small).

The listed characteristics contain both the resource capabilities of the family (material, educational, etc.) and potential social risk factors. For example, remarriage replenishes lost marital and child-parent ties, but can cause negative trends in the psychological climate of the family and in raising children; the complex composition of the family, on the one hand, creates a more diverse picture of role interactions, which means a wider field for the child’s socialization; on the other hand, in conditions of housing shortages, the forced cohabitation of several generations can cause increased conflict in the family, etc.

In addition to structural and functional characteristics that reflect the state of the family as a whole, the individual characteristics of its members are also important for social and pedagogical activities. These include socio-demographic, physiological, psychological, pathological habits of adult family members, as well as the characteristics of the child: age, level of physical, mental, speech development in accordance with the age of the child; interests, abilities; educational institution which he visits; successful communication and learning; the presence of behavioral deviations, pathological habits, speech and mental disorders.

The combination of the individual characteristics of family members with its structural and functional parameters develops into a complex characteristic - the status of the family. Scientists have shown that a family can have at least 4 statuses: socio-economic, socio-psychological, socio-cultural and situational-role. The listed statuses characterize the state of the family, its position in a certain sphere of life at a specific point in time, that is, they represent a snapshot of a certain state of the family in the continuous process of its adaptation in society. The structure of family social adaptation is presented in the diagram:

The first component of family social adaptation is family financial situation. To assess the material well-being of a family, which consists of monetary and property security, several quantitative and qualitative criteria are needed: the level of family income, its living conditions, the subject environment, as well as the socio-demographic characteristics of its members, which constitute the socio-economic status of the family.

If the level of family income, as well as the quality living conditions below established standards (the subsistence level, etc.), as a result of which the family cannot satisfy the most basic needs for food, clothing, and payment for housing, then such a family is considered poor, its socio-economic status is low.

If the family’s material well-being corresponds to minimum social standards, that is, the family copes with meeting the basic needs of life support, but experiences a shortage of material resources to satisfy leisure, educational and other social needs, then such a family is considered low-income, its socio-economic status is average.

A high level of income and quality of housing conditions (2 or more times higher than social norms), allowing not only to satisfy basic life support needs, but also to enjoy various types services, indicates that the family is financially secure and has a high socio-economic status.

The second component of the family’s social adaptation is its psychological climate - a more or less stable emotional mood that develops as a result of the moods of family members, their emotional experiences, relationships with each other, with other people, with work, with surrounding events.

In order to know and be able to assess the state of the psychological climate of the family, or in other words its socio-psychological status, it is advisable to divide all relationships into separate spheres according to the principle of the subjects involved: marital, child-parent and relationships with the immediate environment.

The following indicators of the state of the psychological climate of the family are distinguished: the degree of emotional comfort, the level of anxiety, the degree of mutual understanding, respect, support, assistance, empathy and mutual influence; place of leisure (within or outside the family), openness of the family in relationships with its immediate environment.

Relationships built on the principles of equality and cooperation, respect for individual rights, characterized by mutual affection, emotional closeness, and satisfaction of each family member with the quality of these relationships are considered favorable; in this case, the socio-psychological status of the family is assessed as high.

An unfavorable psychological climate in a family is when there are chronic difficulties and conflicts in one or more areas of family relationships; family members experience constant anxiety and emotional discomfort; alienation prevails in relationships. All this prevents the family from fulfilling one of its main functions - psychotherapeutic, i.e. relieving stress and fatigue, replenishing physical and mental strength every family member. In this situation, the socio-psychological climate is low. Moreover, unfavorable relationships can transform into crises, characterized by complete misunderstanding, hostility towards each other, outbreaks of violence (mental, physical, sexual), and a desire to break the ties that bind. Examples crisis relations: divorce, child running away from home, termination of relations with relatives.

The intermediate state of the family, when unfavorable trends are still weakly expressed and are not chronic, is regarded as satisfactory; in this case, the socio-psychological status of the family is considered average.

The third component of the structure of family social adaptation is sociocultural adaptation. When determining the general culture of a family, it is necessary to take into account the level of education of its adult members, since it is recognized as one of the determining factors in raising children, as well as the immediate everyday and behavioral culture of family members.

The level of family culture is considered high if the family copes with the role of guardian of customs and traditions (preserved family holidays, oral folk art is supported); has a wide range of interests and developed spiritual needs; in the family, life is rationally organized, leisure is varied, and joint forms of leisure and everyday activities predominate; the family is focused on the comprehensive (aesthetic, physical, emotional, labor) education of the child and supports healthy image life.

If the spiritual needs of the family are not developed, the range of interests is limited, life is not organized, there is no cultural, leisure and work activity, moral regulation of the behavior of family members is weak (violent methods of regulation prevail); If the family leads a dysfunctional (unhealthy, immoral) lifestyle, then its level of culture is low.

In the case where the family does not have a full set of characteristics indicating high level culture, but is aware of the gaps in its cultural level and is active in improving it, we can talk about the average sociocultural status of the family.

The state of the psychological climate of the family and its cultural level are indicators that mutually influence each other, since a favorable psychological climate serves as a reliable basis moral education children, their high emotional culture.

The fourth indicator is situational role adaptation, which is associated with the attitude towards the child in the family. In the case of a constructive attitude towards the child, high culture and activity of the family in solving the child’s problems, its situational role status is high; if in the attitude towards the child there is an emphasis on his problems, then - average. In case of ignoring the child’s problems and, especially, a negative attitude towards him, which, as a rule, are combined with low culture and activity of the family, the situational role status is low.

Based on the analysis of the structural and functional characteristics of the family, as well as the individual characteristics of its members, it is possible to determine its structural and functional type and at the same time draw a conclusion about the level of social adaptation of the family in society.

From the existing set of family typologies (psychological, pedagogical, sociological), the following complex typology meets the tasks of a social teacher, which provides for the identification of four categories of families that differ in the level of social adaptation from high to medium, low and extremely low: prosperous families, families at risk, dysfunctional families, asocial families.

Prosperous families successfully cope with their functions, practically do not need the support of a social teacher, since due to adaptive abilities, which are based on material, psychological and other internal resources, they quickly adapt to the needs of their child and successfully solve the problems of his upbringing and development. If problems arise, they only need one-time, one-time assistance within short-term work models.

Families at risk are characterized by the presence of some deviation from the norm, which does not allow them to be defined as prosperous, for example, an incomplete family, low-income family etc., and reducing the adaptive abilities of these families. They cope with the tasks of raising a child with great effort, so the social teacher needs to monitor the state of the family, the maladaptive factors present in it, monitor how they are compensated by other positive characteristics, and, if necessary, offer timely help.

Dysfunctional families Having a low social status in any of the spheres of life or in several at the same time, they cannot cope with the functions assigned to them, their adaptive abilities are significantly reduced, the process of family education of a child proceeds with great difficulties, slowly, and with little results. This type of family requires active and usually long-term support from a social educator. Depending on the nature of the problems, the social teacher provides such families with educational, psychological, and mediation assistance within the framework of long-term forms of work.

Antisocial families– those with whom interaction is most labor-intensive and whose condition requires fundamental changes. In these families, where parents lead an immoral, illegal lifestyle and where living conditions do not meet basic sanitary and hygienic requirements, and, as a rule, no one is involved in raising children, children find themselves neglected, half-starved, retarded in development, and become victims of violence both from parents and other citizens of the same social class. The work of a social teacher with these families should be carried out in close contact with law enforcement agencies, as well as guardianship and trusteeship authorities.

Related information.

The family is a rather complex social entity. Sociologists are accustomed to viewing it as a system of close relationships between individual members of society, who are bound by responsibility, marriage and family relations, social necessity.

What are families?

The problem of adaptation of families in society is extremely acute for sociologists who study this issue. One of the main factors in the socialization of a married couple is the social status of the family.

The main characteristics when considering social status are the material capabilities of those united by marriage, the presence of shared responsibility, and educational obligations. There are also potential risk factors that increase the likelihood of losing acquired status. Thus, the breakdown of marital relationships most often leads to a deterioration in parent-child ties. Remarriage can, to a certain extent, eliminate these negative trends.

Families, the composition of which has a complex structure, create favorable conditions for the formation of a diverse picture of interaction between individuals, which opens up greater opportunities for the socialization of the younger generation. However, highlighting the negative aspects of such a family formation, one can note the presence of discomfort when it is necessary to live together for several generations. Worsens the situation in in this case lack of personal space, space to form an independent opinion.

Functional structure

A common problem in dysfunctional families availability remains unhealthy relationships between a couple or parents and child. Living in dysfunctional, problematic families, children have to look for ways to overcome various psychological difficulties. This often leads to the formation of psychogenic deviations, which later manifest themselves in emotional rejection of the environment and poor development of parental feelings.

Antisocial families

If we talk about the social status of the family, types of statuses, one cannot help but highlight such a common phenomenon as an asocial family. This is where the interaction between individuals is most complex.

Formations in which spouses are inclined to lead a permissive or immoral lifestyle can be called asocial. As for living conditions, in this case they do not meet the basic requirements of hygiene and sanitation. As a rule, raising children is left to chance. The younger generation is often exposed to moral and physical violence, experiences developmental delay.

Most often, this category includes persons who have social status. The main factor that leads to the formation of such a negative environment is low material security.

At-risk groups

In families with normal or prosperous social status, periods of decline often occur, which could potentially lead to a transition to a lower level of socialization. The main risk groups include:

1. Destructive families - typical frequent occurrence conflict situations, lack of desire to form an emotional connection, separative behavior of spouses, the presence of complex conflicts between parents and child.
2. Single-parent families - the absence of one of the parents leads to incorrect self-determination of the child and a decrease in the diversity of family relationships.
3. Rigid families - the dominance of one individual is clearly manifested, which leaves an imprint on family life all related persons.
4. Broken families - maintaining family contacts when spouses live separately. Such relationships leave a strong emotional connection between relatives, but at the same time lead to some loss of parents’ own role.

When studying such an issue as the social status of the family, the types of which have been analyzed in detail by many researchers over the past centuries, one must realize how important the family is as a social institution, what functions it performs in our society. Without understanding what a family is in anthropology and psychology, it is impossible to understand why the state pays so much attention to its social status, and also to strengthening marital relations in the country.

Features of this institute

Family is one of the oldest social institutions. It is difficult to reliably know when it first appeared. It is likely that this group is basically a continuation of relationships common to many animals. After all, not only humans, but also some other species of living beings choose a partner for life. Perhaps man took such a custom with him, evolving into a rational being.

U different nations and civilizations, the cell of society occupied different position and performed various functions. Somewhere she was only a small part of a common family, often without even having her own separate home. But one thing was always the same - it acted as a means of protecting the individual. It was also needed for raising children.

It is the socialization of the younger generation, that is, children, that is the main function that the family has been endowed with from time immemorial to the present day. As practice shows, it is in the family that children best acquire the knowledge, skills and abilities they need to live in society.

This is due to the fact that the main means of understanding the world for a person in the first stages of life is imitation. Watching his parents, the child learns from their example, assimilates what is necessary - from basic actions like walking to complex nonverbal communication, that is, with the help of facial expressions and gestures.

Return to contents

Current state of the institute

In recent years, there has been a tendency to reduce the role of the family in modern society. This is especially noticeable in the example of developed post-industrial countries, where raising children takes a back seat, and the first priority is building your own successful career, for which the family can often be not so much a support as a hindrance. But the family is unlikely to face complete extinction in the coming centuries. Let’s not forget that this trend has not affected all countries of the world, and it is too early to say that this is an established movement.

The family as a social unit of society has a certain legal status.

By Family Code This institution is a voluntary union of a man and a woman. Within the framework of this union, they receive certain property and other rights that persons who have never entered into a marriage cannot have in relation to each other. In recent years, the practice has become widespread in which such an alliance is not formalized in any way. Speaking in relation to Russia, no act was drawn up civil status with the issuance of a marriage certificate. Some young people think it is a waste of time. However, without this procedure it will be very difficult to prove that you were in a family relationship.

In the event of separation, there will be no division of property, and in the event of the death of one of the spouses, it will be almost impossible for the second to become an heir if a will has not been drawn up. In addition, such a couple cannot qualify for benefits and similar measures. social support provided to families in many countries, including the Russian Federation.
In modern society, this is not only a voluntary union (officially registered) of adults, but also their children. Such a union serves as a means of socializing children and creates property and other ties between spouses.

Return to contents

Social status

Now that you know what a family is, let’s move on to the issue of the social status of the family, let’s figure out what provisions of modern legislation serve to determine the formulation of the social status of a marriage union.

The social status of a family refers to the position it occupies in society. These could be criteria different types, including all aspects marital status. For example, financial situation. Next, we will try to figure out what exactly is meant by social status, no matter what form this term is presented under.

The composition of a family is one of the determining factors of its social status. The term “complete and incomplete family” is often used. It is related to how many parents there are in the family - one or two. When it comes to an incomplete family, it is taken into account whether the parents are divorced or whether they entered into a marriage union. In this case, the family is considered to be children and the parent who is raising them (most often the mother).

It is traditionally believed that the socialization of children raised in single-parent families is impaired. But some modern researchers say that in post-industrial society two-parent families are no longer as common as before, but children still show a good degree of socialization thanks to other institutions of society - school and the like. Therefore, it is not entirely correct to believe that single-parent families are inferior to full families in some respects. Nevertheless, the completeness of the family is one of the fundamental parameters of the social status of the family, if only because a full-fledged unit of society is a more reliable support for the state and society as a whole. Therefore, schools regularly conduct research into how many children live in two-parent families and how many in single-parent families. Thus, the state can monitor the social health of society.

Another important parameter that helps determine the position of families in society is their financial wealth.

The peculiarities of the financial situation are that family budget is formed by working family members, and is spent on all its members, including children, of course. There is a certain minimum living wage, which is calculated by the state as an amount sufficient to feed 1 person for a year.