Family Matters

In an article found on The Society Pages website titled How Do We Define a Family Gwen Sharp discusses what counts as family and what groups or living arrangements are included in the definition of "family" and who is excluded. Surveys conducted in 2003 and 2006 showed that Americans still hold the stereotypical nuclear family as the gold standard. However, there are many different types of families and the definition of family can vary among people.

The definition of family given in our textbook is "The social institution found in all societies that unite people in cooperative groups to care for one another, including any children." the word "family" can have different meanings for different people. My parents are in a monogamous relationship.We are a nuclear family, I live with my two sisters and my mom and dad.  We do not live close to my mother's parents or my father's parents meaning we live in a neolocal residence. My immediate family is the only blood family I see regularly which has, oddly enough, made my family grow! My family is made up of the people that have been there for me all of my life and in turn, are like blood to me.

An example of an extended family is Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's family. They have five adopted children all from different countries which makes this family very diverse. Their relationship shows homogamy, or, "like marrying like." Homogamy is the marriage between two people with the same social characteristics. In Jolie and Pitt's case, their social characteristics are both largely based on their acting careers.

http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/12/26/how-do-we-define-a-family/

http://joliepittresource.wordpress.com/about-the-jolie-pitt-kids/