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Family, Kinship, Marriage, Sexuality - Family Structure

8 important questions on Family, Kinship, Marriage, Sexuality - Family Structure

In which structural categories can families be divided (by sociologists)?

Single men/women living alone (not married, widowed or divorced).
Nuclear family: a couple with their unmarried children; a childless couple; one of the parents living with one of his/her (un)married children.
Stem structure of an extended family: an aged parent or parents living together with a married child and his/her spouse and possibly grandchildren.
The extended family: Two or more married siblings living together with their children and a grandparent or two.

What was the traditional ideal family like?

This was the extended family, in which five generations lived under one roof, sharing one common purse and stove, under one family head. They were considered (by Confucian scholars) to be fundamental for social harmony and political stability. Younger generations were ethically bound to support, love and be obedient to their seniors.

Although extended families of five generations were considered the ideal family, this occurred only rarely. Why?

Division: When the father of a household died, each son might use his share as the economic foundation for a new, smaller family which he would head. They would create a nuclear family or a stem family (if one of the sons took in the mother).
High infant mortality rates
Low life expectancy

Why were rich families more succesful in creating a large extended family?

They were more succesful in raising their children to maturity
They had higher birthrates because of better nutrition and the practice of polygamy (this was a generally accepted practice, but rich families were better able to afford polygamy

How did the Western penetration into China (late 19th century) lead to more nuclear families in urban China?

Because of the Western penetration, new bourgeois and working class emerged in the coastal cities along with new intellectual elite. They obtained their income independent of their families and were freed from the control by their elders. In addition, they were exposed to new cultural and intellectual forces and became familiar with the idea of marriage based on free and romantic attachments and equality of men and women with respect to marriage, property and inheritance. These changes led to more nuclear families.

What other factors, besides the Western penetration into China, led to more nuclear families?

urbanization
rapid industrialization

What was the main reason for the change in family forms in rural areas?

The period of collectivization (which started in 1949). Farming families were no longer a production enterprise with the father being the authority with control over the family property and farmwork. Peasants were no wage earners in collectives, organized by the Communist Party. Now that the family well-being was based on the earnings of individual family members outside the family context, the father's authority reduced. There were no longer family landholdings that encouraged brothers to stay under their father's authority. The brothers now tended to move out of their parent's house shortly after marriage.

Despite the fact that family forms changed, parental control did not disappear because of collectivization. Why not?

A groom usually required his parents to give his bride's family a large cash gift before marriage (worth several years of earnings)
Parents are responsible for preparing the wedding ceremony and housing for their son and daughter-in-law.

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

Understanding contemporary China | 9781588268440 | Robert E Gamer

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Family, Kinship, Marriage, Sexuality - Family Structure

8 important questions on Family, Kinship, Marriage, Sexuality - Family Structure

In which structural categories can families be divided (by sociologists)?

What was the traditional ideal family like?

Although extended families of five generations were considered the ideal family, this occurred only rarely. Why?

Why were rich families more succesful in creating a large extended family?

How did the Western penetration into China (late 19th century) lead to more nuclear families in urban China?

What other factors, besides the Western penetration into China, led to more nuclear families?

What was the main reason for the change in family forms in rural areas?

Despite the fact that family forms changed, parental control did not disappear because of collectivization. Why not?

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