Family & Aging / Week 13 / Cindy Paskalina Kweesar

Summary

Family has many definitions, but in the reading the author explains it as a group of people who are connected due to common ancestor, marriage, adoption or other committed relationships. Families exceed blood relations. The definition of family usually depends on the culture or religion they have. For example in Catholicism, they believe that we can only have one partner in marriage, but on the other side of the world there are other groups that allow polygamy. This broad definition of family did not exist in ancient times. In the past the concept of family was very narrow, for example at the time of the ancient Rome. In those days father was the main center of the family. He has full power to organize his family. The purpose of family formation is also very diverse depending on the angle we observe. For example in procreative families, parents see family as a tool for child reproduction, but on the contrary, children see family as a tool to adapt to society. In non-procreative families, parents who really do not want to have children, families can become their mental and finance support. In family life, we usually go through several stages. In general, we will do courtship, get married and then have children. If the marriage does not go smoothly, the couple can divorce. But if their partner dies, they can remarry or live as widows or widowers.

The next topic is aging. In simple aging is when we go through the stages of becoming biologically and sociologically mature. These stages are divided according to a certain age. For example in Sweden if you are 18 years old, that means you are considered to be at the stage of adulthood. Depending on the stages you live in, you will get different treatments too. If you are at a stage that is considered young, you will usually get discriminated against, for example not being able to express opinions in the family. In addition there are some things that cannot be done in accordance with the existing formal regulations such as choosing election, smoking, or drinking alcohol. But if you are in the stage that is considered eldery, besides you are arranged with a number of restriction, you may also experience a physical abuse.

What was interesting/what did you learn

The interesting thing in this week's reading is how each culture has its own tradition in courtship. In Japan, they use a method called Omiai, where parents will hire a matchmaker to find the best partner for their child.

Discussion Point

We have seen that the family has a lot of function, but what does the function of living without family? Do we really need a family in our lives?