The scope of the role of family in human society is immense, and its functions are multi-dimensional. Family plays a significant role in giving birth to children, rearing them up, and nourishing and developing them correctly. This role is seen worldwide in all family structures. The role of the family is also undergoing a change due to social transformation. However, there are some basic functions of the family that all societies around the world perform. Some common functions of a family are discussed below:
1. Meeting Biological Needs: People form families to fulfill the biological demand in a socially acceptable manner. Family fulfills the biological demand of males and females through marriage. The main objective of the framing up of the children is a work related to the production of children. This function remains the responsibility of the family until the child becomes self-dependent. In this case, the proper rearing of children depends on the income of the family.
2. Maintenance of Children: In addition to child rearing, the socialization of a child is the key responsibility of parents and other members of the family. A child learns to see himself through the eyes of others from his age. They also learn the family values, can express their liking and disliking, can be introduced with outsiders, and develop the skills of adaptation with others. From childhood, a child learns from the family about the social norms- manners, customs, behavior, rules and regulations, practices, etc. The desired behavior of a child is shaped through the congenial environment of the family. Apart from paying attention to his physical needs, a family fulfils the demands of a child’s mental security, safety of love, and affection. Lack of mental security, frustration, inferiority complex, and tension can be created in a child’s mind. We shall be more informed about this in the next section.
3. Economic Activities: Once, the family was the main center of all economic activities. In that time, all the necessary things for the family at home were produced at home. Once all these financial activities were performed by the joint families in rural area, but with time, these financial activities of a family are being performed by institutions like factory, shop, market and bank. Now the family members work outside home to earn money. For this reason, the family is treated as a unit of earning. Besides, the rural agro-based families of our country are the main driving force of the agro-economy of Bangladesh. Not only this, cottage industry, which is an important factory in the economy of our country, has been formed based on family.
4. Education: Family is one of the mentionable centres of tutoring of a child. After birth, a child gets his primary education from home. Mother is the best teacher of a child. Though nowadays, all the responsibilities of teaching has taken over by the educational institutions, but still a child gts lessons from the family on manners-behavior, punctuality, morality, religious values and conducts.
5. Health and Hygiene: Family plays a vast role in matters related to health and hygiene. Once, providing the health-related service and its regulation were confined within the family. In modern times, such service is given by hospitals and clinics.
6. Recreation: In the past, leisure and recreational amusements for the family members were done within the family. Although at present, various technologies and tools have been applied in recreational activities, still, for mental peace, a family is considered the highest recreation centre. Family chatting is a natural recreation system that plays an important role in keeping unity among the family members.
7. Preservation of Family Inheritance: Inheritance of family property exists in almost all types of social systems. Starting from property, land, whether movable or immovable, all are transferred through inheritance, from one generation to another. And since family is at the root of producing a new generation, the role of the family is immense in preserving property and deciding inheritance. Therefore, a child acquires the qualities and duties of a future parent along with the capability to justify right and wrong through his family. Our nice social system is developed for our families.
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