Answer to Question #223515 in Sociology for Tshegofatso Moseki

Question

The role of the family as a social institution

Answer 1

The family is the basic socialization unit in society. Children get socialized through the family. The members of the family play a major role in socializing children from the time they are born.

The family supports its members either emotionally or with practical support: the family has basic needs and other essentials. The family offers love and emotional support to its members. It offers a sense of belonging to family members.

The family offers important education and advice concerning sexuality and reproduction to its members. Every society has defined norms, rules, and regulations that help manage sexuality and reproduction in their setups. Families play a significant role in ensuring that incest does not take place among the family members. They prohibit incest with the strongest terms possible and imposes harsh penalties for those who break this regulation. The family teaches about sex and sexual reproduction to its members. The family teaches their infants as they grow up about incest and offer emotional support and care once they are born. 

The family offers family members social identity. The family to which one is born determines their race and ethnicity. It also determines the social class and religion into which a person is born and socialized. Social identity impacts the aftermath life of children.