IDENTITY : Family

Introduction

~ Hello learners, I'm Mrs Makuyana and I'm going to be teaching you everything under the topic Family in Heritage Studies. Without wasting any of your precious time let's dive right into it.

What is a family ?                                           
- A family is a group of people who are related to each other such as mother, father and their children.
- They are the people whom you love and are the foundation of the society.

Four types of families                          
1. single – parent family
2. child-headed family
3. monogamous family
4. polygamous family

Describing all the four types of families?

A. Single-parent family
- It is also known as one – parent family.
- It consists of one parent raising one or more children on his or her own. In Zimbabwe, it consists of a mother and her children.
- There are single fathers as well. Normally single parents receive help from relatives and friends.
- They usually result from one partner dying.
- The surviving partner will swear not to re-marry.
                                                                       Reasons for a lot of single-parent families in Zim ?
• death of one partner.
• cheating and infidelity resulting in divorces.
• economic hardships
• migration to greener pastures.

B. Child – headed family
- It is a family in which a minor, a child or an adolescent has become the head of the family.
- They are common in developing countries and areas of war.
- The child provides the family with food.

Causes of child-headed families in Zimbabwe?
• death during wars.
• death during droughts and hunger.
• death caused by floods.
• death caused by earthquakes.
• death caused by diseases like HIV and AIDS.

Problems faced by child-headed families?
• family responsibilities
• Stop going to school because of the lack of funds
• lack of funds to buy food.
• poor accommodation
• poor health services due to lack of money

Examples of countries with an increased number of child-headed families
• South Africa
• Zimbabwe
• Rwanda
• Mozambique
• Angola
• Botswana
NB: Child – headed families are common in most developing countries

Solutions to child-headed families?
• Assistant and help from other parents, relatives and friends
• Help from charity organisations
• Help from non-governmental organisations
• Help from United Nations i.e. UNICEF

C. What is a monogamous family?
- It is also known as the nuclear family.
- It consists of two parents and their children.
- It is well respected by the society.
because it provides ideal conditions to raise their children.
- It receives strength and stability from the two parents.
- the family has a strong financial support from the two parents.
- the father supports his family.
- it allows children to inherit theirfather’s property.

D. What is a Polygamous family?
- It refers to a situation where by a man or husband has two or more wives.
- It is well known and pronounced in Africa and Asia.
- In Zimbabwe it is well supported by customary law.
- It is well supported by the Customary Marriage Act.
- About 10% of women in Zimbabwe are in polygamous families.
- It provides with children with household goods and financial support.