Sooner or later, a couple in love comes to the conclusion that it is time to start a family. This is an important social process that specialists in the field of demography and social science do not pass by. The family of the democratic type stands out especially, for which the future stands.
What is family?
From a specialized dictionary, the family is a small social group whose members are connected by marital or consanguineous relationships, and are also interested in organizing cohabitation and mutual assistance.
If we compare our society with a whole organism, the family in it will be a separate cell. The proper functioning of the whole mechanism depends on these “cells”. Therefore, the family is a unit of society whose well-being directly affects the present and future.
Family Functions
It does not matter what goals the couple pursues and what type of family relationship they want to build. The formation of a family involves the emergence of some functions, among which:
- Birth of children.
- Interaction with children and development of motherhood / fatherhood skills.
- The development of economic relations, the satisfaction of the material needs of all family members.
- Source of love, respect and psychological protection.
- Communication with family members, mental relaxation.
- Primary socialization.
- Intellectual and physical relaxation.
In real life, it is not always possible to see the fulfillment of all these points, but a “reference” example of the presence of all functions is a democratic family. What it is? What features does this type of marital union have?
Democratic family
This type is considered the most acceptable in the 21st century, because it takes into account the needs and interests of absolutely all family members. Unlike authoritarian couples, there is no place for any social standards or generally accepted stereotypes.
Any democratic family is a set of conditional rules that are acceptable for both parents and their children. The following points are especially important here:
- Relations are based on trust, compromise, understanding, patience, concessions, respect and equality. There is no place in such families for domination and humiliation.
- In democratic (partner) families there are no "male" and "female" responsibilities. A man can always help in his free time with household chores in the form of washing or dishes. A woman is not obliged to come home as a second job, and it will not be a shame for her to repair or repair equipment.
- Finance in a democratic family is total capital. Of course, this does not mean that each of its members does not have pocket money, but there is no place for any hidden investments and acquisitions.
In such families, a small salary from a husband and a large salary from a wife are not considered a disgrace. Spouse has the right to build her career and earn big money.
- Democratic relations in the family also apply to children when their opinions and needs are taken into account by parents without prejudice to the educational process. This does not mean that the child will be spoiled and caressed, but he will not feel the excessive dominance of his parents.
- Any adversity and misfortune can be experienced through the support of each other. Spouses can give practical advice to each other and their children, help solve the problem together, support in difficult times.
Affiliate Family Subtypes
Above we gave a description of an ideal union, where equality comes first. There are also various interpretations of the partner family, which have a number of features.
1. The patriarchal democratic family.
A feature of such a union is the dominant role of the husband in various matters. Such a family is built on the same principles: respect, patience, concessions. However, equality is already shaken.
However, it would be wrong to consider such a family as purely patriarchal. Although the man has the last word, he will still listen to his wife. There is no violence or other destructive processes that may appear in pure patriarchy.
2. Matriarchal democratic family.
In such a community, the opposite is true: leadership is handed over to a woman. Democracy is manifested in situations where the spouse can still influence the decisions of his wife, and the children have the right to express their opinion and be heard by the mother.
An authoritarian family as an alternative
It is not always possible to create the perfect marital union. A democratic family is the best option for relationships, but in modern realities such a pattern is very difficult to implement.
Where authoritarian families are more common, where the husband (patriarchy) or wife (matriarchy) has an absolute advantage and power over the rest of the members. There is no concept of equality.
Sometimes an authoritarian family becomes strong enough, and sometimes on the basis of misunderstanding, deception and stress, destructive processes arise. For example, systematic quarrels between spouses begin to occur, they are aggravated by mental fatigue. As a result, the house no longer becomes the place where you want to return every day after work.
This negative effect is especially reflected in children: parents are frustrated with them, they are constantly forbidden something, their opinion is sometimes not put in anything. The result - children are shy, insecure, have low self-esteem, bend under the onslaught of their peers.
Partnerships are the Future
It is much easier to build authoritarianism in a married couple than to try to create your own cozy home on the basis of mutual understanding and respect, equality and support through many difficulties.
A democratic family is the future of any developed community. According to statistics, in most developed countries, the policy of creating such marital unions is positive.
As proof of the perfection of partnerships, it can be noted that democracy is characteristic of the urban population, and authoritarianism is characteristic of rural people, where traditions are of paramount importance. And according to tradition, the husband is “in power” when the wife does all the housework and submits (sometimes suffers) to her spouse.
There are, of course, other types of family relationships, but democracy is objectively the best solution to consolidate the marital union in the 21st century.