Home Economics / Home Management · Lesson 2

Family types, life cycle, functions, roles, relationships and conflict

JAMBWAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

JAMB: Family Living — the family (definition; nuclear, monogamous, polygamous, extended; advantages and disadvantages; life cycle: beginning, expanding, contracting, empty nest; functions; roles of mother, father, children, working mothers, single parents; relationships; factors e.g. communication and values; effect on well-being; conflict and resolution). JAMB Home Economics B3 (Family living).

WAEC: Family Living — the family (definition; nuclear, monogamous, polygamous, extended; advantages and disadvantages; life cycle: beginning, expanding, contracting, empty nest; functions; roles of mother, father, children, working mothers, single parents; relationships; factors e.g. communication and values; effect on well-being; conflict and resolution). JAMB Home Economics B3 (Family living).

NECO: Family Living — the family (definition; nuclear, monogamous, polygamous, extended; advantages and disadvantages; life cycle: beginning, expanding, contracting, empty nest; functions; roles of mother, father, children, working mothers, single parents; relationships; factors e.g. communication and values; effect on well-being; conflict and resolution). JAMB Home Economics B3 (Family living).

What you will learn

Define the family and distinguish it from a household.
Describe the types of family with advantages and disadvantages.
Explain the four stages of the family life cycle.
State and explain the functions of the family.
Describe roles of family members including working mothers and single parents.
Explain family relationships and factors affecting them.
Explain causes of conflict and methods of resolution.

Key points

Family: blood, marriage or adoption; household: all who live and eat together.
Types: nuclear, extended, monogamous, polygamous, single-parent, blended.
Nuclear: privacy and focus; extended: social security but strain.
Life cycle: beginning, expanding, contracting, empty nest.
Functions: reproductive, economic, educational, socialisation, emotional, protective, religious.
Father: provider, protector; mother: home-maker, carer; roles increasingly shared.
Children: obey, help with chores, study, care for parents later.
Good relationships: love, respect, communication, trust.
Factors: communication, values, money, health, interference.
Resolve conflict: dialogue, compromise, mediation, arbitration, forgiveness; never violence.

Start here: Meaning of the family

A family is a group of people related by blood, marriage or adoption who usually live together, share resources and care for one another. It is the smallest and oldest social unit and is often called the building block of society: strong families produce a strong nation.

Key features

Relationship: members are linked by marriage, birth or adoption.
Common residence: usually live under one roof or in one compound.
Shared resources: income, food, house and property are shared.
Mutual obligations: members have duties and rights toward each other.
A family name and identity: children inherit a surname and lineage.

Family and household

A household is everyone who lives together and eats from the same pot, which may include house-helps, apprentices or tenants who are not relatives. A family may also have members living elsewhere (a son working in Port Harcourt is still part of a family in Ogoja). WAEC sometimes asks you to distinguish these two terms.

Family in Nigerian culture

In most Nigerian communities, the family goes beyond parents and children. The Yoruba ebi, the Igbo umunna and the Hausa gida include many relatives who share responsibility for children, ceremonies and support in hard times. When a child gains admission to university, uncles and aunts often contribute to fees. This wide support network is a strength; the pressure of many dependants can be a weakness.

Why study the family?

Home Management is ultimately about helping families live well. Every topic, from meal planning to budgeting, is applied inside a family. Understanding family structure, roles and relationships helps you manage resources and resolve conflicts. It also prepares you for your own future family.

Changes in the modern Nigerian family

Urbanisation, education of women, and economic pressure have increased nuclear families in cities like Lagos and Abuja, more working mothers, smaller family sizes and more single-parent homes. Rural families remain more extended. Technology (phones, social media) brings relatives together across distances but can also reduce face-to-face time at home.

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Practice questions

1. A family made up of father, mother and their children only is a

nuclear family
extended family
polygamous family
blended family

Show answer

A: nuclear family
Nuclear = parents and children.

2. A family with one husband and two or more wives is

polyandrous
monogamous
nuclear
polygynous

Show answer

D: polygynous
Polygyny is the common form of polygamy.

3. The stage of the family life cycle when children leave home is the

expanding stage
ageing stage
launching stage
beginning stage

Show answer

C: launching stage
Followed by the empty nest.

4. Teaching a child language, manners and values is the family’s function of

recreation
socialisation
reproduction
economic support

Show answer

B: socialisation
Socialisation passes on culture.

5. A major disadvantage of the extended family is

pressure on income and space
care for the elderly
support for relatives
more hands for work

Show answer

A: pressure on income and space
Many dependants share limited resources.

Key words

Family: People related by blood, marriage or adoption.
Household: All who live and eat together.
Nuclear family: Parents and their children.
Extended family: Nuclear family plus other relatives.
Monogamy: Marriage to one spouse.
Polygyny: One man, several wives.
Polyandry: One woman, several husbands.
Family life cycle: Stages a family passes through.
Empty nest: Stage after all children leave.
Socialisation: Learning the norms of society.
Role: Expected behaviour of a position.
Sibling rivalry: Competition between brothers and sisters.

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