Family In human context, a family (from Latin: familiare) is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children. Extended from the human "family unit" by affinity, economy, culture, tradition, honor, and friendship are concepts of family that are metaphorical, or that grow increasingly inclusive extending to nationhood and humanism. A family group consisting of a father, mother and their children is called a nuclear family. This term can be contrasted with an extended family. There are also concepts of family that break with tradition within particular societies, or those that are transplanted via migration to flourish or else cease within their new societies. As a unit of socialisation and a basic institution key to the structure of society, the family is the object of analysis for sociologists of the family. Genealogy is a field which aims to trace family lineages through history. In science, the term "family" has come to be used as a means to classify groups of objects as being closely and exclusively related. In the study of animals it has been found that many species form groups that have similarities to human "family"—often called "packs." A family name (in Western contexts often referred to as a last name) is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world. Each culture has its own rules as to how these names are applied and used. In many cultures (notably Euro-American, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African) the family name is normally the last part of a person's name. In other cultures, the family name comes first. The latter is often called the Eastern order because Europeans are most familiar with the examples from East Asia, specifically China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam. Since family names are normally given last in European societies, the term last name is commonly used for family name. family name and surname both mean the patrilineal (literally, father-line) surname, handed down from or inherited from the father's line or patriline, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Thus, the term "maternal surname" means the patrilineal surname which one's mother inherited from either or both of her parents. Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including: • the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships; • issues arising throughout marriage, including spousal abuse, legitimacy, adoption, surrogacy, child abuse, and child abduction • the termination of the relationship and ancillary matters including divorce, annulment, property settlements, alimony, and parental responsibility orders (in the United States, child custody and visitation, child support and alimony awards). Procreation One of the primary functions of the family is to produce and reproduce persons, biologically and socially. Thus, one's experience of one's family shifts over time. From the perspective of children, the family is a family of orientation: the family serves to locate children socially and plays a major role in their enculturation and socialization. From the point of view of the parent(s), the family is a family of procreation, the goal of which is to produce and enculturate and socialize children. However, producing children is not the only function of the family; in societies with a sexual division of labor, marriage, and the resulting relationship between two people, it is necessary for the formation of an economically productive household. A conjugal family includes only the husband, the wife, and unmarried children who are not of age. The most common form of this family is regularly referred to in sociology as a nuclear family. A consanguineal family consists of a parent and his or her children, and other people. Although the concept of consanguinity originally referred to relations by "blood", Cultural anthropologists.have argued that one must understand the idea of "blood" metaphorically and that many societies understand family through other concepts rather than through genetic distance. A matrilocal family consists of a mother and her children. Generally, these children are her biological offspring, although adoption of children is a practice in nearly every society. This kind of family is common where women have the resources to rear their children by themselves, or where men are more mobile than women. History of the family Main article: History of the family The diverse data coming from ethnography, history, law and social statistics, establish that the human family is an institution and not a biological fact founded on the natural relationship of consanguinity.[9][10] Early scholars of family history applied Darwin's biological theory of evolution in their theory of evolution of family systems. American anthropologist Lewis H. Morgan published Ancient Society in 1877 based on his theory of the three stages of human progress from Savagery through Barbarism to Civilization. Morgan's book was the "inspiration for Friedrich Engels' book" The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State published in 1884. Engels expanded Morgan's hypothesis that economical factors caused the transformation of primitive community into a class-divided society. Engels' theory of resource control, and later that of Karl Marx, was used to explain the cause and effect of change in family structure and function. The popularity of this theory was largely unmatched until the 1980s, when other sociological theories, most notably structural functionalism, gained acceptance. COST OF RAISING A CHILD Developing countries According to Globalissues.org, "Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day."[1] This statistic includes children. On this number, it costs roughly US$900 to raise a child for a year, and US$16,500 to raise a child from birth to age 17.[original research?] Half of all children in the world live in poverty. United States Based on a survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the table below shows the estimated annual costs of raising a child. The table shows costs based on a family with two children on a per-child basis. The data comes from the Consumer Expenditure Survey by the U.S. Department of Labor, conducted from 1990-92. The figures have been updated to 2001 dollars using the Consumer Price Index. These figures from the USDA go up to age 18 and before any college education. It does not include any estimates for sending your children to college nor does it offer any cost estimates if your child remains in your home as a dependent after the age of 18.[4] There are two tables, the first for two-parent households, the second for single-parent families.[5] Dual-Parent Family Age Child care Housing Food Transportation Clothing Health Miscellaneous Total of Child /Education Before-tax income: up to $39,100 0 to 2 2,500 910 780 370 460 840 630 6,490 3 to 5 2,470 1,010 750 360 440 820 680 6,630 6 to 8 2,380 1,300 880 400 510 560 680 6,710 9 to 11 2,150 1,560 950 450 560 340 720 6,730 12 to 14 2,400 1,640 1,070 750 560 240 900 7,560 15 to 17 1,940 1,780 1,440 660 600 400 660 7,480 Total 41,520 24,600 17,610 8,970 9,390 9,990 12,720 124,800 Before-tax income: $39,100 to $65,800 0 to 2 3,380 1,090 1,160 430 610 1,380 980 9,030 3 to 5 3,350 1,260 1,130 420 580 1,530 990 9,260 6 to 8 3,260 1,600 1,260 470 660 980 1,030 9,260 9 to 11 3,030 1,890 1,330 520 720 640 1,250 9,190 12 to 14 3,280 1,900 1,450 870 720 470 1,250 9,940 15 to 17 2,820 2,110 1,840 780 770 810 1,010 10,140 Total 57,360 29,550 24,510 10,470 12,180 17,430 18,960 170,460 Before-tax income: $65,800 and up 0 to 2 5,370 1,440 1,630 570 700 2,090 1,630 13,430 3 to 5 5,340 1,630 1,600 560 670 2,270 1,650 13,720 6 to 8 5,250 1,970 1,720 610 770 1,560 1,690 13,570 9 to 11 5,020 2,290 1,800 670 820 1,090 1,720 13,410 12 to 14 5,270 2,400 1,920 1,100 830 840 1,900 13,170 15 to 17 4,810 2,530 2,330 1,000 870 1,470 1,660 14,670 Total 93,180 36,780 33,000 13,530 13,980 27,960 30,750 249,180 All numbers are in US$. Single-Parent Family Age Child care Housing Food Transportation Clothing Health Miscellaneous Total of Child /Education Before-tax income: up to $45,100 0 to 2 2,240 1,010 730 330 220 530 380 5,440 3 to 5 2,550 1,060 640 350 330 720 500 6,150 6 to 8 2,710 1,340 740 410 390 650 670 6,910 9 to 11 2,600 1,550 530 420 490 310 540 6,440 12 to 14 2,600 1,550 620 710 520 400 520 6,920 15 to 17 2,760 1,690 970 830 520 300 600 7,670 Total 46,380 24,600 12,690 9,150 7,410 8,730 9,630 118,590 Before-tax income: $45,100 and up 0 to 2 4,820 1,560 2,220 470 510 1,290 1,580 12,450 3 to 5 4,820 1,650 2,130 500 690 1,620 1,690 13,410 6 to 8 5,290 1,980 2,240 570 790 1,510 1,870 14,250 9 to 11 5,180 2,380 2,030 580 950 880 1,740 13,740 12 to 14 5,190 2,380 2,110 950 1,000 1,260 1,720 14,560 15 to 17 5,340 2,470 2,290 1,090 990 1,030 1,800 15,010 Total 92,850 37,110 39,060 12,480 14,790 22,770 31,200 250,260 All numbers are in US$.