The family is the most basic social unit. It is a group related by blood, marriage, adoption, or choice, and it typically serves functions like reproduction, care, socialization, and economic support. But family forms vary enormously. What counts as a family in one society may not in another.

Sociologists distinguish nuclear families (parents and children) from extended families (relatives living together or nearby). They also study single-parent families, blended families, same-sex families, and chosen families. The ideal family of the 1950s — breadwinner father, homemaker mother, two children — was a historical anomaly, not a universal norm.

Functions of family

• Regulation of sexual behavior
• Reproduction and childrearing
• Socialization of children
• Economic cooperation and support
• Emotional intimacy and belonging

Family structures shift with economic and cultural change. Divorce, delayed marriage, and cohabitation have reshaped households in many countries. Conflict theorists note that families can also be sites of inequality and violence.