Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
Chapter1:CrisisoftheJudeo-Christianfoundationsoffamilylife
15
thefamilyontheonehand,andtheeconomicconditionofthesocietiesonthe
other.Pensionsystemandfunctioningofthehealth-caresystemconstitutethe
sourceofthelargestbudgetexpensesinstates,duetowhichthedemographic
situationhasbecomeoneofthemostimportantpredictorsofsuccessforeco-
nomicdevelopmentofsocieties.Whileageing,citizensofEuropebecomemore
andmoreimportantencumbrancefordomesticfinancialsystems.Teissues
ofchildbirthandfamilypolicyturnouttobethesamekeyelementofsuccess
managementformodernsocieties.Legalregulationsandsociologicalconcepts
concerningthestatusandfunctioningofthefamilyandmarriagehavenot
ceasedtobeimportant.
Tefamilyinthetwentiethcenturywasdefinedasabasicsocialcelland
specifiedasanuclearone.Terewerenodeviationsfromthismodelgrounded
intheJudeo-ChristianrootsofNorthAtlanticcultureinthepracticeofsocial
life,whereasthesociologicaltheoryrecognisedthisdefinitionasmostprecise
forthesocialsystem(thesmallercommunity).Atthesametime,sociologists
(i.a.,ErnestWatsonBurgess,TalcottParsons,andRobertF.Bales)recognisedthe
nuclearfamilyasthemostfunctionalforthesociety(necessaryforitslasting).5
Terewerethreeelementstomakeupthefamily:6
–therelationshipofamanandawoman;
–therelationshipwithasociallyestablishedmarriage;and
–thepresenceofchildren,ownoradopted.
TetermnuclearfamilywasintroducedbyananthropologistGeorgeMur-
docktodefineaterritorialunit(namelytheonelocatedathome)consistingof
awife,ahusband,andtheirchildren.Tisisasocialgroupcharacterisedby
acommonresidence,economiccommunity,anddivisionofworkandreproduc-
tion.Itcoverstwoadultsofdiferentsexleadingasociallyapprovedsexuallife
andoneormorechildren,ownoradopted.7Tesedefinitions,notraisingany
doubtsuntilthe1990s,arenowadayssubjecttocommoncriticismandmodifica-
tionduetoalegislativerevolution,asaresultofwhichsince1989themajority
ofstatesontheEuropeancontinenthaverecogniseddomesticpartnershipsas
equaltoatraditionallyunderstoodmarriage.However,asWojciechPięciak
notices,thehistoryofformalisedhomosexualrelationshipsinEuropeisbarely
threedecadesoldandhasitsoriginsincontractingamarriagebyAxeland
Eigill,livingjointlyforover40years,intheregistryofceinCopenhageninOc-
tober1989.In2016,27yearsaferthisevent,partnerrelationships(homosexual
andheterosexual-so-calledlightmarriage)existinmanyEuropeancountries,
suchasCzechRepublic,Slovenia,Croatia,Hungary,andIreland,whereasin
somestatessomeinitialrights,e.g.,heritageaferthedeceasedpartner,are
5SeeT.Szlendak:Socjologiarodziny.Warszawa2010,pp.94-97
6R.Turner:FamilyInteraction.London1970,p.5;citedinT.Szlendak:Socjologiarodzi-
ny…,p.101.
7Ibidem,p.96.
