Family Matters
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Family Matters
Family Matters
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Part 1
Family
2
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Family Matters
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Introduction
Why do we study “family”?
In “Integrated Humanities”, we study ‘people’ as groups. Family is the social group
with the longest history in the world.
Family is important because it is the basic unit
of society. It is where we learn to become members of a society.
develop and grow.
In the family, we
Family Matters
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What is a family?
a. Match the words with the statements.
A family （家庭）


a person or a number of persons
sharing a living space
A household （住戶） 

a building that houses one or a
number of families
A home （家居）


a group of people who are especially
related to each other as parents and
children
A house （房屋）
b.


a place where the family lives
An advertisement for Country Garden （碧桂園） claimed that it could
give you a five-star family （給您一個五星級的家）.
Look at the word “family”. Do you think it is the right word here? If not,
can you find a better word to replace it?
Family Matters
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Family Size
1.
Take a hand count to find out the family sizes of your classmates. Please fill in
the following table.
Family size
Number of families
Family with 1 child
Family with 2 children
Family with 3 children
Family with 4 children
Family with 5-6 children
Family with more than 6 children
2.
What family size do most of your classmates have?
3.
Is your father or mother the only child in his or her family?
4.
Take a hand count to find out the family sizes of your classmates’ parents.
Please fill in the following table.
Family size
Family with 1 child
Family with 2 children
Family with 3 children
Family with 4 children
Family with 5 children
Family with 6 children
Family with 7 children
Family with 8 children
Family with 9 children
Family with 10 or more than 10 children
Number of families
Family Matters
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5.
What family size do most of your classmates’ parents have?
6.
Compare your answer to Q.5 with that to Q.2. Do you find a big difference? Can
you suggest some reasons for the difference?
Family Matters
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Group discussion
Fill in the following table during your group discussion.
Family size
Family with 1 child
Family with 2
children
Families with 3 – 4
children
Families with more
than 4 children
Family with children
and grandparents
Good things about living
in a family of this size
Bad things about living in
a family of this size
Put a  for
the one you
want to live
in
Family Matters
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Answer the following questions.
1.
As a child, what family size do you prefer? Why?
2.
If you were a parent, what family size would you prefer? Why?
What have you learned?
You are able to
1.
2.
8
understand the meaning of the word "family";
explain why the size of family changes over the years.
Family Matters
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Part 2
Family Types
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MK_Our home and family_Family issues 10
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Introduction
Family is the social group with the longest history. The size of family changes over
time, and so do its composition. In recent years, new types of family have emerged.
Some common family types in Hong Kong
1.
A nuclear family usually consists of a married couple (i.e. husband and wife)
and their children, including adopted children, if any.
2.
A single-parent family is another form of nuclear family. It consists of one
parent and his or her children.
MK_Our home and family_Family issues 11
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An extended family is an expansion of the nuclear family. There are several
generations and they all live together in one household. In China, an extended
family usually consists of the male head of the household, his unmarried
daughters, his sons and their families, his grandsons’ families, and so forth.
MK_Our home and family_Family issues 12
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Head of household
son
daughter
-in-law
son
son
granddaughter
grandson
daughter
-in-law
granddaughter
-in-law
daughter
-in-law
daughter
(unmarried)
daughter
(unmarried)
MK_Our home and family_Family issues 13
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Hong Kong in 1985
Distribution of different family types:
Family Types
Percentage
Nuclear family
77.6
Extended family
14.3
Single-parent family
7.0
Others
1.1
Total
100.0
(* From a study conducted by the Tsuen Wan District Board in 1985.)
1.
Which family type enjoys the highest percentage, the nuclear family or the
extended family?
2.
Can you explain why?
MK_Our home and family_Family issues 14
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New Types of family organizations
Test-tube babies
The development of science and technology
makes “test-tube babies” possible. A surrogate
mother （代母） is a woman who carries and
gives birth to a child for another woman. The
latter is responsible for bringing up the child, so
she is the social mother. The genes （遺傳基
因） of the child may be provided by the father
and the social mother or another female.
Families of people with the same sex
In some countries, two persons of the same sex can form a family and enjoy the
same legal rights as other types of families. They could even have their own
children.
a.
Do you think the following can be called a family?
Father
Man
Man
No
Man
Man
(with surrogate
father)
Man
Woman
Mother
Woman
No
Woman
Woman
(with surrogate
mother)
Woman
Son/daughter
No
Son/daughter
Son/daughter
Son/daughter
Man
Woman
No
No
Son/daughter
Yes/No
MK_Our home and family_Family issues 15
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b.
Some people think that people of the same sex cannot form a family. Do you
agree? Why?
c.
Is a child a must for a family?
d.
e.
What type of family can bring the most happiness to family members? Give
reasons.
In your view, what are the most important element(s) making up a family?
What have you learnt?
You are able to
1. distinguish between different family types;
2. realize that new family types may emerge.