...American who studied a number of simple societies. He defined the family as 'a social group characterised by common residence, economic cooperation and reproduction....relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of the socially cohabitating adults'. More recently, we have come to accept that the oneparent family, where...

...based on his study of 250 societies from which he claimed that 'the family' is a universal phenomenon: 'The family is a social group characterized by common...own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults." It is usual to compare the 'nuclear' family model, which consists of parent(s) and dependent child(ren),...

...Murdock opened his discussion of social structure by stating: The family is a social group characterised by common residence, economic cooperation and reproduction....own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults. (1949: 1) It may be a cultural ideal of Western society that a group which consists of sexually cohabiting...

...or without children or a lone parent with children' (CSO, 1995). • 'A social group, characterised by common residence, economic cooperation and reproduction....children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adult' (Murdock, 1949, cited by Jorgensen, 1995). Activity Consider and analyse each of the definitions...

...as "a social group characterized by common residence, economic cooperation, and reproduction" that includes "adults of both sexes, at least two of whom...or more children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabitating adults."31 It sounds a great deal like Leave It to Beaver. Anthropologist Melford Spiro's...

...the neo-Weberian sociologist Anthony Giddens. Murdock (1949) defined the family in the following way: The family is a social group characterized by common...own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults. (Quoted in Haralambos and Holborn, 1995, p. 317) However, a more inclusive view is taken by Giddens,...

...and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults. Families can be separated by prison or immigration restrictions. Domination of economic resources can...

...and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approxed sexual relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults. The family is to be distinguished from marriage, which is a complex of customs centering upon the relationship...

...includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, with one or more children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults. (Murdock 1949, 1, quoted in Gerstel 1994) Murdock's 1949 definition was widely used for many years...

...societal similarities and differences, George Murdock has provided a classic definition of the family: "The family is a social group characterized by common...children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults."4 If we were to superimpose Murdock 's abstract familial template over the occupants of a Sheep...