Home » Family and Social Issues Family is the fundamental unit in the entire social structure. Society is a web of relationships between individual members and also between individuals and social organizations. In various societies across the globe, the society might differ but the fundamental structure of the family remains the same. Family and Social Issues are integrally related and intertwined with each other. Social Issues and Family are related as they form the core of the social framework. Different parts of the world adhere to different social norms and social activities. Western society is quite different from eastern society in many aspects, but the unit of family remains the same in every society, whether eastern or western. A variety of social issues crop up from time to time and some are not very significant.

But if ignored, these issues can crop up their heads and can have a negative impact on the society in large. Religion influence very much the social constructs of a particular society. In this world, there are a number of religions that the people adhere to and religious and social sanctions are drawn accordingly. Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, etc are the various religions that people all across the globe adhere to. Family and Social Issues have the most intimate influence on one another. Social issues like marriage, education, morality, religion, abstinence, Bioethics, gambling, law and the courts, pornography, sexual identity, culture and tradition effect the structure of a family.

In many countries, especially in the third world countries, a degrading custom is still in practice. The name of this degrading custom is dowry. Dowry is the gifting of items by the bride's family to the groom's family. If dowry demands of the groom's family are not satisfied, brides are often victimized by the family of the groom. Dowry is an important part of Family and Social Issues, at least in the third world countries. Among various social issues, marriage is probably the most important and significant. Marriage is the base of family structure in most of the societies around the world. Along with marriage, divorce and cohabitation are important social issues too. Marriage is considered to the most sacred bond between two human beings as they commit themselves in spending the rest of their lives together. Belief and trust are the two fundamental criteria for marriage. It is also the society's way of sanctioning the act of procreation. Love and bonding need to be there in any marriage. A lot of responsibilities are associated with marriage. However, with the changing and evolving society, the concept of marriage is also evolving. Parenting is also a very important social issue, though it is a very family oriented activity.

Education is of prime importance in any society, irrespective of it being a western or an eastern society. A person needs to conform to various social norms in order to be a respectable member of the society. Education relates Family and Social Issues. Many negative social issues like gambling and taking of drugs occur due to lack of social consciousness and proper education.