family, stem

views updated May 14 2018

family, stem Through field studies of family organization, Frédéric Le Play (1806–82) claimed to have distinguished four fundamental family types: namely, patriarchal, unstable, particularist and stem. The stem family was described as a more flexible modification of the patriarchal type. It was said to be typical of Central Europe, Spain, and Scandinavia; was the ideal for stability and prosperity; and consisted of six or seven members, typically free labourers or farm tenants, with clear intergenerational inheritance of either tenancy or smallholding.

stem family

views updated May 11 2018

stem family See FAMILY, STEM.

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