ZIMSEC O-Level Family and Religious Studies (4047)

The Family and Marriage: notes

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The Family

Nuclear family: parents and their children living together. A mother, father and two children in one house in Mutare.
Extended family: the nuclear family plus grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. In Shona and Ndebele society the extended family shares the care of children and the elderly.
Single-parent family: one parent raises the children, for example after divorce or death.
Functions of the family: care for children, teach values and language, give emotional support, and pass on culture. A grandmother telling folktales teaches moral lessons.

Roora (lobola): the bride price that a groom's family gives to the bride's family. Followers of traditional custom see it as a sign of respect and a bond between two families, not as buying a person.
Marriage in Christianity: Christians believe marriage is a covenant before God between a man and a woman, as described in Genesis 2:24.
Marriage in Islam: Muslims believe marriage (nikah) is a contract with rights on both sides, including a gift (mahr) from the groom to the bride.
Legal forms in Zimbabwe: civil marriage, registered customary marriage and marriage under the Christian rites recognised by law.

Roles: parents provide, guide and discipline; children respect and help at home.
Causes of family breakdown: poverty, unfaithfulness, abuse, and migration for work. Counselling by elders, pastors or social workers can help families recover.