42 Roles of Family

John Spacey, updated on January 12, 2024

The role of family is to provide each other with support, protection, care, belonging, shared experience and quality of life. Families benefit the individual as a social group that provides roles and responsibilities as well as a great depth of support and help. Families also benefit society by providing structure and stability. They are a major source of entrepreneurship, educational support, wealth creation and provide a great deal of economic stability by sustaining businesses, wealth and assets over multiple generations. The following are common roles of family.

Attachment & bonding	Bringing up children
Child care & support	Cultural transmission
Cultured living	Discipline
Education	Elder care & support
Emotional support	Families as an economic unit
Family as a safety net	Family business & entrepreneurship
Family philanthropy and giving	Financial assistance
Fostering resilience	Guidance & advice
Holidays & celebrations	Identity development
Illness care & support	Intergenerational connections
Intergenerational wealth	Language transmission
Learning norms	Learning support
Life skills	Moral development
Nurturing & care	Quality of life
Reproduction	Role modeling
Routine & structure	Safety & protection
Sense of belonging	Social cohesion
Social connections	Social integration
Social stability	Socialization
Supporting life transitions	Sustaining tradition
Unconditional love	Values development

Summary

Families play a central role in the lives of their members and also play a role in society as a whole. The following is a basic overview of the role of family.