Crude Birth Rate = Number of births during a specified period

Total number of persons in the mid-period population or July 1 of same year

Ex. Japan registered a total of 1,103,244 live births in 2000. If its 2000 population was 80,500,439, what was

its CBR?

CBR = (1,103,244 ÷ 80,500,439) x 1000 = 13.7 or 14

General Fertility Rate = no. of births x 1000 per year women in 15-49 year range

Age Specific Birth Rate = no. of births x 1000 per year women of any specified year group

Fetal Death Rate = Number of fetal deaths in a given period

Total number of live births and fetal deaths in a given period

Perinatal Mortality Rate = Fetal and Early Neonatal Deaths

Total Births

Maternal Mortality Rate = No. of Maternal Deaths

100,000 live births

Infant Mortality Rate = Number of deaths of children less than one year of age in a year

Number of live births in the same year

Neonatal Death Rate = Number of deaths of children under 28 days of age in a year

Total live births in the same year

Childhood Mortality Rate = Number of deaths under 5-years of age in a year

Total no. of live births in a year

Family Types
Two Basic Family Types:

 Family of orientation (the family one is born into; or oneself, mother, father, and siblings, if any)

 Family of procreation (a family one establishes; or oneself, spouse or significant other, and children)

The Dyad Family

A dyad family consists of two people living together, usually a woman and a man, without children.

Newly married couples, as an example, are dyad families. This category also refers to single young same sex

adults who live together as a dyad in shared apartments, dormitories, or homes for companionship and

financial security while completing school or beginning their careers.

The Cohabitation Family

Cohabitation families are composed of heterosexual couples, and perhaps children, who live together

but remain unmarried. Although such a relationship may be temporary, it may also be as long-lasting and as

meaningful as a more traditional alliance.

The Nuclear Family

The traditional nuclear family structure is composed of a husband, wife, and children. In the past, it was

the most common structure seen worldwide.

The Polygamous Family

Although polygamy (a marriage with multiple wives) has been illegal in the United States since 1978

and so is rarely seen today, such marriages are not that unusual an arrangement worldwide. New immigrants,

particularly those from the Middle East, may have been raised in this type of family (Elbedour, Bart, & Hektner,

2007).

Polygyny (a marriage with one man and several wives) tends to occur in nations where women have

low social status or are not valued for their individual talents.

The Extended (Multigenerational) Family

 An extended family includes not only the nuclear family but also other family members such as

grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandchildren. An advantage of such a family is that it

contains more people to serve as resources during crises and provides more role models for behavior or

values. A possible disadvantage of an extended family is that family resources, both financial and

psychological, must be stretched to accommodate all members.

The Single-Parent Family

The incidence of single-headed families has increased from 10% of all families in 1960 to almost 51%

today. Of these families, 17% have a man as the single parent (NCHS, 2009). A health problem in a single-

parent family is almost always compounded. If the parent is ill, there is no back-up person for child care. If a

child is ill, there is no close support person to give reassurance or a second opinion on whether the child’s

health is worsening or improving. Low income is often an additional problem encountered by single-parent

families, because the parent is most often a woman.

The Blended Family

In a blended family, or a remarriage or reconstituted family, a divorced or widowed person with children

marries someone who also has children. Advantages of blended families include increased security and

resources for the new family. Another benefit is that the children of blended families are exposed to different

customs or culture and may become more adaptable to new situations.

The Communal Family

Communes are formed by groups of people who choose to live together as an extended family. Their

relationship to each other is motivated by social or religious values rather than kinship (Cherlin, 2008). The

values of commune members may be more oriented toward freedom and free choice than those of a traditional

family.

The Gay or Lesbian Family

 In homosexual unions, individuals of the same sex live together as partners for companionship,

financial security, and sexual fulfillment. Such a relationship offers support in times of crisis comparable to that

offered by a nuclear or cohabitation family.

The Foster Family

Children whose parents can no longer care for them may be placed in a foster or substitute home by a

child protection agency (Risley-Curtiss & Stites, 2007). Foster parents may or may not have children of their

own. They receive remuneration for their care of the foster child. Foster home placement is theoretically

temporary until children can be returned to their own parents.

The Adoptive Family

Many types of families (nuclear, extended, cohabitation, single-parent, gay and lesbian) adopt children

today. No matter what the family structure, adopting brings several challenges to the adopting parents and the

child, as well as to any other children in the family (Fontenot, 2007).

Agency Adoption. In traditional agency adoption, a couple usually contacts an agency by first attending an

informational meeting. If the couple decides to apply to the agency, they are then put on a waiting list for

processing that will include extensive interviewing and a home visit by an agency social worker to determine

whether the couple can be relied on to provide a safe and nurturing environment for an adopted child.

International Adoption. International adoption can often provide a baby in less time than a traditional agency

adoption but may create unanswered questions about prenatal health care or the birth parent’s background. In

addition, countries that are willing to permit abandoned or orphaned children to be adopted internationally are

often economically disadvantaged or war torn, meaning the child’s health or development may have suffered.

Private Adoption. For families who have exhausted other options or who cannot wait for the traditional agency

adoption process, private adoption is another alternative. With private adoption, the adopting parents usually

agree to pay a certain amount of money to a birth mother, part of which presumably goes toward the birth

mother’s prenatal and medical expenses. Sometimes, strict anonymity is maintained between the two parties;

in other instances, the adopting couple and birth mother come to know each other well.