The subject of family policy is family and since the term family policy connects the whole paper, it is very important to define family correctly. Many scientific texts as in for example Matousek (2008), Mozny (2008) or Giddens (1999), state that it is very difficult to find an appropriate and even definition on the term family. This is especially
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due to social and political development of a society as well as due to varying value bases (Mozny 2008). The purpose of this section is to present and define family as an important social institution.
We can look at the definition of family from different disciplines. There is no one explanation what is family, because its functions are not unequivocally anchored in the literature and it is not specified whom can we define as family (Matousek 2008). The concept is based on the fact that family itself does not have one fixed, unchangeable form (Matousek 2008). Giddens (1999) defines family as "a group of persons directly related to relationships, whose adult members are responsible for raising children"
(Giddens, 1999: 156). And because there is no a constant form, an institution of a family has undergone many changes. These changes are dependent on the development of the whole society throughout its history. Family can be considered as a social institution composed of parents and their children, therefore the condition is to have two generations (Mozny 2008).
Mozny (2008), states that family is mainly founded by the birth of the first child. And therefore, in the traditional concept family is a group of people linked by blood or true bonds such as marriage or adoption (Matousek 2008). The broader concept of family is typical for some modern societies and conceives family as a group of people who declare themselves as a family on the basis of mutual affection (Matousek 2008). From the sociological point of view, we view family as a social group, which is at the same time a primary, informal, small, own and member group (Giddens 1999). Krebs (2002) describes family as the oldest basic social unit and thus it fulfils important functions in society and receives special support in most countries through family policy measures.
These are an integral part of national social policy and they are in form of legal, economic and social measures (Krebs 2002). In modern politics, family is considered to be a group of married people or spouses sharing one household, partners with one or more children, or one of the parents with one or more children (Krebs 2002). For the purpose of this thesis, I will also consider a family as partners or one parent living together with at least one child. The basic functions of family have changed together with changes in our society (Mozny 1999). However, the essence of these functions remains to this day, only the way of their fulfilment has changed. How does a family perform its duties is then reflected in its functioning. The basic functions which are
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considered as typical signs of today’s family are biological-reproductive function, economic functions and security, educational and socializing function as well as functions of health, relaxation and regeneration (Mozny 1999).
Although family seems to be losing their traditional roles in post-modern societies, we can still see it as a basic social unit (Mozny 1999). However according to Mozny (1999) we can say that the institute of family develops simultaneously with the development of society.
2.3.1 Signs of post-industrial family
Within the transition to post-industrial society, also the roles of men and women change. For women, education is nowadays as approachable and as important as for men, maternity does no longer mean a lifelong fulfilment, women don´t see men as the sole breadwinner anymore, which changes the basic family structures (Havelková 2007). According to Trpišovská and Vacínová (2007) the features of the contemporary family are delay of marriage and postponing of family for later, existence of single parent families, increase in divorce rates, a decrease in people's interest in joining and having children after a divorce, reducing the number of children at home or having no children at all or an extended period of time for children to live with their parents. Also the national concept of family policy (2015) for the Czech Republic states that in today´s post-industrial society, there is an increased focus on individuality, professional self-fulfilment, performance and flexibility and it odds with the traditional family roles.
Therefore, today´s family is sometimes referred to as postmodern. The modern form of a family is often associated with the transformation of postmodern society. The modern society together with a family goes towards an individualization of values, lifestyles, and more freedom in their individual choices (Sirovatka 2005). However postmodern period often brings new values and risks. In postmodern society, women tend to be more educated and thus to increase their employment and interest in working careers and this builds new social risks in postmodern societies (Sirovátka 2003).
Establishing a family becomes a matter of individual choice, and marriage is no longer a necessary condition for establishing family life, thus creating new forms of partnership and thus new forms of family (Sirovátka 2003). Mozný (2006) summarizes the
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characteristics of the modern family as follows: “the head of a modern family is no longer only the father, but the authority of both parents is equally divided”. The roles in a family remain complementary, but also segregated. The type of a contemporary modern family is based on an equal relationship between a woman and a man (Tucek 1998). Gradually, women are more emancipated. It is no longer an exception that women become the heads and the breadwinners in family. It especially happens in single parent families (Tucek 1998). However these signs of postmodern family bring new obstacles as well as great changes in the division of labour in a household, but also changes in caring duties.