👨‍👩‍👧‍👦FAMILY

Changing Roles in the Family

🧩 What is a Family?

A family is a group of people who are related to each other and live together or support each other. Families give us love, protection, and guidance.

A family usually includes parents (mother and father), children, and sometimes grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

🏺 Traditional Roles in the Family (Long Ago)

In the past, families followed clear roles based on gender and age. Everyone had a duty, and people were expected to follow certain customs.

👴🏽 Fathers and Adult Men:

• Worked in the fields (ploughing and planting crops).

• Looked after cattle, goats, and donkeys.

• Built houses (especially thatched huts) and kraals.

• Made important family decisions.

• Collected thatching grass and wood for construction.

👵🏽 Mothers and Adult Women:

• Took care of babies and young children.

• Cooked meals using firewood and three-legged pots.

• Fetched water and firewood (often from far away).

• Made clay pots and wove mats.

• Helped in the fields during harvest time.

• Passed down cultural knowledge through storytelling.

👦🏽 Boys:

• Herded animals.

• Helped build fences or scare birds from the crops.

• Learned skills from their fathers (e.g.,hunting).

👧🏽 Girls:

• Helped sweep the yard and wash dishes.

• Collected water in clay pots.

• Cooked simple meals under supervision.

• Looked after younger siblings.

• Helped their mothers with cleaning and basket weaving.

🏙️ Roles in the Modern Family (Today)

Today, family life looks very different. People live in cities, go to school, and use technology to make life easier.

👩🏽 Women and Mothers Today:

• Work outside the home as teachers, nurses, police officers, and even drivers.

• Help earn money for the family.

• Share decision-making at home.

• Still care for children, but with help from others (including fathers).

• Some women are heads of families.

👨🏽 Men and Fathers Today:

• Some stay home and take care of children (stay-at-home dads).

• Cook meals, wash clothes, and help clean the house.

• Help with homework and attend school meetings.

• Encourage daughters to go to school and dream big.

• Respect and support women as equals.

👧🏽👦🏽 Children Today:

• Help with light chores like setting the table or tidying up

• Both boys and girls can cook, clean, and help in the garden

• Have more time to study and play

• Use tablets, phones, or TVs for learning

• Go to school and sometimes daycare while parents work

💬 Before: Boys only herded cattle.
Now: Boys and girls share chores equally.

🔄 Why Have These Changes Happened?

• More girls go to school and become professionals.

• Families live in towns with electricity, water, and jobs.

• Machines and technology help us save time.

• Equality between men and women is encouraged.

• Parents share the household load because both may have jobs.

❤️ How Do These Changes Affect Family Life?

✅ There’s more sharing of responsibilities at home.
✅ Children learn to respect all types of work.
✅ Families may have less time together, as parents work and children attend school.
✅ Some grandparents feel left out if traditions are forgotten.

🧠 Let’s Think: Are today’s family changes good or bad? Why?

#Standard3Botswana #CulturalStudies #FamilyRoles #ModernVsTraditional #LearningAtHome #FamilyMatters #BotswanaSyllabus