A Cross-Cultural Approach to the Social Functions of Housing.

The dwelling is the arena of most interaction by the family as a group. It is well established that the family has lost some of its traditional functions. The thesis of this paper is that family functions are influenced by the characteristics of the home. Proposals to alleviate problems of inadequate housing among low-income groups of the world fail to consider what functions housing satisfies among various cultures, or within a given society. Descriptions of the "dream home" by rural residents of Georgia, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic are analyzed to determine the functions performed by the house. There are culturally specific differences, but in general, the higher the level of living of a group, the more functions are satisfied within the home. The manipulation of "fixed-feature space" in the form of housing could be considered as a mechanism for giving the family new functions as well as bonds that hold it together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]