No doubt, family is a universal social organization.

But its forms, structure or

types vary from society to society and from time to time. Due to variation in
condition of life, social values, culture and a host of other factors different types
of family found to exists. Hence it is really difficult to classify family. But
sociologists and anthropologist made an attempt to classify family. They classify
family on different basis. However different types or classifications of family are
as follows:

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(A) On the basis of size and structure:

On the basis of size and structure or according to the number of members family
may be classified into two types such as (i) Nuclear family and joint family or
extended family.

(1) Nuclear Family:

A nuclear family is a family which consists of husband, wife and their unmarried
children. The size of nuclear family is very small. It is an autonomous unit. There
is no control of the elders because newly weds crate a separate residence for
themselves which is independent of elders. It is also known as primary family. It is
an ideal family. Murdock divides nuclear family into two types such as (a) The
Family of orientation and (b) the Family of procreation.

The family in which an individual is born and reared and socialized is known as
the family of orientation. It consists of father, mother, brother and sister. On the
other hand the family of procreation refers to the family established by the
person through marriage. It consist of husband, wife their sons and daughters.

(2) Joint or Extended Family:

Extended or joint family is large in size. It consist of a number of nuclear family. It
includes members of three to four generations. It is an extension of parent child
relationship. This family is based on close blood ties. It is like the joint family of
Hindu Society. The eldest male member is the head of the family. Children of the
family even after their marriage has little importance. Extended family consists of
father, mother, their sons and their wife, unmarried daughters, grand children,
grand father, grandmother, uncles, aunts, their children and so on. This type of
family found to exist in rural community or agrarian economy.

Nuclear Family: Advantages and Disadvantages

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The individual nuclear family is a universal social phenomenon. Duncan Mitchell

in his Dictionary of sociology has defined nuclear family as A small group
composed of husband and wife and immature children which constitutes a unit
apart from the rest of the community.

In simple words a nuclear family is one which consists of the husband wife and
their unmarried children. Soon after marriage, the children leave their parental
home and establish their separate household. Hence a nuclear family is an
autonomous unit free from the control of the elders. Since there is physical
distance between parents and their married children, there is minimum
interdependence between them. Thus a nuclear family is mostly independent.
Modern family is a typical example of nuclear family.

Advantage of Nuclear Family:

(1) Development of Personality:

Nuclear family plays an important role in the development of personality of

individuals. Children are more close to the parents and can have more free and
frank discussion about their problems with parents which helps for the better
development of their personality.

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(2) Better Condition of Women:

In nuclear families the condition of woman is better than joint families. She gets
enough time to look after her children. She also gets time to plan and manage
her house according to her own idea. There is no interference of elders. Her
husband can also devote more attention to the wife in nuclear family.

(3) Less number of children:

Family planning programme becomes successful in nuclear families. The

members of nuclear family have to plan and limit their family as they have to
bear all the responsibilities and expenses themselves to rear their children. The
children also are benefited in the long run as they inherit directly property from
their parents.

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(4) Peace and Harmony:

Peace and harmony are very much essential for a pleasant family life. In nuclear
families there is no misunderstanding and they enjoy a harmonious atmosphere
by living together.

(5) Individual Responsibilities:

In nuclear family there is no shifting of responsibility like in joint family. The

parents are bound to take responsibility of their children by themselves. The head
of family has to work hard to take care of his family.

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(6) Problem Free Unit:

There is no chance of in-laws conflict. Financial problem does not arise in nuclear
family. Money can be saved for future achievement and to face uncertain crisis of
family. All enjoy independent life and can be engaged in any economic activities
to supplement family income. The will and desires of children are considered and
are given proper weight. All members of nuclear family are emotional secured. No
superiority complex is felt by anybody. All are given equal weightage.

Disadvantages:

(1) Economic disadvantage:

The property of the family is divided among the brothers and each live
separately. The land being subdivided does not yield much production resulting
the land as an uneconomic holding. On the other hand one has to employ other
labours to achieve the desired goal due to limited size of family. In this way the
economic loss is more in nuclear family by paying remuneration to the labourers.

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(2) Insecurity of Children:

In nuclear family both husband and wife adopt profession outside the family, then
children are neglected and looked after by the servants. They feel lonely and
emotional insecure. They develop more anxiety. If the bread winner dies or
becomes incapable to en, there is no one to support the family. Even in time of
emergency like sickness, accident or during pregnancy family members are very
much neglected and there is no one to take care of them.

(3) Agency to Develop Bad Qualities of Inmates:

As it is an autonomous unit, it is free from the social control of elders. So the

children develop all sorts of bad qualities like theft, her and lead their lifestyle in
indiscipline way. They become unsocial as they do not get opportunity to mix with
other members of the family.
(4) Loneliness:

Feeling of loneliness is one of important drawbacks in nuclear family. After

completion of household task, the housewife becomes alone at home. At the time
of emergency one can get any help and support from any other.

(5) Insecure For Old, Widow and Divorce:

In nuclear family widowed, old and divorce fare very much neglected. No one in
the family bothers to take care of them. Physically and psychologically they feel
insecure. Above all in nuclear family children are socially, emotionally and
educational maladjusted. There is a chance of family breakage in case of conflict
between the compel. Still then everybody wants to go for a nuclear family in the
modern society because of its advantages which certainly outnumber the
disadvantages.

Joint Family: Nature, Types and Characteristics of Joint Family

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Joint Family: Nature, Types and Characteristics of Joint Family!

Nature of Joint Family:

The concept of joint family has varied with different scholars. While Irawati Karve
regards coresidentiality as important in jointness, Harold Gould, LP. Desai, S.C.
Dube, B.S. Cohn, and Pauline Kolenda do not regard coresidentiality and
commensality as essential ingredients of jointness. F.G. Bailey and T.N. Madan
give importance to joint ownership of property, irrespective of the type of
residence and commensality. I.P. Desai gives importance to fulfillment of
obligations towards kin, even if residence is separate and there is no common
ownership of property.

According to Irawati Karve, the traditional ancient Indian family (Vedic and Epic
periods) was joint in terms of residence, property, and functions. She has given
five characteristics of joint family: common residence, common kitchen, common
property, common family worship, and some kinship relationship. On this basis,
she defines joint family as a group of people, who generally live under one roof,
eat food cooked at one hearth, hold property in common, participate in common
family worship, and are related to each other as some particular type of kindred.
The word common or joint property here (according to the Hindu Succession
Act, 1956) means that all the living male and female members up to three
generations have a share in the paternal property.

According to I.P. Desai, co-residence and common kitchen are not as important
dimensions of joint family as intra-family relationships are. He thinks that when
two families having kinship relationship are living separately but function under
one common authority, it will be a joint family. He calls it functional joint family.
He calls a traditional joint family as one which consists of three or more
generations. He calls two- generation family as a marginal joint family.

Types of Joint Family:

Ramakrishna Mukherjee while giving five types of relationsconjugal, parental-

filial, inter-sibling, lineal and affinalhas maintained that a joint family is a co-
resident and commensal kin-group which consists of one or more of the first three
types of relations and either lineal and/or affinal relations among the members.

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While I.P. Desai has given five types of familynuclear, functionally joint,
functionally and substantially (in terms of property) joint, marginally joint, and
traditional joint, K.M. Kapadia has given five types of family: nuclear (husband,
wife and unmarried children), nuclear with married sons (what I.P. Desai calls
Marginal Joint and Aileen Ross calls small joint family), lineal joint, collateral joint,
and nuclear family with a dependent (widowed sister, etc.) Aileen Ross has given
four types of families: large joint, small joint, nuclear, and nuclear with
dependents.

Taking all these types of families together as given by different scholars, a joint
family may be defined as a multiplicity of genealogically related nuclear families,
joint in residence and commensal relations and functioning under one authority.
M.S. Gore has said that a joint family should be viewed as a family of
coparceners and their dependents instead of viewing it as a multiplicity of
nuclear families. He holds that in a nuclear family, the emphasis is on conjugal
relationship while in a joint family, emphasis is on filial and fraternal
relationships.
According to Gore, joint family is of three types:

1. Filial joint family (parents and their married sons with their offspring),

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2. Fraternal joint family (two married brothers and their children) and

3. Filial and fraternal (combined) joint family.

I consider a nuclear family which has separated from fathers or married brothers
family, as a fissioned family. This fissioned family can be totally independent or
dependent on some other nuclear family related through some type of kinship.
On the other hand, I classify the joint families in terms of types of kin (primary,
secondary, tertiary and distant) involved.

Characteristics of Joint Family

The characteristics of joint family may be described as below:

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1. It has an authoritarian structure, i.e., power to make decisions lies in the hands
of the head of the family (patriarch). Contrary to the authoritarian family, in a
democratic family, the authority is vested in one or more individuals on the basis
of competence and ability.

2. It has familistic organisation, i.e., individuals interests are subordinated to the

interests of the family as a whole, or the goals of the family are the goals of the
individual members.

3. Status of members is determined by their age and relationship. The status of a

man is higher than his wife; in two generations, the status of a person in the
higher generation is higher than the status of a person in the lower generation; in
the same generation, the status of a person of higher age is higher than the
status of a person of lower age; and the status of a woman is determined by the
status of her husband in the family.

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4. The filial and fraternal relationship gets preference over conjugal relationship,
i.e., husband-wife relationship is subordinated to father-son or brother-brother
relationship.

5. The family functions on the ideal of joint responsibility. If a father takes loan to
marry his daughter, it is also the responsibility of his sons to repay the loan.

6. All members get equal attention. A poor brothers son will be admitted to the
same school (even if costly) as rich brothers son.

7. The authority in the family (between men and men, men and women, and
women and women) is determined on the principle of seniority. Though the eldest
male (or female) may delegate the authority to someone else yet even this
delegation is based on the principle of seniority, which limits the scope for the
emergence of individualism.

Advantages of Joint Family System:

The following are the advantages of joint family system,

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(i) Economy:

The collective cooking, shelter and consumption brings down the cost of
expenditure. Since things are consumed in large quantities they are secured at
economic prices. Within small means a large family can be maintained if it lives
jointly.
(ii) Division of Labour:

It secures the advantages of the division of labour. Every member in the family is
given work according to his abilities without being taxed unduly. Every phase of
family life is managed by all members including women and children.

(iii) Social Insurance:

In the joint family the orphans find a comfortable asylum instead of being thrown
out. Similarly, widows are assured of their proper living for whom remarriage in
India is unthinkable. The joint family acts as a social insurance company for the
old, sick and incapacitated.

(iv) Social Virtues:

It fosters great virtues like sacrifice, affection, co-operation, spirit of selflessness,

broad mindedness among its members and makes the family a cradle of social
virtues. Under the care of elders the undesirable and antisocial tendencies of the
young are checked and they are prevented from going astray. They learn of
exercise self-control. All members learn to obey family rules and respect their
elders.

(v) Opportunity for Leisure:

It provides opportunities for leisure to the members. The female members divide
the household work and finish it within a little time spending the rest of it in
leisure.

(vi) Socialism:

According to Sir Henry Maine, the joint family is like a corporation where trustee
is the father. Everyone in the joint family works according to his capabilities but
obtains according to his needs. Thus it realises the socialistic ideal, from each
according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

(vii) It Provides Minimum Existence:

In joint family, each member earns according to his capacity and gets according
to his needs. Thus each member is assured of food, shelter and clothing.

Disadvantages of Joint Family System:

The main disadvantages of the system are said to be following:

(i) Society is the Sufferer:

In a joint family, members do not put in maximum efforts. Therefore, their full
potentials are not realised. As a result society suffers.

(ii) It Perpetuates Orthodoxy:

The head of the family is generally the old man who is not ready to accept
changes and break customs and traditions which the family is pursuing for years.

(iii) Leads to Quarrels:

A joint family is usually unwieldy. Temperaments of members are bound to differ

and in an unwieldy family, time and again interest of the members in one way or
the other is bound to be forgotten. This leads to family disputes.

(iv) Hindrance in Development:

Sometimes progress and development of members is hindered since protection is

available at every stage. The whole environment of the family is not congenial for
growth of the individual because he is bound down by the minutest rules and
regulations framed by the head of the family who looks upon men and women as
children even when they obtain adulthood.

(v) Home for Idlers:

Joint family is the home for idlers and drones as the non-earning members do not
want to earn their livelihood. When a person can eat comfortably without exerting
himself, he is unlikely to indulge in any strenuous activity. Mostly in the joint
family it happens that some people work hard and earn money, while others
comfortably enjoy it.

Comparative Essay on Joint Family Vs. Nuclear Family System

Article shared by Dinayak Shenoy

In India, the joint family system has been in existence since ancient times. The
father is considered as the head of the family. His wife, sons, daughters-in-law
and grandchildren together constitutes a joint family. The head of the family feels
proud of the great number of members. However, with the passage of time, the
joint family system has disintegrated, giving rise to the nuclear family system.

The nuclear family consists of a man, his wife and their children. Job opportunities
available in the cities become the main cause of the disintegration of the joint
family system. People migrated to the cities in search of jobs. For a number of
reasons, a joint family system could not exist in the cities. There is a lack of living
space in the cities. It is difficult to accommodate all the members of a joint family
in a single house in the city. To cost of living is very high in the cities. It is
generally believed that mother-in-law and daughter-in-law do not get along well
in a city household.

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e82553a271b6cfdf0ae0f84b730ab65e.r82.cf2.rackcdn.com/5DCC1124-93F2-
4357-BCFB-650E532C2001.jpg

In ancient and medieval times, the older members of the family enjoyed great
respect. They relaxed in the company of their counterparts. They amused
themselves with the pranks of their grandchildren. They handled the financial
matters of the household. But with the rise of towns and cities, the older and
younger generations widened a great deal. A survey, carried out in the capital
city, Delhi revealed that 40 % of the elderly people have no caretakers. They
spend their old age away from the love and care of their children and
grandchildren. There has been a steep rise in the crime rate against senior
citizens. Old age have been set up at various places to take care of the senior
citizens. In Delhi, Police departments is making a list of helpless senior citizens to
make arrangements for their safety.

Comparative Essay on Joint Family Vs. Nuclear Family System

Article shared by Dinayak Shenoy

In India, the joint family system has been in existence since ancient times. The
father is considered as the head of the family. His wife, sons, daughters-in-law
and grandchildren together constitutes a joint family. The head of the family feels
proud of the great number of members. However, with the passage of time, the
joint family system has disintegrated, giving rise to the nuclear family system.

The nuclear family consists of a man, his wife and their children. Job opportunities
available in the cities become the main cause of the disintegration of the joint
family system. People migrated to the cities in search of jobs. For a number of
reasons, a joint family system could not exist in the cities. There is a lack of living
space in the cities. It is difficult to accommodate all the members of a joint family
in a single house in the city. To cost of living is very high in the cities. It is
generally believed that mother-in-law and daughter-in-law do not get along well
in a city household.

image source: 655e823511efb289952c-

e82553a271b6cfdf0ae0f84b730ab65e.r82.cf2.rackcdn.com/5DCC1124-93F2-
4357-BCFB-650E532C2001.jpg

In ancient and medieval times, the older members of the family enjoyed great
respect. They relaxed in the company of their counterparts. They amused
themselves with the pranks of their grandchildren. They handled the financial
matters of the household. But with the rise of towns and cities, the older and
younger generations widened a great deal. A survey, carried out in the capital
city, Delhi revealed that 40 % of the elderly people have no caretakers. They
spend their old age away from the love and care of their children and
grandchildren. There has been a steep rise in the crime rate against senior
citizens. Old age have been set up at various places to take care of the senior
citizens. In Delhi, Police departments is making a list of helpless senior citizens to
make arrangements for their safety.
Joint Family Vs Nuclear Family - What's your choice?

Introduction

Family is considered to be the most essential part of a person's life. Every

individual is taught about the importance of a family since their childhood days.

There are two types of family systems joint family and nuclear family systems.
Joint family is a type of extended family, which consists of parents, their children,
spouses of the children and their offspring in one household. A nuclear family is
composed of parents and their children.

Which one would you prefer?

Joint Family

1. Dependency As discussed, a joint family is an extended family and it consists

of a lot of members. People can depend on each other for any kind of help. Thus,
this is one of the best quality that a joint family possess.

2. Unity Joint family creates an emotional bond between two generations and it
helps to keep the family united in all the situations. The tradition and culture is
passed on to the coming generations so that they can take it forward. The
proverb United we stand, Divided we fall, goes true in the joint family system.

3. Preference of the youngsters There are youngsters out there in the society,
who prefer a social life with a better support system. These people believe in the
system of joint family.
4. Provides an opportunity for leisure time The joint family system provides an
opportunity for leisure time as the female members divide the household work
and finish it off very soon.

5. Social insurance Joint family acts as a social insurance and a support for the
widows and the old aged people. They are assured of a proper living.

Nuclear family

1. More freedom Nuclear families have more freedom as compared to a joint

family system. They do not have to worry about what the other members of the
household may think. They can roam around freely and come back at any time
without being answerable to anyone. Democracy exists in a nuclear family.

2. Bonding Nuclear family is based upon the parental love and sibling
connection. The mechanism of relationships in a nuclear family is very straight
forward. It is based on the foundation of mutual respect and love for each other.

3. Kid's preference Youngsters of a nuclear family prefer more freedom and less
restrictions. As both the parents go to work, kids may feel bored at home. They
may prefer to go out and play with their friends or to go out for an outing. To
carry out such activities, less restriction is essential.

4. Quarrels Nuclear families face fewer quarrels when compared to a joint

family. Usually, they are the small quarrels between a husband and wife or a child
and the parents.

Conclusion

Both the joint and nuclear families have their own pros and cons. India is a
country which is known for its cultural diversity and thus, joint family system is
still prevalent in many parts of the country.

But with the increase in urbanization, nuclear families are taking over the joint
family systems. When compared to joint family, nuclear families many a times
feel better. They provide a peace and calm environment at home as there are
very few quarrels. Every individual after coming from work requires a peaceful
atmosphere at home. As they say - small family, happy family.