UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF LEGAL

STUDIES, PANJAB UNIVERSITY,

CHANDIGARH.

A PROJECT REPORT SUBMITTED ON THE TOPIC:

JOINT FAMILY AND ITS FEATURES
In fulfilment of the requirement for
B.COM. LLB
(Hons.) 2st YEAR,
SEMESTER-4
SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:
Dr.Jai Mala Mansimrit singh
Roll no: 359/22
Section-F
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 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my project supervisor, Dr. JAI MALA , who has supervised
this study from the start and whose knowledge and insights have greatly aided me in writing the
project on the importance of joint family. Working under her has been a wonderful experience
for me.

I'd like to express my gratitude to the academic department and library OF UNIVERSITY
INSTITUTE OF LEGAL STUDIES for their unwavering support and availability of resources
and books, without which it would have been difficult to accomplish my project within the
deadline.

I'd want to thank my parents and classmates for their support, as well as their ideas and
perspectives, which aided me in moving on with my project.

MANSIMRIT SINGH JOSSAN

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

S. No. TOPIC Page No.

1. INTRODUCTION 4

3. MEANING OF JOINT FAMILY 6

4. FEATURES OF A JOINT FAMILY 7

5. ADVANTAGES OF A JOINT FAMILY 14

6. DISADVANTAGES OF A JOINT FAMILY 16

7. CONCLUSION 17

8. BIBLIOGRAPHY 18

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 ABSTRACT

Family is one of mankind's most universal and durable institutions. We identified some kind of
family in every civilization and at every level of development. As a consequence, we discovered
many sorts of families from all over the globe. However, we discovered a unique family system
in India that deserves particular attention. In India, a family includes not only a husband and wife
and their children, but also uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandchildren. The term "joint family" or
"extended family" refers to this concept. This joint family structure is a unique feature of Indian
society. Typically, a son does not remove himself from his parents after marriage, but instead
continues to live under the same roof, eating meals cooked under same kitchen, engaging in
community worship, and possessing shared property in which everyone has a portion.

This project will be covering origin and historical development of joint family, difference
between nuclear and joint family, features of a joint family, advantages and importance of joint
family in the 21st century and disadvantages of a joint family.

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 SYNOPSIS

OBJECTIVE:
The objective of the study is to find out about joint family, discuss its features, advantages,
disadvantages and its impact on the society.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY:

This study will help the reader to understand the origin of joint family, roles and responsibilities
of various members in the family, its economical benefits and some of its adverse impacts as
well.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY:

The scope of this project is limited to the origin and definition of joint family, its comparison
with nuclear family and its pros and cons.

LITERATURE REVIEW:
The researcher used various primary and secondary sources of data like books, journals, websites
and articles.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
The researcher has used the doctrinal method of study and complemented it with the explanatory
method to substantiate and explain the answers.

MODE OF CITATION:
OSCOLA, 4th edition.

RESEARCH QUESTION:
1. What are some of the advantages of a joint family?
2. State any three differences between joint and nuclear family?
3. What is role of ‘Karta’ in a joint family?

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 INTRODUCTION

In India, joint families have remained for decades and centuries, surviving the passage of time.
Obviously, most traditional joint families are no longer in existence, and many of these families
are now merely 'joint' in name. The fact that joint families have existed for so long is proof that
they offer several benefits over other forms of families. For a long time, joint families were seen
to be the most stable, and they have weathered the storms of change. They guarantee that
economic and social duties are shared by all adult members of a joint family, rather than being
carried only by individuals. As a result, the task of operating a home does not rest only on one
person or family.

There is effective division of labor, in which work is allocated among all family members based
on age, sex, and, to a degree, competence. Because they share property, members collaborate
with one another. All family members are properly cared for, and the jobless, elderly, and
handicapped are given special attention and care. The joint family is in charge of recreation,
leisure, and education. It also teaches youngsters to share and be affectionate with one another.
Children raised in a joint family are more adaptable and accommodating than those raised in
nuclear homes. The members of the joint family are also provided with emotional and
psychological protection. It's also a monetary and social cooperation unit.

It also encourages members to be lazy and idle, as well as quarrels and squabbling, which leads
to unhappiness and discontent. Due to a lack of privacy, improper interaction between children
and their parents has an impact on the socialization process. One of the most significant
disadvantages of the joint family is that it limits social mobility since family ties take precedence
over all other factors.

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 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Formal spatiotemporal study of family types started in the mid-nineteenth century with Frédéric
Le Play's vast empirical research, which established the conditions of theoretical disputes that
continue today. “In all corners of the globe and throughout history, according to Le Play, there
are three fundamental sorts of families. The famille patriarcale, or joint family, was a kind of
family in which all sons stayed with or near their parents after reaching maturity and worked
together on the family farm. When the family became too big to sustain on a single farm, the
family would eventually break up, with some sons obtaining transportable goods like livestock.”1

Le Play's study was improved upon by Charles Devas in 1886, who provided an in-depth
comparative examination of joint families from throughout the globe. Devas said that “joint
families were popular in China and India, as well as Russia, the Balkans, and areas of Central
Italy in the past. But in places like modern France or England or North America the dimnished
control of father over their children has led to the rapid dissoultion of the joint family.”2

Joint Families can be supposed to be the result of the Aryans settling down in various regions of
the globe. Similar institutions may be found all over the globe. As we previously learned, in
ancient Roman society, the highest power lay with the family's oldest male member, who was
authorized to take all actions in governing the family's business.

The joint family structure emerged once the pastoral era ended and people started to live a stable
life by tilling the land, building houses, and keeping their patrimony. Due to communication and
travel difficulties, all members of the family were forced to live together and share the family's
agricultural or trading vocation.

Aside from these factors, the kinship concept and religion stressing ancestor worship created the
joint family a sophisticated organization that catered to the spiritual and economic interests of the
enormous family groupings that made up society. While the joint family structure has vanished
in other areas of the globe, it still exists in India, albeit with significant difficulties brought on by
industrialization and urbanization.

1 Le Play Frédéric, L'organisation de la famille selon le vrai modèle signalé par l'histoire de toutes les races et de
tous les temps (3rd edn, Tours: A. Mame, 1884).
2 Devas Charles Stanton, Studies of Family Life: A Contribution to Social Science (London: Burns and Oates, 1886).

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 MEANING OF JOINT FAMILY

“We call that household a joint family which has greater generation depth than individual family
and the members of which are related to one another by property, income and mutual rights and
obligations.”3

“The joint family consists of persons having a common male ancestor, female offspring not yet
married, and women brought into the group by marriage. All of these persons might live in a
common household or in several households near to one another. In any case, so long as the joint
family holds together, its members are expected to contribute to the support of the whole and to
receive from it a share of the total product.” – Davis.

The study of the Indian family system is particularly important, not just because they are born
into Indian families, but also because the Indian family structure varies from the western family
structure in material terms. In India, a family includes not only a married couple and their
children, but also uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandchildren.

This arrangement, also known as the joint family or extended family system, is a unique feature
of Indian social life. After marriage, a son generally does not distance himself from his parents
and continues to live with them under the same roof, playing around and sharing property
collectively.

Every member of the family owns a portion of the family's property from the moment he is born.
All of the members' incomes goes into a shared fund, which is used to cover family expenditures.
Non-earning members own the same percentage of the company as earning members. As a
result, the Indian family structure resembles a socialist society in which everyone works
according to his or her ability and gets according to his or her needs.

3 I. P. Desai, ‘The Joint Family in India—An Analysis’ (1956) 5 (2) Sociol. Bull. 144, 156.
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In India, the family is founded on patrilineal ancestry. Names and loyalty to the father's family
are used to identify the children. Within the father's family, property is handed down from
one generation to another.

“The classic form of the family in India is that of the joint family. It is prescribed in certain of
the sacred Hindu books and has prevailed in the land for centuries. The joint family structure
described here is today more characteristic of rural than of urban families, of the upper caste and
wealthier strata of society than of the lower and poorer strata, of the more orthodox sectors than
of those which have taken over Western traits, and of Hindu than of Muslim communities. But
even among urban and Westernized and Muslim families, the patterns of interpersonal
relationships set by the joint family are not wholly ignored, and the model of the orthodox,
scriptural joint family still has influence every- where in India.”4

TYPES OF JOINT FAMILY:

While I.P. Desai distinguishes five types of families: nuclear, functionally joint, functionally and
substantially (in terms of property) joint, marginally joint, and traditional joint, K.M. Kapadia
distinguishes five types of families: nuclear (husband, wife, and unmarried children), nuclear
with married sons (what I.P. Desai refers to as Marginal Joint and Aileen Ross refers to as small
joint family), lineal joint, collateral joint, and nuclear family (widowed sister, etc.) There are four
sorts of families, according to Aileen Ross: big joint, small joint, nuclear, and nuclear with
dependents.

When all of these sorts of families are combined, a joint family may be characterized as "a
multiplicity of genealogically linked nuclear families, joint in dwelling and commensal
connections, and working under one authority," according to various scholars. A joint family,
according to M.S. Gore, should be understood as "a family of coparceners and their dependents,"
rather than as a collection of nuclear families. He believes that in a nuclear family, the focus is
on the romantic connection, but in a joint family, the focus is on the filial and fraternal bonds.

4 David G. Mandelbaum, ‘The Family in India’ (1948) 4 (2) Sothwest. J. Anthropol. 123, 139.

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DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NUCLEAR AND JOINT FAMILY:

COMPOSITION - A basic nuclear family consists of a couple of children, a husband, and a

wife. A nuclear family has a small number of members.

The number of members living under one roof under a joint family setup is substantially higher.
In addition to the foregoing, grandparents, married siblings, son's spouse, grandchildren, nieces,
and other dependents and relatives may live with a joint family.

RESONSIBIILITY - A nuclear family's responsibilities are shared by the couple.

The head of the family has a duty under the joint-family system. The elders prepare the younger
ones for various jobs, marry them, provide them with a good start in life, and care for the sick
and elderly.

AFFECTION - In a joint family, there is a stronger sense of togetherness and love among
family members and relatives than in a nuclear family. The family's success and misfortune are
shared equally in a joint family.

FREEDOM - The young couple has greater flexibility in a nuclear household. They are free to
do anything they choose. They may also take financial risks to demonstrate their entrepreneurial
spirit.

Individuals in a combined family have less independence. Family members have joint ownership
of the family's assets and wealth. Individual development has a smaller role to play.

SUBSISTENCE - A nuclear family's subsistence is reliant on either the husband or the wife, or
both.

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A shared family structure ensures that all family members have a minimal level of subsistence.

FEATURES OF A JOINT FAMILY

HUGE SIZE:

The joint family's first distinguishing feature is its enormous size. Only the husband, wife, and
children make up a single family. A joint family, on the other hand, is made up of parents,
children, grandchildren, aunts, cousins, nephews, uncles and other close relatives, as well as their
partners. It is a group in which numerous basic families live in close proximity to one another.

JOINT PROPERTY:

Another key feature of a joint family is combined or communal property. The family's moveable
and immovable property is owned jointly. Property ownership, production, and consumption are
all done in tandem. Everyone in the family puts their money into a single family fund, from
which they all spend equally regardless of their earnings. The family's head serves as a trustee
for the family's assets and is concerned for the material and spiritual well-being of the members.
A family will continue to be a unit till all of its assets are owned jointly. Property division entails
familial division.

COMMON HABITATION:

The greatest distinguishing feature of a joint family is that it consists of numerous families living
together in one home. Members of a joint family may live apart owing to a lack of housing or
educational and career issues, but they endeavor to maintain frequent contact and a sense of
belonging to the same family.

The most noticeable aspect of a joint family, according to Sir Henry Maine, is common dwelling.
Living in a community develops a sense of belonging among family members. Members may

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live in different residences in close proximity to one another, eat the same cuisine, and dress in
the same manner. The kingship bond brings family members closer together. In a joint family,
blood relatives such as parents, children, brothers and sisters, grandparents and grandchildren all
live under the same roof.

CO-OPERATIVE ORGANISATION:

Cooperation is the foundation of the joint family structure. A joint family has a high number of
individuals, and it will become impossible to preserve the joint family's organization and
structure if they do not collaborate with one another.

COMMON WORSHIP:

A joint family's members believe in the same religion and worship the same gods and goddesses.
'Kula devatas' is the name given to this common deity. Everyone in the group prays and worships
their 'kula devatas' together. They share the same religion and values. All the members
participate in religious ceremonies, responsibilities, and holidays together. This communal
devotion is passed down through the generations.

PRODUCTIVE UNIT:

Agricultural families have this trait of a joint family. Everyone in the group works in the same
field. They work together to seed and harvest the crops. Even among the artisan classes, every
member of a joint family does the same task.

“In the economic sphere, the joint family is not only a single consumer unit, it is typically a
single producer unit as well. Among agricultural folk, all the members of the family till the
family fields and together work the harvest. Among the artisan castes who still do handicraft in
the old manner, as in weaving, it is again the family that is the producing unit, since the members
of the family coooperate in the output of handicraft goods. Indeed it has been the advent of new

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professional and industrial techniques in the cities which has taken away from the joint family its
previous functions as a producing unit and so has undermined the old social structure.”5

MUTUAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS:

Every member of a joint family is fully aware about one another's rights, responsibilities, and
obligations to the family. The family, in turn, safeguards and promotes the well-being of
everybody. The family's oldest member serves as a mentor for the younger members. The
sustaining factor of the joint family is stated to be a proper knowledge of mutual commitments
and fulfilment of tasks. They are kept together as a tight-knit unit by a system of mutual rights
and obligations. It constantly adheres to the golden guideline of "one for all and all for one".

COMMON KITCHEN:

Food is prepared in a common kitchen for all members of a joint family. The communal kitchen
is usually run by the head of the household's wife or an older lady. In the communal kitchen, she
oversees the work of the other women. Other ladies in the household help her out. The
importance of a shared kitchen is extremely vital because if kitchen is divided, it means that the
united family has dissolved.

KARTA AS A HEAD:

Karta is the name given to the family's head. The oldest member, who has sovereign authority, is
known as karta. He has complete control over the other family members and their belongings.
The relationship between the family's head and the other members, on the other hand, is friendly.
The headship used to pass to the next eldest member of the family after the demise of the head.
The family's head is the family's guardian and has unquestioned power.

5 David G. Mandelbaum, ‘The Family in India’ (1948) 4 (2) Sothwest. J. Anthropol. 123, 139.

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 ADVANTAGES OF A JOINT FAMILY

ENSURES ECONOMIC GROWTH:

It supports the country's economic success since everyone in the family is assured basic
sustenance, which is a prerequisite for economic progress. People will not commit themselves to
the prosperity of the nation unless they are ensured of food and shelter. Citizens must be able to
eat at least two meals every day in order for the country to develop. This is provided by the joint
family to its members, allowing them to dedicate themselves to the advancement of the country.

SHARED CHORES:

A family is like a giant team, a collaborative effort in which everyone contributes. You are not
required to complete all tasks on your own. Household duties such as cooking, cleaning,
washing, and grocery shopping will be divided among family members, reducing the strain on a
single person.

Children learn the division of labor and how to work together to attain a shared objective as they
grow up in a joint household. Working as a team can help youngsters build social skills and learn
teamwork in the long term, which is an important component of their total personality
development.

ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT:

The importance of the family system in the development of entrepreneurship cannot be stressed
enough. They provide an emotional support and have someone to back them up . On the other
hand, there is some evidence that a combined family, at least in the early stages, may be a
valuable institution in capital accumulation. According to economists, the joint family structure
has aided in the construction of textile mills, steel factories, and other industrial companies in our
nation, in addition to trade and banking.

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OPPORTUNITY FOR LEISURE:

It provides members with more leisure time. The female members of the home split the domestic
labor and complete it in a short amount of time, allowing them to spend the remaining of their
time in leisure.

SOCIAL INSURANCE:

Instead of being cast out, orphans find a safe haven in the joint family. Similarly, widows who
are unable to remarry in India are guaranteed of a decent life. For the elderly, ill, and disabled,
the joint family serves as a social insurance agent.

AGENCY OF SOCIALIZATION:

The joint family is an important socializing agent. The child is initially socialized by his or her
family. In the family, the child learns a variety of civic qualities. He cultivates tremendous
values, such as sacrifice, love, cooperation, selflessness, and broadmindedness. The familial
environment influences a child's development. In the family, the youngster receives his first
instruction. The family shapes an individual's personality and continues to have an impact
throughout life.

The young's undesired and anti-social inclinations are curbed and they are stopped from
becoming wrong while they are under the care of elders. They learn to regulate their emotions.
Everyone in the family learns to follow the rules and respect their elders.

QUALITY TIME WITH THE FAMILY:

“We have learned to cherish life, family, and health as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. Mother
Nature has pulled us back to our roots, to our home and family. Due to the lockdown, more
individuals were able to spend meaningful time with their relatives as they returned to their
hometowns. Although the children were unable to attend school, they learnt a great deal from

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their parents.”6 Learning doubles in a mixed family because children get to spend so much time
with their parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. With or without the pandemic,
having a joint family allows us to have fun and make memories every day.

SOCIALISM:

In a joint family, socialism rules supreme because it adheres to the socialist concept of "from
each according to his ability and to each according to his necessity." As a result, Sir Henry
Maine was correct when he said that the joint family is similar to a company, with the father
acting as the trustee. Earnings from all family members go into a single family fund, from which
all expenses are paid.

IMPROVED SOCIAL SKILLS:

Even though they come from the same family, no two persons are alike. A combined family will
include people with a variety of personalities, interests, preferences, and temperaments. You
can't treat every member of your family the same way. You adjust your communication or
collaboration style to fit the needs of each person. This also provides you a unique perspective on
life and people, thus enhancing your social skills, which are crucial when dealing with people
outside of your house.

PRACTICAL LESSONS:

The family's elders can be a storehouse of knowledge and wisdom. The wisdom one acquire
from their elders when they live in a joint family is something they won't find in self-help books.
Grandparents who have a treasure of experience, judgment, and wisdom will assist them in
making positive changes in the life.

6Shikha Thakur, ‘Advantages and Disadvantages of living in a joint family’ (Mom Junction, 21 July 2021)
<https://www.momjunction.com/articles/advantages- and-disadvantages-of-living-in-a-joint-family_00666544/>
accessed 22nd November 2021.

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 DISADVANTAGES OF A JOINT FAMILY

HINDRANCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALITY:

Individual personality development is hampered by joint families. In the family, the karta, or
family head, has ultimate power. In family affairs, his decisions are final. The authoritative
structure of a joint family offers little room for the younger members to develop self-reliance and
personalities. Individual liberty is greatly curtailed.

LACK OF PRIVACY:

The married couple's privacy is violated in a joint family. The son's bride do not have the chance
to develop her own personality. They work like slaves for the whole family. During the day, they
seldom see their spouses.

The bride is embarrassed by the constant presence of other family members, and she is unable to
openly communicate with her husband. Any potential for natural connection between husband
and wife is stifled. In addition, the mother-in-law's injustice is sometimes unbearable for the
bride.

HOME FOR IDLERS:

Because the non-earning members do not wish to work, the joint family is a haven for idlers and
parasites. A person is less inclined to engage in rigorous activities if he can eat comfortably
without straining himself. Most of the time, in a joint family, some individuals have to work
themselves to exhaustion while others are sedentary.

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ENCOURAGES LITIGATION:

The joint family structure fosters litigation because, when it comes to the division of common
property, conflicts often arise that cannot be resolved without resorting to the courts. In the case
of agricultural families, separation results in the fragmentation of holdings, which is detrimental
to agricultural growth.

UNCONTROLLED PROCREATION:

The duty for raising and educating the children is shared in a joint family. Because of the
family's low finances, no one feels responsible for controlling procreation. The kids of one
member will be regarded equally to the offspring of other members. There is no difference made
between the family members' statuses. By practicing family planning or earning more, a member
in a joint family receives no immediate advantages.

QUARRELS:

It is a hive of disagreement and arguing, particularly among the female members. In general,
there is a lot of hostility and rivalry amongst brothers' spouses. There is constant turmoil and
arguing about children's actions. There's also the conflict of ideas and temperaments, which leads
to frequent tussles between the family's senior and younger members.

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 CONCLUSION

Recently, there has been a gradual decrease in joint families due to many reasons such as
industrialisation, urbanisation and impact of the west. In India, however, the joint family
arrangement has not fully faded away. Its collapse is mostly due to socioeconomic factors.
Family ties are still strong among Indians, and they follow traditional morals. Even today, Hindu
sentiments favour a joint family.

Even though the family property has been split and the family members' income has not been
pooled, the component householders feel obligated to participate in ceremonial events such as
weddings, birthdays, and religious activities. This kind of engagement maintains the sentiments
of belonging to a joint family alive. The critics of the system have not been able to appreciate it
effectively.

The joint family structure has its supporters as well as critics. It is true that there are a lot of
disadvantages of joint family structure but the thing to keep in mind is that no organization is
perfect. And it cannot be repealed completely on the basis of few disadvantages.

The Indian joint family structure is based on compromise and mutual adjustment. The joint
family is not a place where individualism is suffocated, but rather a cooperative structure in
which each member performs his or her duties under the supervision of the elders.

It contains a synthesis of individual and collective interests, as well as social values that educate
man to be a good citizen and to live for the greater good. Today, the challenge is to figure out
how to preserve the benefits of the joint family arrangement. And this will need the sensible
collaboration of authorities and social scientists, as well as the support of a well-informed public.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS:
FAMILY LAW, paras diwan
FAMILY LAW IN INDIA,Tahir mahmood

WEB SOURCES:

https://www.momjunction.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-living-in-a-joint-
family_00666544/
https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/nuclear-family-vs-joint-
family https://www.britannica.com/topic/joint-family
https://family.lovetoknow.com/about-family-values/joint-family-today-history

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