Case Study On Nuclear and Joint Families

SOCIOLOGY PROJECT ON
CASE STUDY ON NUCLEAR AND JOINT

FAMILIES
SUBMITTED TO: MR. RASHEED

SUBMITTED BY: SHIMRAN ZAMAN
BA LLB (SELF FINANCE)
1ST SEMESTER
FAMILY
Family is where our roots take hold and from there we grow. In India, the joint
family system has been in existence since ancient times. However, with the
passage of time , the joint family system has disintegrated , giving rise to the
nuclear family system1.
Nuclear Family
The family is a social group characterized by common residence, economic
cooperation and reproduction. It contains adults of both sexes, at least two of
whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children,
own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults. A typical nuclear family consists
of a husband, a wife, a couple of children2. The number of members are very few
in a nuclear family.
ADVANTAGES OF A NUCLEAR FAMILY

It is established that a family with two or fewer kids provides several benefits to
both the children and the parents. Kids of smaller families get more attention to
higher quality from their parents, causing higher achievements. Children with
fewer siblings are capable of attaining amplified economic success and communal
positions. Furthermore, the decision to limit the size of a family can be understood
as a strategic option to perk up the socioeconomic success of kids and grandkids in
modern societies. Parents are greatly benefitted by a small family. The
expenditure, such as of supporting a kid from cradle to university, such as
schoolbooks, uniforms, trips, provisions, university fees, etc., is greatly reduced.
Moreover, fewer kids create a more controllable impact on family finances, thus
relieving strain and emotional pressure levels. Parents of a small family experience
less pressure on family budgets, making them to make both ends meet easily, and
to make them doing essential shopping without any difficulty by buying quality
products. The levels of happiness are maximized when the number of kids is
limited to two for each family. Mothers with one or two children experience less
strain when compared to those having two or more children. This allows mothers
to pay more attention to the welfare of their children. Women are usually
responsible for child rearing activities. A smaller number of kids would offer
women additional time to develop individually and professionally. Smaller
families could boost the empowerment of women, together with men, assuming
1
S. R. Myneni, Sociology, (Allahabad Law Agency, Faridabad)
2
Krishna Chakraborthy, Family in India, (Rawat Publications, New Delhi).
more responsibility. Parents are much benefitted with a small family, which
include abridged expenses on food, additional time to devote to leisure or work,
increased caring attention per kid, and condensed health risk. Young individuals
are more probable to attain higher levels of education if their family is restricted to
one or two kids. While socioeconomic factors are pertinent, family size has a
considerable impact on the encouragement and attention children get at home.
DISADVANTAGES OF A NUCLEAR FAMILY

Everything in the world has its own pros and cons, and a small family is no
exception. Although a small family offers notable benefits to the children, parents,
and to the society, it has its own shortfalls, as well. During the initial growing stage
of a child, there will be not much trouble in developing a child. As the child grows,
the odds of making the child a well-rounded individual are more in a large family.
This is for the reason that every individual in a large family delivers something to
it. Whether it is an interest, fervor, a unique character, or an immense talent. This
is possible if the child has more siblings and there is some added fun and thrilling
at all times. The most apparent disadvantage of a small family can be realized
when the child is starting to get selfish. Devoid of that sibling relationship, the only
child in a small family cannot learn the way to share. Although the child can
involve in all activities with tons of kids where he/she can study his/her social
skills, it is not equal to the steady companionship that a sister or brother can give.
Sometimes, a small family makes parents over caring and excessively attentive, by
not allowing their sole child to play or explore. It tends to create problems and the
child becomes unwilling to be without his/her parents, as well. There is also no
chance for the child to learn responsibility earlier in his/her life. This is for the
reason that they do not have younger siblings to take care of. A small family with a
single kid may offer the child a feeling of loneliness. This is because the kid has no
siblings to speak to. When the parents of a small family get old and require help,
they do not have adequate children to take care of them. If a child in a small family
is excessively pampered or showered with excessive love, the kid may go
wayward, which may show the way to the downfall of the kid. Children in a small
family can end becoming ruined and less accountable because as an only kid in the
family, he/she is habitually associated with egoism and less developed communal
skills.
Joint Family
A joint family is a form of family where the grand-parents, father, mother, and
children live unitedly under one roof. In such form of family system, every
member:
● is expected to make some financial contribution to the common fund,
● share common rights in the household property,
● eat the food made at the common kitchen, and
● make their daily expenditure from common fund.
In such form of families, the son doesn’t distant himself after getting married.
Instead, he lives with his wife and children in the same house along with his other
family members3. The eldest male member is usually the head of the joint family.
His power and functions are like that of a trustee. He is entitled to take economic
and social decisions on behalf of the family.
ADVANTAGES OF A JOINT FAMILY
It is the best pattern of living that is most conducive to the growth, based on a
principle of fair economy. It holds it as a rule of creation that all men are not equal.
Naturally it imposes a kind of unwritten discipline that those who are more able
economically shall share some of the burden of those who are not. The joint mess,
naturally, runs on an understanding of mutual adjustment. Naturally those who are
benefited by the generosity of others remain obliged and grateful. Similarly in a
big joint family the study groups of boys are formed according to their age
matching. Naturally the cousins study together, play together, quarrel together and
are even punished together. As a result there grows in them a feeling of
camaraderie that is free from any discrimination of one being a full brother or a
cousin. In marriages also the grooms for marriageable girls become a concern for
all the elders in the family. Even if a daughter of a junior brother is selected by
someone because of her beauty or brilliance, he would not agree to her marriage
until her senior cousin sister is married. The basic necessities of all the family
members are taken care of. Each member is guaranteed the minimum subsistence
for living. It supports all the members of the family. Old and elderly people are
respected. Proper care is taken for old, widowed, physically weak and disabled
family members. As such the disciplines in a joint family are self-imposed on its
members. The head of the big family almost becomes its patriarch. The family
prospers squarely if the patriarch and the other constituents observe the norms
soundly and healthily. Finally, the spirit of oneness prevails in a Joint family
system.
DISADVANTAGES OF A JOINT FAMILY
3
Patricia Uberoi (ed.), Family, Kinship and Marriage in India, (Oxford University Press, New Delhi).
It often creates parasites who love to feed on other’s income. They exploit the
goodness and principled behaviour of its partners. Sometimes some crooked
member of the family plot to torture and exploit another innocent member of the
family. High earning members often insults the low earning members. The cost of
education has gone up high. The high earning members often want their children to
study in costly schools but they don’t want to share the burden of the children of
the other members of the family. In large families, most of important decisions are
made by the head of the family. Since, all the individuals within the family doesn’t
get the opportunity to participate in major decisions of the family, they often feel
lost or develop a feeling of inferiority complex.
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
members in the house. Every individual after coming from work requires a
peaceful atmosphere at home, which gets practically impossible in the case of a
joint family. Therefore, in this contemporary world, people nowadays prefer
nuclear family more than the joint family.

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SOCIOLOGY PROJECT ON

CASE STUDY ON NUCLEAR AND JOINT

SUBMITTED TO: MR. RASHEED

ADVANTAGES OF A NUCLEAR FAMILY

DISADVANTAGES OF A NUCLEAR FAMILY

ADVANTAGES OF A JOINT FAMILY

DISADVANTAGES OF A JOINT FAMILY

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