Page 150 - DSOC402_SOCIOLOGY_OF_KINSHIP_ENGLISH

Sociology of Kinship Sukanya Das, Lovely Professional University

Notes Unit 21: Forms and Functions of Family

CONTENTS
Objectives

Introduction
21.1 Types of family in India
21.2 Functions of the family

21.3 Summary
21.4 Keywords
21.5 Review Questions

21.6 Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, students will be able to:
• Understand the types of families on different basis.
• Understand the functions of a family.

Introduction
A family is main source of self-protection, lineage and continuity in the caste life. Human is
mortal but humanity is immortal. Two contrast images of death and immortal clanage emerges
only in the family system. Human wants to live forever. For immortalism men tried many herbs,
chemicals, searched nuts and did many more experiments but he find no other solution than
a family. Marriage forms a family and children expands it and a passion immortalize oneself
under the roof of a family clanage. On one side, a man feels unhappy on his death on the other
side, by family clanage he turns immortal so he feels happy.
A family protects that, whatever is beautiful are in our life. The family system gives cultural
prosperity to humanity. The base of a family is man and woman, they are like two banks of a
river in which river of life flows.

21.1 Types of family in India

Various types of families came into existence with the development of human society. The dif-
ferent conditions of places, i.e., geographical, economical, cultural give birth to different family
system. A family can be classified on the basis of number of family members, forms of marriage,
male/female dominance, housing of family clanage, etc. Classification of types of families in
India are as follows:

1. On the Basis of Number of Family Members—
(a) Central family/Nuclear family

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