Page 164 - DSOC402_SOCIOLOGY_OF_KINSHIP_ENGLISH

Sociology of Kinship

Notes

“The Family” where a person takes birth, is called family or birth or awak-
ening. After marriage, he creates another family which is called reproduc-
tion family.

Expansion of the family has some other types too. In these families some other family members
can be included who cannot be placed as yet. “Multiple Wives Family” is a such type of families,
in which a person marry more than one wife. This type of marriage system generally prevails
in tribal areas of India. Another type of such family “ Polyandrous family”, in which a wife has
more than one husband. This family system can be find in the “Khas” tribes of Jonsar Babar area
of U.P. In the family, many brother marries a wife and have sexual relations with her. Interesting
situation happens when both types of marriages creates “a family”. Recently this type of family
developed in Todas, it is called “grout marriage.”
Joint family, is another type of family. It prevails in India a lot though it is based and supported
by traditions, history, fake-history, lies and religion.
This is an organization of more than one primary family, living on joint residence and are blood
related. In result, they are of two types. Motherly resident- joint family (as prevails in Nayyar)
and fatherly resident-joint family (as prevails in Hindus and tribes of middle areas). In both
types of family (females in motherly-resident families and male in fatherly resident families)
children do not leave their origin family after marriage as a general law. So, we see, joint family
system is a mixture, which can be divided into many families by birth or by cause of reproduc-
tion. The joint family members who leave their families after marriage (daughters in fatherly-
resident family, sons in motherly-resident family) deprived total from their origin family mem-
bership. Because of this a kind of dualism creates.
Graphical presentation of Nuclear and Extended families
Nuclear family Extended family

= O = O

O O = = O O

O = O O

O
In the above graphical presentation, we have presented structural classification on the basis
of a family’s formation and creations. Along with, forms of family and structure of it does not
depend on who and how many are the members, but how husband and wife become members.
In the same way, a different basis, besides classifying families into primary (or nuclear) and
diversified (or joint) also classified as monogamous, polygamous, polyandrous and group mar-
riage families.
According to dominance, a family can be classified into, fatherly dominance, motherly domi-
nance, uncles (maternal) dominance. The family can be divided into two — fatherly linear or
motherly-linear, on the basis of naming, inheritance law of wealth, cleavage, reputation and
status. Likewise, the family can be divided into motherly resident, fatherly resident or uncle’s
residence on the basis of residence.

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