Page 167 - DSOC402_SOCIOLOGY_OF_KINSHIP_ENGLISH

Unit 22: Development Cycle of Family in India

“The changes” are as follows: Notes
1. Now, the family is a “consumption unit” only, not the manufacturing or production unit.
2. The family size is now small. The parents and children only, other family members gener-
ally do not live with them. The number of children decreased in the family, ‘continuous
child birth’ without check is not sensible now.
3. The functions of family has changes now. Firstly, the family was a unit of production and
consumption only. All the production had done the family. A persons all economic needs
get fulfilled in the family, so is his brought up, education, illness, old age and care also. But
these functions of the family has been taken up by other institutions. The child’s brought
up is getting done in the nursery and the schools are giving education. The orphans and
elderly takes shelter under orphanage, poor home or shelter houses. The hotels are for food
and laundry for cleaning stuffs. The hospitals are doing mother-child welfare work and
medical help.
4. There is a decrease in the support system of a family. The family members are more indi-
vidualistic then before, they think about their interest in comparison to others.
5. The relationship of husband and wife has changed. The husband is now a companion or
friend instead of a godly man. The female is no more considered as doormat.
6. The changes in the marriage and sexual-relationships—Now marriage is not a religious
ritual put a undertaking only. It can be break if needed. Inter caste marriages and love mar-
riages prevails now. Instead of parents, boys and girls choose their life partners.
7. In the family, father’s dominance reduced gradually and other family members started giv-
ing their point of view in the family matters.
8. Women got the right of wealth inheritance, before that only men of the family had wealth
inheritance rights.
9. Female got freedom from bondage, i.e., “Home only” they freed economically as well as
socially. Now wives and daughters got freedom to earn money from their fathers and hus-
bands.
10. Disintegration of the family has increased, numbers of divorces are increasing daily.
11. Importance of relationships has reduced, people started ignoring their relatives.
Above description states that “modern family” is under the era of change. Its structure and func-
tions had been changed by the modern changing forces, yet, the structure of a family will remain
intact and will not end.

22.5 Changing Forms of Joint Family
The structure of joint family system change a lot during last some decades. Some socialists be-
lieves, that these changes are structural, and are related with family values. Individualism is
emerging. Females are advocating “Womanhood” movement. So, here are some reasons re-
sponsible for changed joint family system. Some other sociologists believes that these changes
are disorganisational for joint family system and it is a cultural heritage for Indian society for
any change. Disintegration of joint family system and other changes shows the difference of
point of view. The fact between these two point of view is that the family, which was told in
books or ancient age, is definitely not show today.
Now, we will illustrate some important points of disorganisation or disintegration in the struc-
ture of joint family system.

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