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Sociology of Kinship

Notes 5. Family Disputes: Family disputes have contributed in the modification of joint families.
Difference might exist from new point of thoughts, mentality, and ideology among mem-
bers of different generations in a joint family may lead to tension and family disputes. Gen-
erally the disputes are initiated by women because women in a joint family, mother-in-law
and daughter-in-law etc, belongs to different family-roots so they behave differently. Most
of the disputes relate, to income and expenses. If the less earner has more children than the
more earner of the member, then the wife of more earner has to bear the burnt of words
from the wife of less earner frequently. These disputes necessarily affect the male member
of the family. Rising disputes and quarrel spoils the atmosphere of a joint family and ruins
the joy and happiness of the family. The head of the family is not trusted by other members
of the family if he does not treat equally with all the members, if he is biased and does not
take care of requirements of all the members equally, as a result a joint family starts break-
ing away. This situation can be seen in many joint families nowadays.
6. Reduce of Workload in Joint Families: In modern time, many of the work in a joint family
are transferred to the society. Now family is not the center of production. Some of the work
that was performed earlier by the joint families are now performed by different groups
such as clubs, associations, educational societies etc. Nowadays we have laundries to wash
clothes, tailoring houses to stitch clothes and flour mills to grind the grains. As a result, a
person is less dependent on joint family and it also reduced his loyalty towards the family.
One started feeling that he can rise in life even after staying separately from a joint family
and promote himself in a better way.
It is clear from the above description that many economic and social power, western values
and ideology, modern education, women empowerment, family disputes, and social laws
have hurted the ideology, structure and base of joint families and brought about many
fundamental changes in them. Observing the present situation, it can be said that it will
not be possible to continue the traditional form of joint families. Generally, females have a
lower place in a traditional joint families but existence of this type of family is doubtful in
the future. May be, all joint family do not turn into nuclear families by disintegrating itself
but it is certain that some residentiary changes will take place in the structure and ideals of
joint families as per the changing requirement of the society.
Normally, observing all these changes in joint families it is said that these are going through
the process of disintegration. Many educated persons think that the joint families have al-
ready disintegrated by the influence of western culture. Such people call a joint family non-
democratic and claim for the properties in a joint family. According to K.M. Pannikar, “A
joint family represent a tribal condition hence it must cease to exist. He say that, “Re-evalu-
ation of principles of social life by women is the greatest challenge for Hindu society which
resulted in the disintegration of aggregating institutions such as-joint families, caste system
and villages, etc. In India, joint, families have been modified rather than disintegrating. The
changing factors such as industrialisation, urbanisation and migration has taken place in
India slowly. Therefore, on one hand social institutions in India have been modified and on
the other hand these changing powers and the social changes generated by them have been
affected by the Indian institutions.

24.2 Changes in Indian Family

The traditional form of a family in India has been a joint family. Joint family system is suitable
to the Indian social and economic system and religion has also contributed in the maintenance
of joint family system. As per Davis and Veera mess, “there have been revolutionary changes in
civil, social, economic and cultural life, which is affecting the standard of life.

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