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Unit 29: Family and Marriage in India: Forces of Change, Family in the Context of Care of the Child and the Aged

Notes
individualism because of which they deemed fit to spend the money earned by them on
their wives and children.

In an industrialised system, the importance of money and personal attributes
are more visible. The social status of an individual depends on his personal
merits. All these circumstances encouraged people to move away from joint
families and gave them opportunities to set up nuclear families. That let to the
disintegration of joint families.

2. Urbanisation: The new means of transport and industrialization gave birth to cities. Grad-
ually, cosmopolitan cities came up and with that, rose the cosmopolitan culture. In cities,
various beliefs, ideologies and social values are found. People living in cities love innova-
tions believe in individualism, materialism and have progressive views. The women in
cities believe more in independence and they want freedom from the slavery of mother-
in-law. So, they persuade their husbands to live separately. Because of high rentals and
lack of housing in cities, it is not possible for big families to stay together. People move to
the cities because these places provide them with various business opportunities. There,
they stay alone or with their wives and children in cramped homes. The socio-economic
environment of the city is more active than the rural environment. In cities, an individual
spends most of his time outside the shadow of his family, thereby encouraging the sense of
personal freedom.
3. Impact of Western Education, Culture and Ideology: Because of the British rule in India,
the Indians got introduced to Western education, culture and ideology. The Indians too,
adopted their philosophy and social values. Individualism, liberlism, naturalism utility and
existence along with western literature and education, etc. Influenced the Indian Social In-
stitutions. The Indians adopted the views of the West on man-woman equality. Voltaire
and Rousseau said, man is born with some individualistic traits; safety should be provided
to them. The United states of America announced ‘Human Rights.’ All of these resulted
in love marriages and intercaste marriages. Marriage became a mere ‘contract.’ The laws
restricted the dominance of the Head of the family. As a result, the joint families started
disintegrating.
4. Impact of Legislation: Since the British rule in India, the laws that came into force, attacked
the unity of the joint family. The fundamental reason of unity was that the family members
did not have any individual rights over the family property. But the ‘Hindu Inheritance
Act’, 1929 allowed this right even to those members too, who desired to stay separately
from the family. The ‘gains of Learning Act,’ 1930, extended the limits of the self acquired
property. The ‘Hindu women’s Right to property Act’ introduced in 1939, allowed women,
the right to inherit the family property. That too, divided the property of the family. Agar-
wal is of the opinion that the Income Tax accebrated the disintegration of joint families. To
save brothers (siblings) divide their property.
The high number of members in a family was the result of child Marriages. But the
‘Child Marriage Prevention Act’, 1929 to prevent the child marriage. Widows re-mar-
riage Act, 1856 allowed widows to marry which they moved to their new homes, leav-
ing their decreased husbands’s families. That too, hampered the unity of joint families.
The ‘Special Marriage Act’ introduced in 1954 granted the freedom to marry outside
the caste and religion. That encouraged inter-caste marriages, which were against the
ideologies of the joint families. The ‘Hindu Marriage Act’ of 1955 allowed men and
women the right to divorce. This too, disintegrated the joint families. According to
Dr. Ralf’s opinion, the effect of this law was more visible in cities. The ‘Hindu inheritance

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