2.4: Family

Family : Definition & Universality

Introduction – Over decades, social scientist & Anthropologist (Ⓟ) – struggled to define multidimensional concept of family. Jon Trost (1990)’s study highlighted this overwhelming definitional dilemma, she also highlights difficulty in defining even who is part of family (structurally focus). Its definition is also linked to ideological differences, & process.

Definition

Etymologically, the word Family came form Latin word ‘Familia’ or ‘Famulus” which means, in english, master & servant living under one roof.
Basically its a Kin group because members belonging to family are related with bonds or birth & m’age & linkage of common ancestors.
Functionalist G.P Murdock his study ‘Social Structure’ defined family as – Family is social group characterised by common residence, economic co-operation & reproduction. It includes both sex, at least tow of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relation & one or more children born or adopted by sexually cohabiting adults.
Malinowski– family is institution within which cultural traditions of society is handled over to newer generation. .
Burgess & Lock – group of persons united by ties of marriage, blood or adoption Constituting a single household interacting in their respective social role of husband & wife, mother & father, brother & sister creating common culture.
William Newton Stephens, in his Book “The Family in Cross – Cultural Perspective” (1963) defined – The family in general is a group based on m’age & m’age contract, including the recognition of rights & duties of parenthood, common residence for husband, wife & children & reciprocal economic obligation b/w the husband & wife.

Conclusion (For universality of Definition) – These four criteria /all features , may not be found in every human society, but in majority of societies, family satisfy these criteria. There is absence of definition of for universal applicability. But to a majority of human societies, this definition can be applied.

Biological origin of family

Female → Birth canal narrow → At birth human head poorly developed → prolonged dependency on mother → her dependency on husband for material needs + before child is mature, mother may be pregnant with again → Family
Thus, Family → In every society ; but Form Varies.

Basic Structure of Human Family

Institutionalised marital relationship /mating → conjugal relationship (persons of oppo. sex united by institution of m’age) there
- Without Conjugal Relation there can’t institution of family.
- Conjugal Relation
  - give man status of husband & of wife to women
  - Husband has exclusive right over sexuality wife & vice versa.
  - Husband – Right to beget children of wife
  - wife – Right to bear children of husband
- Not to write
  - Biological mother of Child is c/l Genetrix & father Genitor
  - Social father (Peter) – Genitor or foster father ; Social Mother (Mater) – Genetrix or Foster Mother
Family Types
- Family of orientation (Natal family)
  - Family in which ego is born
  - Begins with birth of Child thr married Pair
- Family of Procreation (Conjugal Family)
  - Family in which ego reproduce
  - Begins with union of married Pairs
Conjugal Relations → Create Consanguineal Relation (Blood Relation)
- The very conjugal-natal r/l is based on the martial – consanguineal r/l established in family.

Emotional basis of family

love, mutual affection ⇒ emotional bond b/w family members.
The emotional bonds unite the relationship b/w members.
Thus, emotional basis of family make it, ideal primary social group.

Intellectual basis of family

Rational & Reasoned responsibility → guarantees smooth working of family → Smooth working of Society.

Basis of Regulation of social life & Form Nucleus of other social Group

Inculcate the rules, norms or stand of society → regulates & order life for its members.
It prepares the child to participate in all the social groups i.e form the nucleus for formation of other type of groups

Conclusion – this preceding discussion makes it very obvious that the society manifests at an individual level in the form of a family & thus family is undoubtedly the Cornerstone of the Human society.

3 ways of looking at family

Structural point of view
- no. of elements which constitute group
Functional point of view
- contribution of family to Individual & society.
Change point of view
- How family undergone changes thr evolution or diffusion.

Universal Social Institution

Marriage is universal to human society and as marriage leads to family, it too must be universal institution.

In Anthropology, G.P. Murdock (1949) triggered debate on universality of nuclear family, which was rebutted by many including Kathleen Gough. However, all accepted that family is universal institution.

Murdock’s View –

In his study entitled “social structure“, Murdock examined institutions of family.
On basis of his cross-cultural examination of 250 Societies, He concluded that nuclear family exists either as sole prevailing form or as basic unit from which complex forms are Compounded, in every society.
He added that nuclear family universally performs 4 main functions which are fundamental to human social life..
- Sexual
- Economic
- Reproductive
- Education (socialisation)
  - David Abrill also considered this 4 functions as functional Prerequisits of society. (compulsory for social continuity)

views supporting Murdock

Structural Analysis of family
- Thus, structurally, extended family has atleast 1 nuclear family and Joint family has atleast 2 nudear family. Thus as all forms (structurally) have nuclear family, it should be universal
Malinowski –
- In his “theory of need”, described family as 2⁰ institutions, necessary for functioning of Primary institutions.
- universality of nuclear family as it fills basic biological need, of human → caring and protecting yoring children & infants.

Views Opposing Murdock – Some Anthropologist opposed Murdock’s views on universality of nuclear family and It’s necessity to carry 4 basic functions

Sexual function :
- Kathleen Gough in her study of Nayars in Malabar pointed out practice of Visiting husbands (sambandham), which shows that sexual function is not primarily with family.
  - Though Taravada, carry out primary socialisation & economic cooperation.
- Evan Pitchard‘s study on woman-woman marriages in Nuer tribe in South Sudan + Ghost m’age in Nuer
  - He found that in no way family govern sexual function. After mating from outside the brith & status rights are transferred to partners.
- Ghost marriages of British Colombia.
Economic function:
- Kibutz system of Israel studied by M.E. Sapir he pointed by that performance of economic function is not prorogative of nuclear family as salaries are added into communal account from which state fulfills basic needs or family.
  - Kibutz is collective community performing socialisation of children & economic function & parents leave away from children
  - Also Sapir says that Kibbutz is a large & extended family & only variation in concept of family as it have strong community sentiments & family ties are not absent.
  - Later studied show that communes are disintegrating & permanent families are being established in Israel.
- Also, Modern state has taken up various welfare functions such as free services, Old age homes, etc.
- In large extended family – only middle generation is producer.
Socialisation – Murdock argues that even where nuclear family is evolved into complex forms, it still as separate subunit and it rather is most fundamental unit.
- However, in traditional Chineses Minars family, children are socialised in patrilineal extended family, where nuclear family is by No way strongest subunit.
- Also, in Industrialised world, divorce has became a common phenomenon which makes socialization of child in single parent household or “Nanny culture“
- Matrilineal Ashanti In Ghana 🇬🇭
  - one phase → child oriented with mother and her consanguinal kins
  - Other phase → oriented with mother and her conjugal kin (i.e father of child).
Levy askes whether nuclear family is institutionalised in all society
- Ethnographic EX – Matrifocal family in central American Negros : Though absense of male member, but still considered as family in local strata.
  - Reasons for Matrifocal Families
    - Poverty & economic inability of the husband to give ritual feast for legitimising marriage. (W.J. Goode)
    - Prevalence of polygyny in Negroes due to their origin in West Africa. Husband cannot live with all his wives at a time. (Herskovits)
    - Institution of slavery, where slaves work away from home and masters have sexual access to their wives. (M.G. Smith)
  - But Ⓟ argue here, matrifocal families are not norm → often nuclear Family → broken it due to permanent or temporary desertion of the husband f or divorce.
  - Matrifocal family is accepted form of family in lower strata and people regard it as family.

Thus, Nuclear family is not universal due to various exceptions. To quote K. Gough, what is universal is mother-child relation and it’s universal function of primary socialisation. Thus Gough suggest to call family universal institute, we should revisit defination & family by including various large & small kins.

Family, household & domestic groups

Nudear family → social group consisting of parents living with children. Notion of it’s universility rejected. We have concept of household.

Household (or domestic group) – Group of members living together who are related by blood Or closely related not related at all but fulfilling funn of family.

Example → Nuclear family living with closer relatives or non relatives as servents, paying guests.
- Non relatives treated as family members & perform family fun”.

Meyer Fortesin Introductory remarks of “Development cycle of Domestic Groups” by J. Goody says that, DG is Universal institute. All societies passes through cycle of dev of domestic groups

stage of expansion
stage of diffusion
stage of replacement.

Features of Household vis a vis Family (Diff b/w Household & Family)

Parameter	Family	Household / Domestic Group
Membership	R/l by blood or m’age	may or may not related by blood or m’age
Kin- Group Vs Residential group	• Essentially kin groups• Not essentially residential group	• Essentially residential• Not essentially any relationship or kin group
Common living	May by spread over several households	Emphasis on common living
Mobility	out of family is not possible	one can live one DG & join other
Nuclear or Extended	Acc to Murdock – Nuclear family	Extended family
Reproductive Function	Reproductive nucleus of society	may not have reproductive functions
Significance		In demographic studies

Composition of Household Based on Residence

one particular type of household tends to predominate in given society. This is b/c many cultures have explicit rules that specify where a married couple will establish their new home
Residence rule that require a couple to live with or near one or other spouse are k/n as Unilocal Rules.
Few example are given below 👇- these % are from sample of 1153 cultures studied by Levison & Malone in 1980

Patrilocal – 70% (more f) Matrilocal – 11% Ambilocal – 7%Neo local – 5%

Avunculocalr (Mother’s bro’s house)- 4% Amitolocal (father’s sister’s house) – Patrimatrilocal – 1st ♂then ♀Matripatrilocal – first ♀then ♂

Factors influencing Residence Rules

Economic Contribution – of male or female (Murdock, 1949 & Levinson & Malone 1980) – Intuitively attractivebut not that predictable
Related to warfare (Ember & Ember) –
- When enemies far from home → Matrilocal(so cohesive groups of women can take charge of subsistence task when men are away)
- When enemies near home → Patrilocal ( families try to keep men at home as kind of militia)
Bilocal Residence – due to depopulation by disease
- Ember & ember 1983 – means that a couple to live with whichever parent has survived.

Conclusion – household differs from family in the sense that non kins can also be a member ot its & it’s essentially a residential group.

Particular patterning of household differs dramatically from culture to culture, but in all culture, household are composed of relatives. This means that most fundamental challenges of living are met with the help of kin.
The pattern of Nepotism is captured in the familiar homily that “blood is thicker than water”. Just as kin are favoured over non kin, closer kin are favoured over those who are more distantly related.
Biological evolutionary theory suggests that b/c relatives share genes, they should be disposed to be good to be each other, contributing to survival & reproduction of blood relative result in the proliferation of genes identical to one’s own.

Functions of Family

Family is the most fundamental & universal social institution. It is the most essential social unit answering the basic biological & social needs of human being.

Meaning

social group consisting parents & children
Nuclear family ⇔ base of extended or join family.
Basic Structure
- Institutionalised Conjugal r/l
- Matrifocal & Patrilocal
- Conjugal Relations → Create Consanguineal Relation (Blood Relation)

Functions

Major Functions (by G.P Murdock (1949) in his social Str)
- Institutionalised mating : Means of sexual gratification thr in socially accepted manner thr institution of m’age
- Channelized Reproduction : perpetuates human species thr channelised reprodn thr institutionalised mating.
- Economic role : family provide for
  - Division of Labour – baes on age, sex which serve in allocation of quantum of work
  - Co-op B/w Members – Family – Effective unit
- Socialisation – family prepares child to participate in all social groups thr lang learning, traditions & culture.
Minor function
- Common residence + small group size = feel of belongingness., identity, responsibility & security
  - interactive bond → due to mutual affection & blood type.
- Religious function
  - every family have a religious identity.
  - customs → Not necessarily coinciding with social practice.
- Political function.
  - Act as Political group.
  - Village provides heads generation after generation (sanctity comes from Kinship position)
- Unit of entertainment –
  - Family members Visit theatres, picnic spots provides leisure & relaxation.
- Psychological functions
  - Provide emotional support to its members to affectionate relationships
  - support, stabilisation of personality thr love, affection.

Conclusion – No other institutions can perform all of above function together. Thus family makes itself social institution.

Types of Family

Introduction – FunctionalistG.P Murdock his study ‘Social Structure’ defined family as – Family is social group characterised by common residence, economic co-operation & reproduction. It includes both sex, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relation & one or more children born or adopted by sexually cohabiting adults.

Types of Family – As being universal institution, family is found in every society. But it varies from society to society due to varying cultural needs of different societies.

From Perspective of Structure (On basis of no of members)
1. Nuclear Family
  - parent & unmarried children are living together.
  - M’age is imp for establishment of this type of family.
  - Types
    - On Basis of Children
      1. Complete
        
        Here the family consists of couple along with children.
      2. Incomplete aka Sub-nuclear Family
        
        It involve a sexually cohabiting coupe who have not produced any children yet
        
        C/l subnuclear family b/w doesn’t completely fulfil str of true nuclear family
2. Composite or Compound Families – are aggregates of nuclear families linked by a common spouse. 👇
  1. Polyandrous Family
  2. Polygynous Family
3. Extended Family or Consanguineal Family
  - Extension of nuclear Family ; consist of two or more lineally related kin folk of the same sex & their spouses & offspring, occupying a single household or a household head

Extension differs from addition of one kin to servers nuclear families.
Motivate by economic pragmatism & recognition in society.
Types
- Based on Generation
  1. Horizontally Extended
    - All brothers of same generation live together along with individual families
  2. Vertical Extended
    - More than 2 generation
- Based on Centre of Organisation
  1. Patrilineal Extended Family
    - Obedient r/l of son to father ; loyalty & solidarity of brother
    - Ex – Rajput of Rajasthan ;
    - was also ideal in Pre-modern china (as m’age seen as acquire daughter in law than taking wife)
  2. Matrilineal Extended Family
    - e.g Nayar of Kerla ;
    - Hopi, a western Pueblo Native American group
      - Father’s obligation primarily economic – Returned in father’s old age
      - Mother – daughter r/l life long residence together
      - Strongest & most imp ties in Hopi society b/w sisters – foundation to household group
- Join Family – It is a special type of extended family
  - Blend fo vertical & horizontal
  - With flowing features (Iravati Karve)
    - Joint Property
    - Common Kitchen
    - A strict Patriarch
    - Common roof or house
    - Common place of worship
  - Types
    1. Matrilocal Joint Family
      - Eg. Nayar
    2. Patrilocal Joint Family
      - Eg. Tribes in Central India, All Hindus
  - Features which distinguish it from extended family
    - There are atleast two nuclear families
    - These nuclear families are joint vertically
    - Joining is as per the rules of residence of society.
From Perspective of M’age (division of Nuclear Families)
- Monogamous – result of monogamy
  - Complex society, hierarchical,
  - modern technology
- Polygamous aka Composite or Compound Families – result of polygamy ; are aggregates fo nuclear families linked by common spouse
  - Polyandrous
  - Ex – Toda (due to infanticide), Khasa (Economics), Naayar (Political)
  - Polygynous
  - Ex – Naga (for status), Maria Gond & Sathal
  - In this case each wife & her children will normally occupy a separate residence
From Perspective of Residence
- It is associated with place of residence of the married couple after m’age
- Types
  - Patrilocal -couple stays with groom’s relative after m’age
    - Such families are involved in intensive agri & big game hunting
    - Characteristics of patrilineal & patriarchal society
  - Matrilocal – couple stays with bride’s relatives after m’age.
    - Such families are involved in horticultural activity
    - Characteristic of matrilineal & matriarchal society
  - Neolocal – stay at new separate home instead of staying with relatives of either partner.
    - Characteristics of industrialised & westernised society (ember & ember) – In money economy, living with relative become less realistic & necessary
    - Other reasons
      - High degree of mobility
      - Primacy to privacy & personal independence
      - Emotional bond b/w husband & wife in ind. society
  - Avunculocal – stays with groom’s mother’s brother’s family
    - Common in matrilineal & matriarchal society
  - Bilocal – stay with first with one of partners then with others
From Perspective of Succession (Ancestry)
- Patrilineal – where ancestry is traced thr male line
- Matrilineal – where ancestry is traced thr female line
From Perspective of Blood Relation or M’age
- Consanguineous Family – acc to Linton, it is based on blood r/l & is unit of consanguineous kins living together
  - E.g – in Nayar Family sister along with their brothers & their own children live together
- Conjugal Family – based on martial ties.
  - It is a nuclear family jointed occasionally by husband or wife’s relatives.
From Persecutive of Authority
- Patriarchal – male line of descent with eldest ♂ as patriarch
  - Bride leaves her parental home & stays with her husband.
- Matriarchal – female line of descent with elders ♀as matriarch (i.e ultimate say in decision making)
  - Bride stays at her mother’s place & groom accompanies her.
Matrifocal & patrifocal Family
- Matrifocal – consist of mother & her children only & not father.
  - These types are not associated with m’age & ♂ not regular member fo family
  - Ex – C. American Negro family (various views ) ; Brazil, Gutenmala & Caribbean islands
- Patrifocal – consist of father & his children only & not mother.
  - Also present in USA
  - Various factor such as historical background, cultural considerations, economic depravity & difficulties of divorce to resettle compel the people to live either
Warner’s Classification
- Family of orientation (Natal Family) – in which one is born
- Family of Procreation (Conjugal Family) – founded by an individual with a spouse thr m’age.
Evan Pitchard’s Classification
- Natural Family – consist of parents (married or not) & along with children. If parents are no married → r/l is that of concubinage.
- Simple legal Family – it consist of married couple & their children
- Complex Legal Family – ⇔ polygamous Family ,described as a number of separate families linked by their relationships to a common father.

Conclusion – To conclude it can be said that different types of families are result of different socio-cultural factors parents around the people.

Advantage of Extended Family

These are adaptive under certain economic & social conditions.

Can provide for large no of workers then nuclear family.
Useful for both food production & for producing & marketing handicrafts
In stable agri → land source of price, prestige & power ; so keep land intact, provide additional security for individual in time of crisis
Value of companionship – sense of participation & dignity for the older person

Forces Responsible For Change in Family

Functionalist G.P Murdock his study ‘Social Structure’ defined family as – Family is social group characterised by common residence, economic co-operation & reproduction. It includes both sex, at least tow of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relation & one or more children born or adopted by sexually cohabiting adults.

Characteristics of family & its type are function of culture. As culture is never static so family structure must change accordingly. As According to Ogburn, The family as a social institution is changing as other institutions. The changes differ somewhat in countries according to their degrees of industrialisation, of their urbanisation & their isolation.

Earlier Form of Family

Common residence, common ownership of property, common kitchen
Familistic org i.e Suppressed individual interest to family interests.
- Family tradition value above anything
- Equal attention to all members & mate selection by elders.
Presence of strict patriarch i.e dominance of elder male – Authoritarian str
Status of members in family is determined by age & relations
- Though comparatively, low status to women
- Authority in family determined by principle of seniority
Filial (Father & son r/l) & fraternal r/l gets preference over conjugal r/l

Circumstances of existence

present mainly in agrarian society – where intensive agri is practices
Besides other factors responsible for presence of large family size are
- Lack of industrialisation
- Lack of awareness of benefits of small family size
- Lack of human rights

Acc to Milton Singer, education , industrialisation and urbanisation, change in institution of m’age specially in the age of m’age, feminism, legislative measures etc are responsible for change in traditional family type both terms of structure & function in following ways

Impact of Urbanisation

Industrialisation brought urbanisation, & with advent of Urbanisation, the transformation of the cultural pattern become inevitable by virtue of the new forces generated by it, administrative , ideological & economic.

Principle of equity in social & political systems
Capitalism in economic field
Liberalism, rationalism in the ideological domains → attacked prevailed & disabilities based on birth, challenged authority, brought democratic sentiments

Following are the Impact of Urbanisation

Formal control replaced informal controls
Several specialised Industries came up to perform functions which were earlier prerogative of family alone.
Compelled urban dweller to chose nuclear family due to economic compulsion i.e high living cost & child upbringing.
Neo locality
Loss of value of emotional & solidarity bond with kinship
Sense f mistrust & independence → divorce
Filiocentrism → Child Centric family

Case Study

M.S Gore studied Agarwal Family in Delhi, came from Haryana religion in 1960
- Shift away from Joint family norm in their attitude, perception & behaviour
- E.g Parent take decision about their children ,rather than eldest family member.
I.P Desai , Acc to him urbanisation as such doesn’t lead to breakup of joint family
- His Pre assumption was – longer duration of stay in urban area → lower degree of joint ness.
- However, he found more Jointness among old families living in town for 50 years or more than the new once leaving since 25 yrs or less.
M.S.A Rao study fo Yadavpur village
- Gave concept of fringe Society – i.e dynamic interaction of town & village
- Impact on jointed ness of family
K.M Kapadia study in Nevasari town in GJ
- Impact on family pattern depends on social composition of town / village
Chicago School of sociology, US – study on r/l of industrialisation, Urbanisation & family dynamism – Gave theory of Social Breakdown
- Industrialisation – leads to extended Nuclear family
- Rural – Urban migration → disintegration of family unit + erosion of kinship network → social evils
  - Alcoholism
  - Extra Martial Birth
  - Prostitution
Peter Laslett’s Study on Clay Worth Village – Gave Null Hypothesis
- Nuclear family more predominant in England & Europe before, during & after Industrialisation & Urbanisation
- Means household size → more or less contant

Characteristics of Urban Family

Equal status of women
- Economic independence → status ↑
- Education at par with men
- Courtship & m’age → more individual affairs than family affairs
Lack of socialisation function
- Education & training function move out of domain of family
- This argument against Mudrock’s universality theory
Changing status of individual
- Diff life routines of family members
Excess of individuality
- High degree of individuallity
- Familism (Unity & co-op) missing
Limited Size Due to
- Disorganisation of Joint Family
- Anderson : Family planning → Family shrinkage
Increased rate of divorce
- Lack of coordination & diff of option
- Consideration of children as burden, which earlier worked as waxing the marital bond → more divorce rate in childless couples.

Changing Trends of Urban Family – Burges opined that new type of partnership is emerging which is controlled from within. He c/l it Campanionship Family – it has following characteristics

More socialist than autocratic
Based on mutual attraction & happiness
Self reliance
Relation b/w husband & wife on will

Conclusion – With urbanisation, emergence of companionship or partnership is emerging, making family more private holding than collective possession.

Impact of Industrialisation

Features of Industrialisation

Money Economy,
Increased mobility
Individual free from dependence of family
Working women
Individualisation
Preference for nuclear family etc

Process & effect on family org : Weakening of Family Control

Std. Of performance → instead of extended family system with std. of ascription, particularism & diffuseness ; as no interference of later
Neo locality – less barriers in way of class or geographical mobility → weak kinship network
In modern economy ↑ Specialised Agencies – lineage, clan lost function → lost social control
- Like banking, public school, protection & public services
Economic independence → earn & pay bride price self → rejects elders’s authority
New Skills – employ → no need to work on land posses by elders → undermine authority of elders
Lower job satisfaction → emotional support from conjugal family as it emphasis on emotionality → emotional balance
Industrial Pattern → less support to maintain family obligations & loyalisties
Authority of household ↓ weekend Further

Case studies

Milton Singer, M.S Gore, M.S.A Rao
- Study of western & Indian society
- Show that Industrialist / business families prefer that Industrialist / business families prefer jointness, many maintained widespread kin ties
Milton Singer – industrialist families in madras – says that industrialist prefer joint family & separation results in division of property which damages their business.
Chicago School of society – Theory of social breakdown
Laslett’s Null hypothesis

Changing trend – Burger’s Campaign-ship family

Conclusion – With industrialisation & urbanisation , emergence of companionship or partnership is emerging, making family more private holding than collective possession.

Impact of Feminist Movement on Family

Feminism means assertive role played by women for equal rights and opportunities at par with men in family or society. It has brought about various positive and negative effects on family system.

Factors and forces responsible for feminist movement

Modern education
- brings about changes in beliefs, attitude, values and ideologies of women. generates individualistic feeling among them.
- economic independence by improving their employability → demand more say in family decisions.
Industrialization and urbanization
- creates job opportunities and makes women economically independent.
- Urbanized environment forces women to live nuclearly.
Expanding means of transport and communication.
Legal measures in favor of women. For e.g. domestic violence act.

Types of feminism

Radical feminism : In western countries, women consider family as a mean of exploitation of women. Therefore radical feminism has negative impact on stability and continuity of family.
- Eg. TiGrace Atkinson, Shulamith Firestone
Liberal feminism: It fights for women’s right. They are not against men or family. Feminism of this type is aimed at improving social status of women and does not have harmful impact on institution of family.
- J.S Mill , Robccia Walker
Marxist Feminism : Traditional Nuclear family only came about with capitalism & tradition role of female supports capitalism → Thus double oppression of woman
- Angela Davis, Clara Fifoser

Consequences – have affected institution of family in number of ways.

breakdown of large joint families into smaller ones or in the emergence of neolocal or nuclear family.
inspired women to become economically independent → ↑ joining the work force. → relatively independent, which has bearing on family
- Case Study – Salvini & Vignoli (2011) effect on Family formation & pattern relation.
Conjugal roles – Decisions are based on consultation.
- Power is increasingly balanced between husband and wife.
- There is growing trend of sharing of domestic work by husband.
woman – balance b/w their job and family.
- If not → many conflicts emerge in family if husband is not accommodative. → destabilisation
- Single RUustom(2010) changed gender norms left men with gendered- work family view with few options.
Responsibility of looking after the children is shifted to other agencies like crèche, day care center etc.
Feminism has highlighted the problem faced by women in family life.
- prominent issues like rape within marriage, oppression, violence and sexual abuse have come up.
- Now they are aware of their rights and are equal partners in marriage.
Number of unmarried women has increased in developed countries especially.
In many developed societies, the instances of matrifocal families are on rise including India.
Live in Relations – In western societies and urban societies of developing countries like India, male and female live together without marriage. This is also an outcome of feminism.
Due to increasing demands of outside world and a materialistic and individualistic outlook of family members, conflict between marriage partners has increased which has led to increased number of divorces in industrial and urban societies.

Edmond Leach has compared the modern European family to an overloaded electric circuit which can fuse at any time.

Case Study

Veena Das in her work says that despite female participation in work force, their exposure to modern education and economic self-sufficiency, female in general, in India, develops an equitable balance between the jobs demand and demand of family.
Linda Gordon (In his “history of birth & abortionL
- Feminist moment in America
  - “Birth Control movement in 1930s to 1940s
  - Planned Parenthood in 1920
Richard Chused in “social history of divorce in formative era of American family law” (1994) : movement to secure judicial divorce by Feminist in state of Maryland (USA) in later 19th century.

Conclusion – Thus feminism has affected family structurally & functionally and positively and negatively. Besides, the impact of feminism on family depends on degree of feminism. But for sure it made family more private holding than collective.

Factors a/c for the relative distress of wife

Housewife role
Pygmalion Effect – George Bernard shaw

Impact of Education

P. Desai studied 430 families in Mahuwa town in Gujarat b/w 1955 and 1957.
- increasing spread of elementary and higher education among male and female have brought about changes in attitudes, values, beliefs and ideologies of people.
- It also led to emergence of individualistic feelings.
- new avenues of employment to women along with men.
- On being economically independent, women demand more voice in family matter. They also refuse to accept anybody’s dominance over them.
- Consequently this change ultimately leads to structural change.
According to Allien Ross, with increase in level of education percentage of those in favor of nuclear family increases and the percentage of people who conform to joint family living decreases
I. P. Desai and Allien Ross also referred to the reciprocal nature of education system and family system on each other. According to them, education works against joint family in two ways:
- Increasing occupational mobility
- By emphasising on individualism