what are the disadvantages advantages and implications of va

what are the disadvantages, advantages and implications of various definitions of family

Solution

Answer:

On the basis of structure the family has been classified as nuclear and extended family or joint family.

Nuclear family:

Nuclear family is composed of a husband, wife and their unmarried children. The children leave the parental households as soon as they are married. It is an autonomous unit fee from the control of elders and economically self sufficient. Children enjoy maximum care, love and affection of the parents.

In this family both husband and wife maintain harmonious relations to take care their children but the children in a nuclear family may develop emotional problems owing to the excessive centeredness of the family and the solicitude of the parents for them. Also in crises like deaths or separations, the children of nuclear family may get depressed and may suffer a lot. Modern family is the best example of this type of family.

Extended family (Joint Family):

Extended family can be viewed as a merger of several nuclear families. It may include an old man and his wife, their son, the son’s wife and the son’s children. Such type of families is large in size. The eldest male is the head of the family and all adult members share responsibilities of household tasks.

However it is a permanent institution Children enjoys care, attention of eiders. They also learn to adjust to persons of varying age levels as well as they inculcate some qualities like co-operation, sympathy etc. at an early age. A wide range of protection is given to its members.

On the other hand however it may make the children more dependent and stifle the development of self reliance and initiative. It may be pointed out that though the family is classified into various types yet the patriarchal and nuclear family is prevailed in the greater parts of the world. Everybody wants to go for a nuclear family in the modern society because of its advantages which certainly outnumber the disadvantages.

The individual nuclear family is a universal social phenomenon. Duncan Mitchell in his ‘Dictionary of sociology has defined nuclear family as ‘A small group composed of husband and wife and immature children which constitutes a unit apart from the rest of the community.”

In simple words a nuclear family is one which consists of the husband wife and their unmarried children. Soon after marriage, the children leave their parental home and establish their separate household. Hence a nuclear family is an autonomous unit free from the control of the elders. Since there is physical distance between parents and their married children, there is minimum interdependence between them. Thus a nuclear family is mostly independent. Modern family is a typical example of nuclear family.

Advantage of Nuclear Family:

(1) Development of Personality:

Nuclear family plays an important role in the development of personality of individuals. Children are more close to the parents and can have more free and frank discussion about their problems with parents which helps for the better development of their personality.

(2) Better Condition of Women:

In nuclear families the condition of woman is better than joint families. She gets enough time to look after her children. She also gets time to plan and manage her house according to her own idea. There is no interference of elders. Her husband can also devote more attention to the wife in nuclear family.

(3) Less number of children:

Family planning program becomes successful in nuclear families. The members of nuclear family have to plan and limit their family as they have to bear all the responsibilities and expenses themselves to rear their children. The children also are benefited in the long run as they inherit directly property from their parents.

(4) Peace and Harmony:

Peace and harmony are very much essential for a pleasant family life. In nuclear families there is no misunderstanding and they enjoy a harmonious atmosphere by living together.

(5) Individual Responsibilities:

In nuclear family there is no shifting of responsibility like in joint family. The parents are bound to take responsibility of their children by themselves. The head of family has to work hard to take care of his family.

(6) Problem Free Unit:

There is no chance of in-laws conflict. Financial problem does not arise in nuclear family. Money can be saved for future achievement and to face uncertain crisis of family. All enjoy independent life and can be engaged in any economic activities to supplement family income. The will and desires of children are considered and are given proper weight. All members of nuclear family are emotional secured. No superiority complex is felt by anybody.

Disadvantages:

(1) Economic disadvantage:

The property of the family is divided among the brothers and each live separately. The land being subdivided does not yield much production resulting, the land as an uneconomic holding. On the other hand one has to employ other workers to achieve the desired goal due to limited size of family. In this way the economic loss is more in nuclear family by paying remuneration to the workers.

(2) Insecurity of Children:

In nuclear family both husband and wife adopt profession outside the family, and then children are neglected and looked after by the servants. They feel lonely and emotional insecure. They develop more anxiety. If the bread winner dies or becomes incapable to earn, there is no one to support the family. Even in time of emergency like sickness, accident or during pregnancy family members are very much neglected and there is no one to take care of them.

(3) Agency to Develop Bad Qualities of Inmates:

As it is an autonomous unit, it is free from the social control of elders. So the children develop all sorts of bad qualities like theft, her and lead their lifestyle in indiscipline way. They become unsocial as they do not get opportunity to mix with other members of the family.

(4) Loneliness:

Feeling of loneliness is one of important drawbacks in nuclear family. After completion of household task, the housewife becomes alone at home. At the time of emergency one can get any help and support from any other.

(5) Insecure For Old, Widow and Divorce:

In nuclear family widowed, old and divorce fare very much neglected. No one in the family bothers to take care of them. Physically and psychologically they feel insecure. Above all in nuclear family children are socially, emotionally and educational maladjusted. There is a chance of family breakage in case of conflict between the couple. Still then everybody wants to go for a nuclear family in the modern society because of its advantages which certainly outnumber the disadvantages.

The Advantages of Joint Family:

(1) Economic functions:

Joint family performs a number of economic functions. It guarantees food, clothing and shelter to its members. All the members of joint family works together on a coop­erative basis and in that way it saves money that would have been spent on hired worker. Besides collective purchase of household ar­ticles they also save money. It avoids fragmentation of agricultural land and thereby helps in increasing productivity. By this way joint family ensures economic progress of the family as well as society.

(2) Protective functions:

Joint family performs a number of protective functions for its members. It acts as a safe home for the physically or mentally handicapped, sick, old members.

It also acts as an asylum for the orphans. It also assures a proper living for the widows. Thus joint family acts as a social insurance company for the old, sick and destitute.

(3) Recreational functions:

Joint family performed a num­ber of recreational functions for its members. It provides healthy recreation to all its members. By arranging feasts on different reli­gious, social and festive occasions it provides recreation to its mem­bers. The joking relationships in the joint family are another source of amusement.

(4) Fosters social virtues:

Joint family fosters good social virtues like sacrifice, love, affection, cooperation, mutual help, self­lessness, renunciation among its members and makes the family a cradle of social virtues. Under care and guidance of the elders the youths are prevented from being wayward. These social virtues are learned during the process of socialization.

(5) Socialism:

Socialism prevails in joint family because it believes in the socialistic principle i.e. “from each according to his ability and to each according to his necessity. Hence Sir Henry Maine is right when he remarked that the joint family is like a corporation where the father acts as its trustee. Earnings of all the members are kept in a common family fund from where the expenditures are met.

(6) Acts as a unique device of division of labor:

Joint family acts as a unique system of division of labor. All the advan­tages of modern division of labor are enjoyed by joint family. All the works of the family are equally distributed according to the abilities of its members. All the family members help during harvesting of crops. None is over burdened. It brought economic benefits to family.

(7) Provides leisure:

Joint family provides necessary leisure to its members. As all the works are divided among the members and it finish within a little time and the rest time is spent in leisure. Besides the sick and old member are provided with more leisure

(8) Agency of social control:

Joint family acts as an agency of social control. As an informal agency it controls the deviant behaviors of its members. The unsocial and anti-social activities of its members are suppressed within a healthy family environment.

Agency of Socialization:

Joint family acts as an impor­tant agency of socialization. Family first socializes the child. Child learns a number of civic virtues in the family. The environment of family guides the growth of a child. The child gets his first lessons in the family. The family moulds the personality of the individual and continues to exercise its influence throughout life.

Disadvantages of Joint Family:

(1) Hinders the development of Personality:

Joint family hinders the development of individual personality. The head of the family enjoy absolute authority in the family. His deci­sions are binding in family matters. Such authoritative nature of joint family leaves little scope for the development of self-dependency and personality of the junior members. Individual autonomy are severely restricted.

(2) Encourages birth rate:

Joint family encourages birth i rate. No individual member faces the problems of having more child j birth. It is the responsibility of joint family to bring up the children and provide education to them. Besides irrespective of parental income all children are treated equally in a joint family. Hence no individual finds any cause to control reproduction. Thereby it encourages birth rate.

(3) Home for idlers:

Joint family gives stress on collective responsibility. Some members take advantage of this and became lazy. In a joint family some active members work harder while others become lazier, because in a joint family there is neither any reward for the hard working member nor any punishment for the lazy member. All are treated equally in every respect. This also lessens the interest of hard working members in doing hard work. As a result joint family became a home for idlers and family prosperity is impaired.

(4) Pitiable condition of Women:

Conditions of women are very pitiable in the joint family system. They are the worst sufferer. They toil for the family day and night and eat only after all the male members. They enjoy low status in the family. Very often the daugh­ter in law faces different kinds of ill-treatment by the mother-in-law and sister-in-laws.

(5) Frequent Quarrels:

Because of large size in general and presence of many women in particular in the joint family quarrels occurs frequently. There is hatred, jealousy and constant bickering among the female members. There is always clash of ideas, inter­ests, ideals and temperaments which makes the joint family a hotbed of quarrels. Quarrels became more severe when the male members got involved.

(6) Lack of Privacy:

Absence of privacy particularly to the newlywed couple impaired their personality in a joint family system. Due to the presence of large number of individuals and elders the newlywed couple could not meet each other during day time to dis­cuss their problems. Hence joint family environment is not congenial for the newly married couple to enjoy their life in full.

(7) Absolute authority of the head:

In a joint family system the head or ‘Karta’ enjoys absolute and unquestionable authority. Being the eldest member he is orthodox in his attitude and temperament. He normally does not allow new ideas and change to be introduced easily. Dynamic members do not find scope for utilization of their plan for development. Besides he insists on the practice of old customs, tradi­tions etc. All this hinders the process of development of joint family.

(8) Low Standard of Living:

Standard of living in a joint family is very low due to number of factors such as pitiable condition of women, lack of privacy, frequent quarrels and litigation, improper care of common property, laziness of some members etc.

In spite of the above dysfunctions joint family system still con­tinue to exist in modern day. Of course the system is breaking down in cities but it still prevails in rural areas. But it cannot say that the system has been completely abolished. It continues to exist in Indian Society withstanding the challenges of time. It still exists today in a renewed and modified form.