Household and Domestic Groups | Anthropology Optional for UPSC PDF Download

Family
Def- two or more people related by blood, marriage, or adoption.
Forms- ranging from a single parent with one or more children, to a married couple or polygamous spouses with offspring, to several generations of parents and their children.
eg. Nuclear family, joint family, Patriarchal family, Matriarchal family
Household
Def- as the basic residential unit where economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out, situations in which co-residents of a household are not related biologically or by marriage. It is always task oriented and consists of family or part of family.
eg. royal household,  household of rich and powerful patrons, an Israeli kibbutz (a collectively owned and operated agricultural settlement).
Domestic groups
Def-  “A group of people who habitually share a common dwelling and a common food supply” (Smith); thus, equivalent to “household”. Persons living in same house, not always family members.
It includes the concept of family as well as the household.