Types and Forms of Family | Sociology Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

Types and Forms of Family

Families can be classified into different types and forms based on various criteria such as marriage, residence, ancestry, size, structure, and the nature of relationships among members. Here’s a detailed explanation of each type and form:

Types of Family Based on Marriage

• Polygamous or Polygynous Family: This type of family involves one man being married to multiple women simultaneously.
• Polyandrous Family: In this family structure, one woman is married to multiple men at the same time.
• Monogamous Family: This is the most common type of family where one man is married to one woman only.

Forms of Family Based on Nature of Residence

• Family of Matrilocal Residence: In this form, the husband moves to live with the wife’s family after marriage.
• Family of Patrilocal Residence: Here, the wife moves to live with the husband’s family after marriage.
• Family of Changing Residence: This type involves couples who move between both families or have flexible living arrangements.

Types of Family Based on Ancestry or Descent

• Matrilineal Family: Inheritance and lineage are traced through the mother’s side of the family.
• Patrilineal Family: Inheritance and lineage are traced through the father’s side of the family.

Types of Family Based on Size or Structure

• Nuclear or Single Unit Family: This family consists of two parents and their children living together as a single unit.
• Joint Family: In a joint family, multiple generations or branches of a family live together under one roof, sharing resources and responsibilities.

Types of Family Based on Nature of Relations Among Members

• Conjugal Family: This type consists of adult members who are in a sexual relationship, such as a husband and wife.
• Consanguine Family: A consanguine family includes members who are related by blood, such as siblings or a parent and child.

Detailed Analysis of Two Popular Types of Family Studied in Sociology

Joint Family

Social Aspect

• Solidarity of Relationship: In joint families, the strength of relationships is primarily focused on blood relatives and siblings rather than affinal (marriage-related) connections. This is why such families are often referred to as consanguineous families. In these families, daughter-in-laws are responsible for most household activities, as they hold little significance within the family structure. S.C. Dubey notes that for married women in Indian joint families, their parents' home becomes a temporary place of stay after marriage.
• Importance of Members: In a joint family, the entire family is collectively important, rather than individual members. This collective importance is especially evident in the decision-making process, which encompasses both minor and major issues. As a result, decisions related to marriage are often made at the family level.
• Marriage Alliance: Marriage alliances are arranged at the family level rather than the individual level. This means that marriage relationships are seen as connections between two families. In joint families, husbands and wives have different relationships with various family members, leading to limited interaction between them and minimizing potential conflicts. This phenomenon was studied by Elizabeth Bott in her research on families in Greater London and was supported by Rosser and Harris.

Political Aspect

• In the context of authority: In patriarchal families, authority is held by males, while in matriarchal families, authority rests with females. Each family has a head who represents the entire family, and the decisions made by this head are collective decisions reflecting the family's consensus.

Economic Aspect

• In the context of division of labor: Division of labor in joint families is based on age and sex. Males typically work outside the home, while females are responsible for domestic tasks. Talent and skill are not significant factors in determining work assignments. Feminist sociologist Ann Oakley, in her study of British society, noted that in pre-industrial Britain, the family was the primary unit of production. Women were primarily assigned domestic tasks such as cooking, cleaning, washing, child care, and some dairy production activities. With the advent of industrialization, women's roles changed, and they assumed what Oakley termed the "dominant mature feminine role."
• In the context of ownership of property: In joint families, property is jointly owned, and individual ownership is not permitted.

Religious Aspect

• Religious activities in joint families are mandatory for all members and are performed collectively. No individual member can have a personal stake in this aspect of family life.

Cultural Aspects

• In the context of functions: Joint families engage in various functions, either out of obligation to certain rules or in the form of Sankaras, and these processes are completed collectively.
• In the context of place of residence: The entire joint family lives together under one roof, sharing a common kitchen.

Nuclear Family

Social Aspect

• Solidarity of Relations: In nuclear families, the focus is primarily on affinal relationships, making blood relations less significant. This is why such families are referred to as conjugal families. The very existence of nuclear families can also be attributed to the separation of the ego from its blood relatives.
• Every member in a nuclear family is considered important, and individual desires are not imposed on others. Each member enjoys independence and significance at their own level. This is particularly evident in marital decisions, where individual freedom plays a crucial role. In Western industrial countries, there is absolute freedom for everyone in such matters. However, in traditional societies like India, nuclear family structures differ from those in the West, and absolute freedom in marital decisions is not always granted.

Political Aspect

• In nuclear families, all members have equal rights, and children are considered equally important in decision-making matters. Such families are referred to as filiocentric families. Authority is not enforced through compulsion but rather through consensus, achieved by consulting all members.

Economic Aspect

• Division of labor in nuclear families is based on ability and talent rather than age and gender. This leads to joint conjugal roles, in contrast to joint families where roles are separated. This distinction was elaborated upon by Elizabeth Bott and Rosser & Harris. Property within nuclear families is governed by modern rules, and if property is acquired individually, the achiever becomes the sole owner of that property.

Religious Aspect

• In Western countries, nuclear families have seen a decline in religious activities at the family level. With the advancement of science and technology, people have increasingly turned to rational solutions for their problems, diminishing their reliance on supernatural beliefs. This shift has led to the adoption of secular ideologies by both individuals and the state. As a result, religious activities within nuclear families are no longer considered essential, compulsory, or obligatory for members.

Miscellaneous

1. Prominence of external agencies : MacIver has considered nuclear family as the unit of consumption. So whether, it is a matter of socialization of children, or of entertainment, external agencies are highly required because, the concerned commodities and services cannot be produced at family level. It is so because, wherever nuclear family exists, there is a prominence of specialization, that is, every member gets expertise in a particular field and for other services and commodities, he is bound to depend on others, this explanation was elaborately given by T. Parsons and William J. Goode in their studies of industrial societies.
2. Improved status of women: With the increment of the elements of equality, freedom and right to decision making have altogether weakened patriarchy. Status of women is continuously getting improved. The economic freedom, among women is highly responsible for it. Ann Oakley has presented this kind of change in the women as ‘dominant, mature feminine role’.
3. Increase in Individuality: It is just the opposite of Durkheim’s conception of collective consciousness because due to prevalence of tradition in collective consciousness, everyone thinks alike. And the same happens in the joint family of pre-industrial simple society. In modern nuclear families, individual consciousness prevails which leads the people towards economic prosperity. But, its dysfunction is seen in the form of anomie, which brings dissociation and separation in family- Apart from it, there is an increase in, crime, cyber crime, drug addiction, alcoholism prostitution, juvenile delinquency etc. There is one more important thing, which is seen in individuality and that is, people get complete privacy owing to the lack of familial and democratic pressures, which increases sexual freedom too. Conclusively, such families are becoming individualistic democrat.

Factors Responsible for the change in family structure in industrial society

After scientific & industrial revolution, the patriarchal joint family, in western society started changing into
individualistic nuclear family. It was the need of the people to have this kind of family structure because it suited appropriately with the complete ecology. It has many important functions to impart and through it, many unimportant functions have been done away with it. Factors responsible for this kind of change are enormous but the most important and initiating factor has been industrialization. Overall the factors can be counted in the following way :

• Industrialization
• Modernization
• Secularization – Role of science & technology

Industrialization

T. Parsons and William J. Goode have been significant figures in discussing the role of industrialization in the rise of nuclear families.

T. Parsons: The Isolated Nuclear Family

• Parsons argues that the isolated nuclear family is typical in modern industrial society.
• He suggests that this family type is structurally isolated, meaning it is not a part of a wider kinship network.

Geographical Mobility and the Isolated Nuclear Family

• Parsons explains that modern industrial systems with specialized labor require geographical mobility.
• Individuals with specialized skills often need to move to where their skills are in demand.
• The isolated nuclear family supports this need for mobility because it is smaller and less tied to a broader kinship network.

Focus on Fewer Obligations

• In an isolated nuclear family, there are fewer kin obligations.
• This allows for a tighter bond between husband, wife, and child, with obligations focused on these few individuals.

Achieved Status and Family Structure

• Parsons argues that the isolated nuclear family is ideal for a society based on achieved status, where individuals are judged by their accomplishments.
• In contrast, pre-industrial societies had a particularistic value system, leading to conflicts in larger family units.
• The isolated nuclear family reduces these conflicts and maintains family solidarity.

Family Functions

• Parsons believes that in an isolated nuclear family, key functions such as primary socialization of children and stabilization of adult personalities are carried out effectively.
• The expressive mother and wife play a crucial role in these functions.

Support for Parsons: Ronald Fletcher

• Fletcher supports Parsons by arguing that the family has not only retained its functions but that these functions have become more detailed and important.
• Specialized institutions like schools and hospitals have enhanced the family’s role rather than replaced it.
• Parents now serve as key guides for their children in terms of occupational choices and health, acting as mentors in their achievement patterns.

Parsons on Family at Macroscopic Level

• Parsons argues that, at a macroscopic level, the family has become almost completely functionless.
• However, this does not imply that the modern family is unimportant; rather, its role has evolved.
• Modern families contribute to the integration and economic system of larger society, fulfilling their role in an appropriate manner.

William J. Goode: Industrialization and Family Structure

• Like Parsons, Goode argues that industrialization tends to weaken the extended family and larger kinship groups.
• He explains that the high rate of geographical mobility in industrial society decreases the frequency and intimacy of contact among kin members.

Geographical Mobility and Kinship Ties

• Goode observes that upward mobility of a working-class family member often leads to a lifestyle and value shift, cutting ties with working-class kin.
• Many functions once performed by families have been taken over by outside agencies like schools,businesses, and welfare organizations. This reduces individual dependency on family and kin.

Achieved Status and Family Dynamics

• The importance of achieved status in industrial society means that family and kinship groups have less to offer their members.
• As a result, people increasingly adopted the nuclear family structure, which suited the new industrial society.
• This shift was so significant that even non-industrial families began to adopt this structure.

Role Bargaining in Industrial Upper-Class Families

• Goode notes that in industrial upper-class families, a joint family structure may be observed, but these families often lack emotional and mental connection.
• He introduces the concept of role bargaining, where individuals negotiate their relationships to maximize gains.
• Individuals maintain good relationships with family members and comply with their control if they feel they are getting a good return on their investment of time, energy, and emotions.

New Family Systems and Role Bargaining

• Goode suggests that the new family system is not incompatible with the extended family model but offers an alternative pattern of reward.
• With greater freedom and equality, these family setups often function like nuclear families.

Modernization and the Role of Education

• In modern society, the education system has played a crucial role in transforming people’s beliefs and practices.
• Modern education has helped individuals move away from superstitions and stubborn traditions, enabling them to understand their rights and become more aware.
• The process of occupational differentiation and specialization is largely dependent on modern education, which facilitates social mobility.
• Previously, in pre-industrial society, there was a stark division between the upper and lower classes, with limited opportunities for all. However, industrial societies have made it possible for children from working-class backgrounds to achieve high social status through education.

Raymond Boudon’s Positional Theory

• French sociologist Raymond Boudon explains in his positional theory that a working-class boy can achieve a higher social position and mobility compared to his father by choosing the right educational path.
• This choice not only impacts his own mobility but also influences his family structure, often resulting in a nuclear family setup.

Changes in Judiciary and Women's Status

• Over time, various Acts have been enacted to improve the status of women.
• Women have become more demanding and assertive about their rights to equality and freedom, which they believe can be best fulfilled within a nuclear family structure.
• Ailleen Ross elaborates on this phenomenon within the context of the Indian family system.

Changes in Political System and Nuclear Families

• Changes in the political system that provide equality and freedom to all individuals have contributed to the rise of nuclear families.
• Goode observes that this increase in nuclear families is evident even in nonindustrial western societies.
• Kenneth Little supports this idea by studying the migration of rural kinship-based societies to urban industrial societies in West Africa.
• Many migrants welcomed the freedom from obligations to their kin that they experienced in urban settings.

Changes in Ideology and Women's Roles

• Ann Oakley illustrates how modernization has offered women new and modern roles within British society.
• In pre-industrial Britain, the family was a crucial unit of production, with all members involved in the production process.
• Marriage and family were essential for economic needs. Women played significant roles in both the industrial and textile sectors.
• However, the family has now shifted to being a unit of consumption, with women increasingly engaged in various means of earning, contributing to the rise of nuclear families.

Changes in Mass Communication and Family Structure

• Mass communication has significantly raised levels of awareness and mobility
• This shift has facilitated the formation of nuclear families in Western societies.
• In Indian society, similar trends have been observed with the adoption of one or two child norms, often through legal or illegal means, further shaping family structures into nuclear families.

Secularization and Family Size

• Secularization has influenced demographic factors, encouraging the adoption of one or two child norms.
• This shift has contributed to a decrease in family size and the emergence of nuclear families.
• In both Western and Indian societies, the adoption of these norms has played a crucial role in shapin-g family structures.