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Amity School of Law,Noida SOC-125, Semester-1

Sociology: An IntroductionDr. Manisha Jha
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Family
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The basic unit of the social structure in every

society is the family.
The institution of a family is the basic and
fundamental institution in the life of an
individual.
This is as true among simple societies as
within the complex, modem societies.
It is the primary group and an important
agency of socialization.
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However, it varies in internal organisation, in its

degree of autonomy and in the sanctions and taboos
by which it is protected and perpetuated.
Its universality, its persistence through time and
under widely variant cultures, and its necessity for
biological and social reasons.
The specific pattern of family life in any given social
structure is the product of the mores and varies with
time and place and peoples.
Therefore, the family has been seen as a universal
social institution, as an inevitable part of human
society.
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It is built around the needs of human beings to regularize

sexual behaviour and protect and nurture the young ones.
It is the unit in which resources are pooled and distributed for
consumption, around which residence is organised and
domestic tasks are performed.
The social organization is associated with such emotive issues
as love, marriage, home and child bearing.
It is the family that gives us our principal identity our social
status and even our very name, which is the lable oft his
identity in the larger society of which we are a part.
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Historically, the institution of a family has undergone

many changes. The term ‘family’ has been defined by
many sociologists and anthropologists.
American anthropologist George Murdock (in
1949), after studying about 250 multi-cultural
societies, defined family as a social group that is
characterized by common residence, economic
cooperation and reproduction.
It includes adults of both the sexes, at least two of
whom maintain a socially approved sexual
relationship and one or more children are owned or
adopted by the sexually cohabiting adults.
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The early and classical definitions emphasised that

the family was a group based on marriage, common
residence, emotional bonds, and stipulation of
domestic services.
The family has also been defined as group based on
marital relations, rights and duties of parenthood,
common habitation and reciprocal relations between
parents and children.
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Some sociologists feel that the family is a

social group characterised by common
residence, economic co-operation and
reproduction.
Talcott Parsons sees the modern family as
“stripped” to just two ‘basic and irreducible’
functions:
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MacIver – “Family is a group defined by a sex

relationship sufficiently precise and enduring to
provide for the procreation and upbringing of
children”.
Nimkoff – “Family is a more or less durable
association of husband and wife with or without
children or of a man or women alone, with children.
Clare – “Family is a system of relationship existing
between parents and children”. ž Eliott and Merrill –
“Family is the logical social unit composed of
husband, wife and children”.
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Family is one of the pivotal and most

significant institution of all societies.
There are various forms of family found all
over the world; but most sociologists and
anthropologists agree that universally the most
common features of a family is that is
composed of individuals related to each other
by blood, marriage, or adoption.
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The family performs several essential

functions for society.
It socializes children, it provides emotional
and practical support for its members, it helps
regulate sexual activity and sexual
reproduction, and it provides its members with
a social identity.
In addition, sudden or far-reaching changes in
the family’s structure or processes threaten its
stability and weaken society.
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The family contributes to social inequality by

reinforcing economic inequality and by
reinforcing patriarchy.
The family can also be a source of conflict,
including physical violence and emotional
cruelty, for its own members.
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Symbolic interactionism
The interaction of family members and intimate
couples involves shared understandings of their
situations.
Wives and husbands have different styles of
communication, and social class affects the
expectations that spouses have of their marriages and
of each other.
Love is the common basis for American marriages
and dating relationships, but it is much less common
in several other contemporary nations.
Theoretical Perspective
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 George Murdock Name of Institution

George Murdock (1949; 4-11) lists four important

functions served by the nuclear family, these
functions serve to resolve four major problems of
society.
According to him the nuclear family along with other
social institutions, serves to:
i) regulate sexual relations;
ii) account for economic survival ;
iii) controls reproduction; and
iv) socialises children
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MacIver divides the functions of the family into Two categories:

Essential
○ Satisfaction of sex needs.
○ Production and raring of children.
○ Provision of home.
Non-essential

Economic.
Religious.
Educational.
Health.
Recreation.
Civic. Social.
Role of socialization.
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Out of all these functions, some thinkers

believe that socialisation of children is one of
the most central tasks of the family.
Thus, one can see that family, as an
institution, helps solve the problem of
regulating sexual behaviour, surviving
economically, reproducing new members of
society and socialising them to become
effective members of that society and culture.
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Functions related to sex and children.

Protective function.
Emotional function.
Economic functions.
Social functions.
Cultural functions.
Educational functions
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On the basis of Authority.

On the basis of Structure.
On the basis of Residence.
On the basis of Marriage.
On the basis of Ancestry.
On the basis of In-group and Out-group.
On the basis of Blood Relations.
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On the basis of Authority:

Patriarchal – male dominant, female subordinate.
Matriarchal – female dominant, male subordinate.
On the basis of Structure:
Nuclear – husband, wife with or without children.
Joint Family
Extended family – two Nuclear family.
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On the basis of Residence:

Patrilocal – wife goes to husband’s house for live.
Matrilocal – husband goes to wife’s house for live.
On the basis of Marriage:
Monogamous – one man marry one woman.
Polygamous – one man marry two or more women.
Polyandrous: - one woman marry two or more men.
On the basis of Ancestry:
Patrilineal – ancestry continues through the father. Matrilineal
– ancestry continues through the mother.
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On the basis of In-group and Out-group:

Endogamous – sanctions marriage only among members of
the in-group.
Exogamous – sanctions marriage of members of an in-
group with members of an out-group.
On the basis of Blood Relationships
Conjugal family – consists of spouses, their offspring and
relatives through marriage.
Consanguineous family – consists of blood relatives
together with heir mates and children.
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Characteristics of Family
1. A mating relationship: A family comes into existence when a man
and woman establish mating relation between them.
2. A form of marriage: Mating relationship is established through the
institution of marriage.
3. A system of nomenclature: Every family is known by a name and
has its own system of reckoning descent. Descent may be consider
through the male or female line.
4. An economic provision: The head of the family carries on certain
profession and earns money to maintain the family.
5. A common habitation (surroundings): A family requires a home or
house-hold for its living. Without a dwelling place the task of child
bearing and child rearing cannot be adequately performed.
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Type of family on the basis of

Structure
1.

1. Joint Family
2. Nuclear – husband, wife with or without
children.
3. Extended family
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The family in India does not consist only of husband, wife and
their children but also of uncles, aunts and cousins and
grandsons.
This system called Joint family or extended family system, is a
peculiar characteristic of the Indian social life.
A son after marriage does not usually separate himself from
the parents but continues to stay with them under the same
roof and holding property in common.
The earnings of all the members are put in a common fund out
of which family expenses are met.
The family in India is based on Patrilineal descent.
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Definition of Joint Family

Iravati Karve – “A Joint Family is a group of people
who generally live under one roof, who eat food
cooked at one hearth, who hold property in common
and who participate in common worship and are
related to each other as some particular type of
kindred”.
I.P. Desai – “we call that household a joint family
which has greater generation depth than individual
family and the members of which are related to one
another by property, income and mutual rights and
obligations”.
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Characteristics of Joint Family

Large Size.
Joint Property.
Common Residence.
Co-operative Organization.
Common Religion.
A Productive Unit.
Mutual Rights and Obligation.
 Characteristics of Joint Family
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Large size: Joint family consists of parents, children, grand

children and other near relatives along with their women.
Joint Property: The ownership, production and consumption of
wealth lakes place on a joint basis. ž Common Residence:
Joint family usually live under same roof.
Co-operative Organization: Joint family system is co-
operation.
Common religion: Joint family believe in the same religion
and worship similar deities.
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Characteristics of Joint Family

A productive Unit:
All the members work at one and the same field.
Joint family is found among agricultural families.
Mutual Rights and Obligations:
The rights and obligations of the members of joint family are
the same.
If one female member works in the kitchen, the other does the
laundry work, and the third one look after the children.
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Merits of Joint Family System

Merits and Demerits of Joint Family Name
System
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Factors of Disintegration of Joint Family

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Factors of Disintegration of Joint Family

Industrialization.
Extension of Communication & Transport.
Decline of agriculture & Village Trades.
Impact of the West.
New Social Legislation.
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The individual nuclear family is a universal social

phenomenon. It also called Modern Family.
A nuclear family is one which consists of the
husband, wife and their children.
The children leave the parents as soon as they are
married.
A nuclear family is an autonomous unit free from the
control of elders.
There is minimum interdependence between them.
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An extended family can be viewed as a merger of several

nuclear families.
An extended family may be crammed into a single house, or it
may occupy a cluster of houses within an extended family
compound.
There are two types of extended family.
Small extended family. ○ May included an old man and his
wife, their son, the son’s wife and the son’s children.
Large extended family. ○ May include the old man and his
wives, their unmarried children and married sons, and the
son’s wives along with their unmarried children.
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A social unit consisting of two previously married

parents and the children of their former marriages.
The term Blended family or Step Family describes
families with mixed parents: one or both parents
remarried, bringing children of the former family into
the new family
A Stepfamily is the family one acquires when a
parent enters a new marriage, whether the parent was
widowed or divorced.
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The family has undergone some radical changes in

the past half a century.
Its structure has changed, its functions have been
altered and its nature has been affected.
That is various factors – social, economic,
educational, legal, cultural, scientific, technological
etc.,
The modern family is democratic bases on equality
between husband and wife.
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Decreased control of the marriage contract.

Changes in the relationship of man and woman.
Laxity in sex relationships.
Economic independence.
Smaller family.
Decline of religious control.
Separation of non-essential functions.
Filocentric family.
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Family
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Decreased control of the marriage contract:

The modern family people are less subject to the parental
control concerning whom and when they will marry.
Changes in the relationship of man and woman:
In modern family the woman is not the devotee to man but an
equal partner in life with equal rights.
Laxity in sex relationships:
Illegitimate sex relationship of the husband and wife too can
be seen in modern family.
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Economic independence:
Women in modern family have attained an increasing degree of economic
independence.
Smaller family:
The modern family is a smaller family.
Decline of religious control:
The modern family is secular in attitude.
The religious rites of the traditional family such as early prayer, yagya etc., are
not longer performed in modern family.
Separation of non-essential functions:
The traditional family functions have now been taken over by specialized
agencies.
Hospital offers room for the birth of child.
The kindergarten, he/she is educated.
The playground he/she recreates.
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Changes & legislation on family

and marriage in India – Marriage
acts
Changes & legislation on family and marriage in
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India – Marriage acts

The prevention of Sati Act 1829.

The Hindu widow Remarriage Act 1856.
The Civil (or special) Marriage Act 1872.
The Hindu Marriage Act 1955.
The Dowry Prohibition Act 1961.
The Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929.
The Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act 1956.
Medical Terminal of Pregnancy Act 1971.
Family Court Act 1984.
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The prevention of Sati Act 1829.

Widows are often forced to make a vow or sankalpa to die
after their husband’s death.
Sri Rajaram Mohan Roy took up the causes of women and
impressed upon.
Lord Bentinck, the British Governor General of India brings
out a legislation prohibiting the of “Sati”.
The formation of Sati Act, 1829 includes saving the lives of
widows, and punishing and fining those instigates the practice
of “Sati”.
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Hindu Widow Remarriage Act 1855.

Through prevention of Sati Act, even though widows
were saved, but they were subjected to exploitation
and humiliation.
Pandit Ishware Chandra Vidya Sagar brought
pressure on the British Government to make legal
provision for widow remarriage.
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The Civil (or Special) Marriage Act 1872.

This is provided legal permission for inter-caste, inter-religious and
registered marriages.
It was modified in 1954.
Couple has to inform the marriage officer a month before the scheduled
marriage and two witnesses has to be present during the time of marriage.
The Hindu Marriage Act 1955.
This Act is applicable for the total India and Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists and the
scheduled castes.
Condition for Valid Marriage as Provided under this Act;
Prohibits polygyny, polyandry and child marriage.
The bridegroom mush have completed 21 years of the age and bride 18
years of age.
Equal rights for men and women in marriage.
Given permission for inter-caste and inter-religion marriages.
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Conditions Under which Divorce as per this Act;
Lunatic (mad) at the time of marriage.
The spouse must have been impotent (useless) at the time of marriage.
The wife was pregnant by some person other than the petitioner at the time
of marriage.
The dissolution of marriage may be obtained on the grounds of cohabitation
not resumed after 2 years judicial separation; adultery; unsound mind;
rejection; conversion of religion; sexual transmitted disease; leprosy;
desertion for 7 years.
Dowry Prohibition Act 1961.
It permits exchange of gifts for not more than Rs.2000/
It prescribes the penalty of 6 months imprisonment or a fine up to Rs.
5000/- or both.
The act got amended in 1986 and there after its rules became still more
severe.
It does not apply to Muslims.
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Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929.

According to this Act boys under 18 years of age, girls under 14 years of
age, if get married is an offence.
Later the Act was amended in 1978 to 21 years of age for boys and 18 years
of age for girls.
Violation of the Act prescribes penalty of 3 month imprisonment and
Rs.1000/- fine.
The Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act 1956.
It provides provision for childless women the right to adopt a child.
To claim maintenance from the husband is she is divorced.
Medical Terminal of Pregnancy Act 1971.
legalizes abortion conceding the right of a woman to undergo abortion on
the ground of physical and mental health.
Family Court Act 1984.
Provides justice to women who get involved in family disputes.
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