AN ANALYTICAL STUDY

OF CHANGING JOINT
FAMILY STRUCTURE IN
INDIA WITH CASE STUDY
OF ANCIENT INDIA

SOC125
BA LLB (Hons)
2021-26 (First Semester)
FAMILY
◦ The word ‘family’ has been taken
from Latin word ‘famulus’ which
means a servant. In roman law the
word denoted a group of producers
and slaves and other servants as well
as members connected by common
descents or marriage.
◦ Thus, originally family consisted of a
man and woman with a child or
children and servants.
TYPES OF FAMILY
CHANGE IN FAMILY
STRUCTURE: A
PERSPECTIVE
FAMILIES IN ANCIENT INDIA
◦ All the members of the family – brothers, uncles,
cousins and nephews – lived together under one roof
and shared the property of the family in common.
◦ In most of Hindu India, people belong not only to
coresident family groups but to larger aggregates of
kin as well.
◦ Larger than the patrilineage is the clan, commonly
known as the gotra or got.
◦ Hindu lineages and clans are strictly exogamous--
that is, a person may not marry or have a sexual
alliance with a member of his own lineage or clan;
such an arrangement would be considered
incestuous.
Families in
Modern India
(1) Decreased Control of the Marriage
Contract
(2) Changes in Relationship of Man
and Woman
(3) Reduced Size of Family
(4) Decline of religious control
(5) Filo Centric Family
(6) Parent Youth Conflict
(7) Separation of Non-Essential Functions
VIEWS OF YOUTH ON CHANGING PERSPECTIVE OF FAMILIES
Based on the primary data
collected through Google
Forms.

Analysis of the data:

According to the results of
the investigation, the main
reason for the increase in
nuclear family and joint
family has been-
1. A need for a financially
independent, socially
organized, and self-
reliant family.
2. Impact of western
culture.
DIFFERENT TYPE OF FAMILY/
MARRIAGE STRUCTURES IN
DIFFERENT PARTS OF INDIA

KINSHIP IN SOUTH INDIA

 Patrilineal (descent through the male line or
father) and patrilocal (couple settling in
husband’s home) system dominate. However,
some sections of the population practice
matrilineal and matrilocal systems.
 Some castes even allow polygamy, while the
others allow polygyny and polyandry
In the southern part, the people practice caste
endogamy and clan exogamy .
KINSHIP SYSTEM IN
NORTH INDIA

In these areas , caste endogamy , clan endogamy and

incest taboos regarding sexual relations between primary
kins are strictly observed.
Four gotras rule, that is , the avoidance of the gotras of
father , mother , grandmother and maternal grandmother
is generally practiced among Brahmans and other upper
castes in north India.
KINSHIP IN
CENTRAL INDIA
• In Rajasthan , for instance , Jats follow two
gotra exogamy along with village exogamy.
• Banias practice four gotra rule and Rajputs
have hypergamous clans, and feudal status
is an important consideration in marriage
alliance.
• In Kathiawad and Gujarat , one finds a mix
of peculiar local customs and northern
practices . Some caste allows cross- cousin
marriages , others allowed marriages once a
year , or four , five.
 CASE STUDY OF
ANCIENT INDIA
◦ ON THE BASIS OF DESCENT

 Patriarchal Family
◦ While patriliny had existed prior to the composition of
the epic, the central story of the Mahabharata reinforced
the idea that it was valuable.

 Matriarchal Family
◦ Women such as Prabhavati Gupta exercised power.
◦ Often great rulers were identified through metronymics
(names derived from that of the mother).
On the basis of
marriage

◦ In Mahabharata, the marriage of

Dhritarashtra and Gandhari is
monogamous.
◦ Draupadi’s marriage to the 5
Pandavas is an example of
Polyandry.
◦ Dasharatha having three wives is
an example of Polygyny.
ON THE BASIS OF IN-
GROUP AND OUT-
GROUP AFFILIATION

Bhima marrying Hidimba-

an example of exogamy.

Satavahana women
retained their father’s
gotras after marriage- an
example of endogamy.
POWER
STRUGGLE
◦ Joint family, the age- old concept is also
not away from the game of power.
◦ Often the Head of the Family acts as the
leader of the family, and often commands
obedience from family members.
◦ It mostly exhibits itself in form of
property dispute and biasness.
◦ A very famous example can be inferred
from Mahabharata.
FAMILY LAWS
IN INDIA
◦ Family Law Act of 1975
◦ Hindu Marriage Act, 1955
◦ Muslim Marriage Act Under Sharia Or
Muslim Law
◦ Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872 And
Divorce Act, 1869
◦ Paris Marriage And Divorce Act, 1936
◦ Special Marriage Act, 1954
◦ Guardians And Wards Act, 1890
CONCLUSION
◦ The joint family has been influenced by many influential
factors such as industrialization, urbanization, education,
enlightenment of women, the impact of western culture,
change in the marriage system, social legislations and
decline in agriculture and village industries, and this has
brought about a drastic change in the nature of the institution
of joint family.
◦ It can be seen now a days that the joint family structure is
being nuclearized. It is not that joint less of the family in
India is lost totally