Essay on Joint Family

Essay on Joint Family

Family does not mean bonded to each other only by blood relation. It does mean connecting with them emotionally. A happy life is not possible without a happy family. Everyone needs a family who cheers with them in happy times, stands with them in their bad times, guides them in difficult times and so on. Family is an important part of our survival.

10 Lines Essay on Joint Family

1) A joint family consists of at least three generations living together in one house.

2) Joint families have a common kitchen, rituals, property, residence and sometimes have common occupations.

3) Joint family is practiced from the Vedic period in India.

4) The elder member is responsible for decision making.

5) Members of a joint family never feel alone.

6) Joint families are the major support system in every situation.

7) Privacy is violated in a joint family.

8) Quarrels and conflicts are common issues.

9) The main cause of decline in joint families is urbanization.

10) Joint families are more stable than nuclear families.

Long Essay on Joint Family in English

Here, I’m providing an essay on the merits and demerits of joint families in very easy language. You can go through this essay to know the different aspects of joint families.

1200 Words Long Essay – Merits and Demerits of Joint Family

Introduction

Joint family is all about “us” rather than “I”. We all are well aware of the famous proverb “united we stand, divided we fall”, this can be seen in the joint families. Unity is the main power to fight all the problems. That’s why the joint family is considered as the most stable type of family.

 A joint family is like a flower bouquet, which contains several flowers that are different in shapes, sizes and colors but together they produce a pleasant fragrance of harmony.

Joint Family in India

A joint family is a family which consists of many generations living together in one house. A joint family consists of all the family members from grandparents to grandchildren. This type of family system is generally practiced in India.

Joint family can be seen as the extension of a nuclear family and hence also referred to as the extended family. The food is prepared together by all the women members in one common kitchen. In most of the cases, members of a joint family follow the same occupation. Joint family practice common religious activities, usually all the rituals are performed by the elder member of the family.

The joint family is large in size as it contains many family members. Family shares expenditure so that no member has the burden to feed the family alone. If there is any unemployed person in the family he too can survive in a joint family.

The children of a joint family are said to have sharing as well as compromising nature. They develop the ability of adjusting according to the situation.

Advantages/ Benefits of Joint Family

A joint family possesses many advantages when compared to nuclear families. Since the family members of a joint family are multiplied as compared to the nuclear family, therefore we can say that the enjoyment and benefits are also multiplied. Some of them are mentioned below:

  • Never Lonely:  In joint families, children will never feel alone. They always have someone who takes care of them.  
  • Sharing and Caring: Living in a joint family teaches you the true meaning of love and care. Children develop the nature of sharing and caring on their own. They are emotionally bonded to each other.
  • Knowledge beyond Books: The elder people always share their life experiences with others. Learning from their experience will give you knowledge beyond the books.
  • Meaning of Respect: The true meaning of respect is only understood by living in a joint family. Joint family consists of several members including grandparents. Therefore, respecting everyone is the ultimate quality developed in the people of joint families.
  • Less Financial Burden: The total expenses are distributed among all the working members. Therefore, nobody feels the burden of running home alone.
  • Support: The joint family is the major support system. People share every happy and unhappy moment together.
  • Division of Labor: All the work is equally divided by the members of the family. Women distribute their job so that no one will feel the load.   

Disadvantages of Joint Family

Living in a joint family will sometimes affect the lifestyle of the family members. Apart from having various advantages, joint families also have some disadvantages. Some of them is mentioned below:

  • Privacy: The main issue in the joint family is privacy. People in a joint family will never be allowed to enjoy their private life. Everyone knows the secret of every other person in the house therefore the term privacy does not exist in joint families.
  • Financial Issue: Sometimes, expenditure is not equally distributed due to difference in income of the members. It also leads to dissatisfaction among some members.
  • Parenting Issues: Parents have to treat their children according to the system of joint family. As they always try to give their opinion.
  • Disagreement: While taking any important decisions, it is very difficult to get every member to agree on a particular solution.
  • Unnecessary Fights and Conflicts: Living in a joint family is not that easy. Fights and quarrels are quite common in the house. When people with different mindset live together under the same roof, mismatch of thoughts will always raise conflicts.
  • Decision Making: All the important decisions are taken by the head of the family. Although other members can give their views, the final decision lies in the hands of the family head.

Characteristics/ Features of Joint Family System

  • Most of the decisions are taken by the elder member of the family, usually referred as the “Karta” of the family.
  • All members contribute money for overall expenses.
  • Members of a joint family share joint property.
  • All the members follow common rituals and worship, followed by generations.
  • Joint family is all about joint responsibilities.

Joint Family Vs Nuclear Family

There are a lot of differences between joint families and nuclear families. Let us discuss some main differences.

In joint families, children are raised with the love and affection of their elders. They enjoy their childhood in the lap of their grandparents. Children never feel bored nor alone. They always have someone by their side. Even the place of friends is occupied by the cousins. On the other hand, in nuclear family’s children have no one to whom they can share their feelings. They live alone with their parents. As a result, children from nuclear families are easily prone to mental diseases like Depression.

Children from joint families develop various social etiquette, they easily get mixed with others. The children from joint families are more adjustable than those in nuclear families.

Sometimes both the parents are working, due to which they have less interaction with their kids. There are more chances of kids trapped in bad habits as parents don’t have much time for them. However, they always fear for their children as there is no one to take care of them. But in joint families, there are other members who take care of the children in absence of their parents.

Reasons for Decline in Joint Family

Today we can see a huge shift of joint families to nuclear families. According to an early survey there had been a decline in the joint family from 19.1% to 16.1%. The main cause of deterioration of joint family is urbanization. People are more influenced by the western culture.  

Unemployment and migration to the cities for better job opportunities are other reasons for decline in joint families. As it is somehow difficult for elders to shift completely in the cities by leaving their ancestor’s house.  

Everyone wants to live a life of their own choice. Desire for independence had shifted the attention and likelihood towards the nuclear family system. However, for better education and facilities nobody wants to live in the rural areas. Therefore, inconvenience can also be the reason for shifting towards more nuclear family.

Conclusion

Family is the essential segment of our life. Everyone wants to live a happy and prosperous life with their family. It can be nuclear or joint. Both types of families have their own merits and demerits. It is our personal preference to choose the type of family in which we want to live.

I hope the above given essay on merits and demerits of joint family would be fruitful for your knowledge. I have tried to keep the language simple for your better understanding.

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FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions on Joint Family

Q.1 What is a joint family in simple words?

Ans. A joint family consists of all the family members living together under the same roof.

Q.2 What is the other name of Joint family?

Ans. Joint family is also known as joint household.

Q.3 Where did the word family originated?

Ans. The word “Family” originated from the Latin word ‘famulus’ meaning servant.

Q.4 What are various types of families in India?

Ans. There are various types of families like nuclear family, compound family, joint family, lineal family, etc.