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.
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.
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.
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:
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:
Characteristics/ Features of Joint Family System
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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Ans. A joint family consists of all the family members living together under the same roof.
Ans. Joint family is also known as joint household.
Ans. The word “Family” originated from the Latin word ‘famulus’ meaning servant.
Ans. There are various types of families like nuclear family, compound family, joint family, lineal family, etc.
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