What are the characteristics of the various forms of family ?

There are two broad types of family, the nuclear (or small family) and the joint family (or the large family). The joint families are further sub-divided into two types :

(a) Patrilineal and Patrilocal family (b) Matrilineal and Matrilocal family A third type of family is the extended family which is not a very common form.

Two other types of family are there, which are generally found in tribal societies.

(a) the polygynous family and

(b) the polyandrous family. The former of the two (i.e. the polygynous) is based upon one man having more than one wife, whereas the latter (i.e. polyandrous) is based upon one woman married to more than one husband at the same time.

I. Characteristics of Nuclear Family :

(a) The nuclear family is a group of persons consisting of husband, wife and their unmarried children. This is a basic grouping of mates and their offspring/s.

(b) The kinship relationships in nuclear family are : husband-wife, father-son, father-daughter, mother-son, mother-daughter, brother-brother, sister-sister and brother-sister. This is the smallest composite family unit.

(c) There may also be supplemented nuclear family units with a widowed parent of the husband or his younger brothers and sisters as residents.

II. Characteristics of Joint Family

(a) Joint family consists of more than one primary family. All the members are blood relations (except wife and husband) or close kins

and generally share common residence, kitchen and property.

(b) Joint family usually have three or more generations. But two or more colateral families living together in a common residence and sharing a common kitchen and property also form a joint family.

(c) Joint family is the hollmark of traditional Indian society having very deep roots in history. Joint family in its traditional shape is found in our country even today, though it is wanning very fast.

III. Characteristics of Extended Family:

(a) If other closely related kins than those who form the nuclear or joint family are added to the nuclear family, it takes the form of an extended family.

(b) The extended families can be their those to which the nucleus kins or those in which the nucleus is surrounded by distant consanguineous kins or those in which kinship universe is extended still further such as parents-in-law living in their son-in-law's family.

IV. Characteristics of Matrilineal Family:

(a) This is the family in which the husband resides with his wife in her mother’s house. The ancestry in his family is traced to the maternal line.

(b) The matrilineal family is also matriarchal in nature because the authority in this family lies with the mother. She is the head of the family. This is not a common form of family. The Nayars of South India live in matrilocal families.

V. Characteristics of Patrilineal Family:

(a) Most of the families world over are of this kind. In the patrilineal and patrilocal family, ancestry is traced to the paternal line. Unlike matrilocal families, the ancestors in the patrilocal families are men.

(b) The patrilocal family is also patriarchal. The authority lies with the male members and the final authority rests with the eldest male member of the family.

VI. Characteristics of the Polygynous Family : When a man marries more than one

wife, the family organisation with is formed a polygynous type. Most of the tribal families are polygynous.

VII. Characteristics of the Polyandrous Family : This is a family in which a woman has more than one husband. This is made of the fraternal polyandry where several brothers marry one wife.