According to smt iravati Karve " 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 types of kindred.
According to km Kapadia " joint family is a group formed not only of a couple and their children but also other relations either from father side or from mother side depending on whether the joint family is patrilineal or matrilineal .
According to henery maine " the Hindu joint family is a group constituted of know ancentors and adopted sons and relatives related to these sons through marriage .
Joint family act as agency of sociolozation
Characteristics of joint family
⚫Large in size ( because three to four generations)
⚫Joint property ( devision of property means devision of family )
⚫Common kitchen(separation kitchen means separation of family )
⚫Common residence( it creat sense of unity )
⚫Common worship ( kuladevatas )
⚫worship passes from generation to generation)
⚫Similar rights and obligations(each member remain consicous about his rights and obligations)
⚫Close blood ties ( close blood relations amound all thr members)
⚫Absolute power of the head ( his decision is final and binding )
⚫Co-operation(it's basis of family )
Sociolistic ideals ( from each according to his capacity and to each according to his necessity)
Funtions of joint family
⏺️Economic funtions(it guarantee food clothing and shelter to its members)
⏺️Protective funtions( it act as insurance company for the old sick and destitute)
⏺️Recreational funtions( festival program jooking relationship)
⏺️Fosters social virtues ( good social virtues like sacrifice love affection cooperation mutual help selflessness it's make family a cradle of social virtues , these social virtues are learned during the process of sociolozation
⏺️Act as a unique device of devision of labor ( all the works of the family are equally distributed)
⏺️Aganecy of social control ( unsocial anti social activities of its members are suppressed with in a health family environment
Dysfunctions of joint family
⚫Hinders the development of personality
⚫Encourage birth rate
⚫Home for idlers
⚫Pitiable condition of women
⚫Lack of privacy
⚫Low standard if living
⚫Absolute authority of the head ( karta )
Srinivas study of joint family in Coorg:-
▶️okka - patrilineal and patrilocal joint family is thr basic group among coorgs
▶️people who don't belong to okka have no social existence at all
▶️ membership of okka is acquired by birth . His association with okka does not end with death as then he becomes part of apotheosized ancestors who are believed to look after okka . Okka has longer life than its members.
▶️ marital relations are forbidden between members of okka . Leviratic unions add to strength of okka . Leviratic + traditional + cross cousin allowed = impregnable
K m Kapadia :-showed in his study that majority prefer joint families. 3 grounds on which remain members believe joint family is desirable :
🔸Sharing of economic burden
🔸Social security
🔸Fosters certain desirable qualities in inviduals
Inspite of the above dysfunctions joint family system still continue to exist in moden day . Of course the system in breaking down in cities but it still prevails in rural areas .
