Joint Family or Nuclear Family ?

500 Words2 Pages
In India, the joint family system has been in existence since ancient times. The father is considered as the head of the family. His wife, sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren together constitute a joint family. The head of the family feels proud of the great number of members. However, with the passage of time, the joint family system has disintegrated, giving rise to the nuclear family system. The nuclear family consists of a man, his wife and their children. Job opportunities available in the cities become the main cause of the disintegration of the joint family system. People migrated to the cities in search of jobs. For a number of reasons, a joint family system could not exist in the cities. There is a lack of living space in the cities. It is difficult to accommodate all the members of a joint family in a single house in the city. To cost of living is very high in the cities. A nuclear family has many advantages. In a nuclear family, the mother is able to look after the needs of her children well. She can take care of their personal needs in a much better way than she could in a joint family. The family earns, spends and saves money for itself. Parents can invest money for the education of their children. They can put them in good schools and for provide them with better career opportunities. They can understand one another well. But in a joint family system, children don't get individual attention. The womenfolk never find time to look after their children for they remain busy in the household work. Children are not educated much as they join the family occupation. A nuclear family has its disadvantages too. Due to high cost of living in the cities, both the parents pursue a career of their own. This may leave the children unguided. They find no one for advice or discussion. They spend their childhood without the much needed love and company of their
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