Nuclear Family/ Extended Family/ Joint Family/അണുകുടുംബം/വിസ്തൃത കുടുംബം/കൂട്ടുകുടുംബം
Nuclear Family
The nuclear family is a
term used to define a family group consisting of a pair of adults and their
children.Nuclear families typically center on a married couple; the nuclear
family may have any number of children. There are differences in definition
among observers; some definitions allow only biological children that are
full-blood siblings, while others allow for a stepparent and any mix of
dependent children including stepchildren and adopted children.
Extended Family
In an extended family, parents and their children's families may
often live under a single roof. An extended family consisting of grand parents,
aunts, uncles, and cousins all living nearby or in the same household. An
example is a married couple that lives with either the husband or the wife's
parents. The family changes from immediate household to extended
household. In some circumstances, the
extended family comes to live either with or in place of a member of the
immediate family. These families include, in one household, near relatives in
addition to an immediate family. An example would be an elderly parent who
moves in with his or her children due to old age. This places large demands on
the caregivers, particularly on the female relatives who choose to perform
these duties for their extended family.
Joint Family
Joint Family consisting of many generations living under the
same roof. All the male members are blood relatives and all the women are
either mothers, wives, unmarried daughters, or widowed relatives, all bound by
the common relationship. The joint family status being the result of
birth, possession of joint cord that knits the members of the family together
is not property but the relationship. The family is headed by a patriarch,
usually the oldest male , who makes decisions on economic and social
matters on behalf of the entire family. The patriarch's wife generally exerts
control over the kitchen, child rearing and minor religious practices. All
money goes to the common pool and all property is held jointly.