Unit 1 Family and Household in India (SOB 651) Dr. S. Idrees Mujtaba
FAMILY, KINSHIP AND MARRIAGE IN INDIA (SOB-651)
UNIT I: FAMILY AND HOUSEHOLD IN INDIA
FAMILY
A family is a group of two or more people who are related by blood, marriage,
adoption, or a mutual commitment and who care for one another.
The family is universal or nearly universal.
Family is the backbone of social structure. It occupies a nuclear position in society.
The institution of family is a basic unit in the society, and the multifaceted functions
performed by it make it a much-needed institution in a society.
FUNCTIONS
Socialization: Family is regarded as the first society of human beings playing
a vital role in the socialisation of individuals. It is known as the first school of
citizenship. One is born in family, grows in it, works for it and dies in it.
Families are our most intimate social environment. They are the places where
we begin the vital processes of socializing our children, and teaching them in
partnership with countless others in the community how to survive and thrive
in the world.
Support: From the beginning of human life, people have grouped themselves
into families to find emotional, physical, and communal support.
Reproduction of new members
Provision of emotional and physical care for older persons and young.
Definitions:
According to Maclver and Page, “Family is a group defined by a sex
relationship, sufficiently precise and enduring to provide for the procreation
and upbringing of children".
According to Burgess and Locke, “Family is a group of persons united by the
ties of marriage, blood or adoption; consisting a single household, interacting
and intercommunicating with each other in their social roles of husband and
wife, mother and father, son and daughter, brother and sister creating a
common culture".
1|P ag e
,Unit 1 Family and Household in India (SOB 651) Dr. S. Idrees Mujtaba
Universality of Family
G.P. Murdock (1949) studied 250 societies around the world, ranging from small
hunting and gathering to large scale industrial societies and found that family is
universal. He defined family as,
“the family is a social group characterized by common residence, common
cooperation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of
whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more
children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults”
The family lives together, pools its resources, works together and produces offspring.
Although the norms may vary from society to society. Example: A father-child
relationship may not necessarily be a biological one as in Banaro of New Guinea, the
husband doesn’t have the sexual relations with his wife until she has borne a child by
a friend of his father.
It may be nuclear to joint/extended (vertical or horizontal).
Kathleen Gough
Studied Nayyars, South India, 1972 is against the Murdock’s claim of family being
universal.
Tali rite: Before puberty all Nayyar girls are married though ritually. They have no
sexual relation and the only obligation of the wife is to attend his (tali husband)
funeral to mourn his death.
After puberty, there are Sandbandham husbands (visiting husbands) for her to take.
Nayyars are professional warriors and acted as mercenaries and used to remain away
and thus were allowed to visit as many girls who have undergone tali rite but of same
caste or of lower caste.
Weapon outside indicates a husband is in.
Women not more than 12 visiting husbands at a time.
HERE husband and wife don’t form a union, no rearing together of the kids (another
custom to declare husband) and no economic unit as well.
Hence, the definition needs to be changed or there is no family.
2|P ag e
,Unit 1 Family and Household in India (SOB 651) Dr. S. Idrees Mujtaba
3|P ag e
, Unit 1 Family and Household in India (SOB 651) Dr. S. Idrees Mujtaba
1.1 Functionalist, Marxist and Feminist view on Family
Family is a social institution that binds people through blood, marriage, law, and/or
social norms. When sociologists study family, they do not have a particular family structure
in mind as a standard. Functionalists emphasize the functions of family; conflict theorists
emphasize the ways in which families perpetuate existing inequalities and social boundaries
whereas feminists discuss it as a centre of exploitation, loneliness and profound inequality.
Functionalist’s View of Family Life
The functionalists view society as constituted by a set of social institutions that perform
specific functions, ensuring continuity and value consensus. Thus, family performs important
tasks that fulfil some of society’s basic needs, helping to reproduce the social order.
Functionalists argue that societies consist of inter-related social institutions like family,
culture, religion which contribute positively to the maintenance of stability of the society
as a whole.
G. P. Murdock: Family performs the sexual/reproductive (no life without it),
economic (the provision and preparation of food), and educational function
(socialization and there would be no culture).
Economy: Division of labour and specialization. Men work outside and women inside
make it a cementing union.
Talcott Parsons (1959): The two essential or irreducible functions of the family
According to Parsons, although the nuclear family performs reduced functions, is that
it still is the only institution that can perform two core functions in society are :
i. Primary Socialisation:
The nuclear family is still responsible for teaching children the norms and
values of society known as Primary Socialisation. An important part of
socialisation according to Functionalists is `gender role socialisation’. If
primary socialisation is done correctly then boys learn to adopt the
`instrumental role' (also known as the `breadwinner role) they go on to go out
4|P ag e
FAMILY, KINSHIP AND MARRIAGE IN INDIA (SOB-651)
UNIT I: FAMILY AND HOUSEHOLD IN INDIA
FAMILY
A family is a group of two or more people who are related by blood, marriage,
adoption, or a mutual commitment and who care for one another.
The family is universal or nearly universal.
Family is the backbone of social structure. It occupies a nuclear position in society.
The institution of family is a basic unit in the society, and the multifaceted functions
performed by it make it a much-needed institution in a society.
FUNCTIONS
Socialization: Family is regarded as the first society of human beings playing
a vital role in the socialisation of individuals. It is known as the first school of
citizenship. One is born in family, grows in it, works for it and dies in it.
Families are our most intimate social environment. They are the places where
we begin the vital processes of socializing our children, and teaching them in
partnership with countless others in the community how to survive and thrive
in the world.
Support: From the beginning of human life, people have grouped themselves
into families to find emotional, physical, and communal support.
Reproduction of new members
Provision of emotional and physical care for older persons and young.
Definitions:
According to Maclver and Page, “Family is a group defined by a sex
relationship, sufficiently precise and enduring to provide for the procreation
and upbringing of children".
According to Burgess and Locke, “Family is a group of persons united by the
ties of marriage, blood or adoption; consisting a single household, interacting
and intercommunicating with each other in their social roles of husband and
wife, mother and father, son and daughter, brother and sister creating a
common culture".
1|P ag e
,Unit 1 Family and Household in India (SOB 651) Dr. S. Idrees Mujtaba
Universality of Family
G.P. Murdock (1949) studied 250 societies around the world, ranging from small
hunting and gathering to large scale industrial societies and found that family is
universal. He defined family as,
“the family is a social group characterized by common residence, common
cooperation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of
whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more
children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults”
The family lives together, pools its resources, works together and produces offspring.
Although the norms may vary from society to society. Example: A father-child
relationship may not necessarily be a biological one as in Banaro of New Guinea, the
husband doesn’t have the sexual relations with his wife until she has borne a child by
a friend of his father.
It may be nuclear to joint/extended (vertical or horizontal).
Kathleen Gough
Studied Nayyars, South India, 1972 is against the Murdock’s claim of family being
universal.
Tali rite: Before puberty all Nayyar girls are married though ritually. They have no
sexual relation and the only obligation of the wife is to attend his (tali husband)
funeral to mourn his death.
After puberty, there are Sandbandham husbands (visiting husbands) for her to take.
Nayyars are professional warriors and acted as mercenaries and used to remain away
and thus were allowed to visit as many girls who have undergone tali rite but of same
caste or of lower caste.
Weapon outside indicates a husband is in.
Women not more than 12 visiting husbands at a time.
HERE husband and wife don’t form a union, no rearing together of the kids (another
custom to declare husband) and no economic unit as well.
Hence, the definition needs to be changed or there is no family.
2|P ag e
,Unit 1 Family and Household in India (SOB 651) Dr. S. Idrees Mujtaba
3|P ag e
, Unit 1 Family and Household in India (SOB 651) Dr. S. Idrees Mujtaba
1.1 Functionalist, Marxist and Feminist view on Family
Family is a social institution that binds people through blood, marriage, law, and/or
social norms. When sociologists study family, they do not have a particular family structure
in mind as a standard. Functionalists emphasize the functions of family; conflict theorists
emphasize the ways in which families perpetuate existing inequalities and social boundaries
whereas feminists discuss it as a centre of exploitation, loneliness and profound inequality.
Functionalist’s View of Family Life
The functionalists view society as constituted by a set of social institutions that perform
specific functions, ensuring continuity and value consensus. Thus, family performs important
tasks that fulfil some of society’s basic needs, helping to reproduce the social order.
Functionalists argue that societies consist of inter-related social institutions like family,
culture, religion which contribute positively to the maintenance of stability of the society
as a whole.
G. P. Murdock: Family performs the sexual/reproductive (no life without it),
economic (the provision and preparation of food), and educational function
(socialization and there would be no culture).
Economy: Division of labour and specialization. Men work outside and women inside
make it a cementing union.
Talcott Parsons (1959): The two essential or irreducible functions of the family
According to Parsons, although the nuclear family performs reduced functions, is that
it still is the only institution that can perform two core functions in society are :
i. Primary Socialisation:
The nuclear family is still responsible for teaching children the norms and
values of society known as Primary Socialisation. An important part of
socialisation according to Functionalists is `gender role socialisation’. If
primary socialisation is done correctly then boys learn to adopt the
`instrumental role' (also known as the `breadwinner role) they go on to go out
4|P ag e
