RURAL FAMILISM
Demmy Leitanthem
Rollno-5373
Section-E
Demmy Leitanthem
Rollno-5373
Section-E
ITRODUCTION TO RURAL FAMILY
Rural family is marked by patriarchal joint family system where the
eldest members is the head ever since the vedic time has assumed
importance in the indian society .
The family revolves around religion and religious rituals .
The joint family still continuous to be the main characteristics
feature of agricultural society .
They have collective living farming and share in the family wealth.
Defintions of rural joint family
According to Iravatikarve-"joint family is a group of people who
generally live under one roof,who eat food cooked on one hearth ,
property is commom,commom ways of worshipping and also related
to each other as some particular type of kindred'
According to Henry Maine- 'the Hindu joint family is a group
consisting of known ancestors,adopted sons and relatives related to
these sons through marriage '.
Characteristics of rural family
1.GREATER HOMOGENEITY - the families are homogenous in nature
that is why they are more stable and integrated ties are stronger
and functions are performed together.
INTERDEPENDENCE- it satisfies all the need of its members whether
they are social,educational, recretional or any other need .This
dependency is impersonal and the relations are intimate.
AGRICULTURAL BASED FAMILY OF PEASANT HOUSEHOLDS - A.R.
Desai considers this family to be the contemporary rural family
found more or less all over the country . These families live with
agricultural activities and the domestication of animals .
AUTHORITY OF THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY-the head of the rural family
exercises authoritarian power over the family members. Since the
rural family is more integrated and disciplined unit that is why the
head of the family has absolute powers.
COMMON LIFESTYLE- all the activities of rural family members
revolve around agricultural occupations. They provide a lifestyle
which is commom to all members of the family .
HOUSEHOLD DIVISION OF LABOUR - the main diivision is according
to the gender and age as the rural family form a single economic
unit and constantly operate in agricultural operations with one
another.
Gestalt of rural family
As family is the most important unit of all the social institutions and
fudamental social relationships . All the other relationships have
permeated and modelled according to the patterns of rural family
relationships . Familism is a term used to
desginate the type social organisation control of the entire rural structure
from topto bottom .
1.Marriage at earlier age- the marriage in rural society is carried out
at an earlier age and the arranged marriages are given importance
in which the boy and girl are stranger to each other.
2.Family as unit of social responsibility- as family is the base of all
social activities.Every individual carries on various social activities
for the family that is why family is responsible for the social
functions
3.Basis of norms- the norms and values governed rural society . One
has to be obedient to parents as well as other elder members in the
society.
4.Political form- political organisations of rural society are also based
on the conception on which the rural family rests .
5.Dominence of family cult and ancestor worship- the ideology and
the culture of the rural society also exhibits traits of familism .
5.Less mobility- as a result of all these factors the rural society is
marked with much less mobility than an urban society Tradition
stricty governs its life process. The process of change is very slow
Functions of rural family
1. Unit of socialisation
2.unit of economic production
3. Religious activities
4. Function of reproduction
5. Recreational functions
6. Provision of home
7. Educational functions
8. Personality developments
9. Social control
CONCLUSION
Thus we can conclude that rural joint family is a co-operation and
interdependent unit in which all the members accomodate each
other happily .They also obey the rules described by the family and
participate in commom activities.
