Causes of disintegration of the joint family system in india
Answers
a. Rapid Industrialization
b. Urbanization
c. Rapid growth of population
d. Rapid development of Transport and Communication
e. Impact of the western civilization
f. Decline of Agriculture and Village Industries
g. Attraction of the entertainment and other opportunities of the urban communities.
h. Role of New Social Legislations
I. Modern Education.
j. Enlightenment of women.
Answer:
Explanation:
1. Industrialization:
So far as rural economic system was concerned, the joint family was a unit of both production and consumption. But with the arrival of industrial economy, the family no longer functions as a unit of production. On the contrary, it has become essentially a unit of consumption.
Under such circumstances the maintenance of the joint family has been rendered extremely difficult. Moreover, the establishment of factories and industries in the countryside has led to the closure of small scale and cottage industries.
The workers are forced to migrate to the towns and cities in search of employment. This has resulted in the disintegration of the joint family.
2. Urbanization:
Urbanization has also led to the weakening of the joint family system in India. The amenities of urban life in the form of better transport and communication, better employment opportunities, better educational facilities, and developed health care facilities attract the ruralites to the towns and cities. Naturally there is a rural to urban type of migration.
Such exodus of rural population to urban centres has given rise to the problem of accommodation. Further, by emphasising individuality and privacy urbanization encouraged the urbanites to opt for small families.
In this way the urban living weakens joint family pattern and strengthens nuclear family patterns. The studies conducted by Aileen Ross, M. S. Gore, Milton Singer subscribe to this fact.
3. Modern education:
The role of modern education in bringing about the disintegration of the joint family is no less significant. Modern education inspires individualism among the people. Further, educated men and women in the countryside are forced to leave their families in search of suitable jobs.
After getting jobs they finally settle in regions that are far away from their ancestral homes. There ends the ‘common-roof arrangement’. They gradually severe the links with their natal families which subsequently leads to breakdown in the joint family.
4. Enlightenment of women:
Enlightenment of women is also responsible for the disintegration of the joint family. The young educated women, being fully conscious of their new rights and status in society, are now not prepared to submit themselves meekly to their mothers-in-law.
The mothers-in-law with their traditional domineering attitudes fail to adjust themselves with the educated women of younger generation. As a consequence, conflicts crop up and end in the disintegration of the joint family.
5. Influence of western culture:
Western culture has fostered in young men and women individualistic tendencies with the result that they do not want their fortunes to be tied down forever with those of the joint family. B.B. Saha rightly observes that individualism as a gift of western culture has given rise to a separatist tendency among them. Furthermore, influenced by the western values such as rationalism, equality, freedom etc, they do not like to remain submissive under the tight grip of the joint family. The end result is the disintegration of the joint family system.
6. Over-Population:
In rural India, agriculture is the major occupation of the ruralites. Land being fixed, agriculture fails to provide employment to the ever-increasing number of people depending upon it. Rapid growth of population leads to an imbalance of man and land equation. People are forced to go to towns and cities in search of employment. This has resulted in the disintegration of joint family.
7. Developed means of transport and communication:
In the past, there was hardly any appreciable development in the field of transport and communication. Hence the level of mobility was low. But today as a result of developed means of transport and communication, there is large-scale mobility. People move to different places in order to avail better employment opportunities. This leads to the breaking up of joint families.
8. Change in marriage system:
Change in marriage system has its adverse impact on the continuance of the joint family system. Factors like solemnization of marriage at the late age, restricted role of the head of the family in mate selection, freedom enjoyed by young men and women in matrimonial affairs, perception of marriage by most of the people as a social ceremony rather than a religious sacrament etc. have weakened joint family ties.