A classic definition of family, according to anthropologist George Murdock, is a social group characterized by common residence, economic cooperation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved relationship, and one or more children, their own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults. The U.S. Bureau of the Census defined a household as two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption, who reside together. So a family can be made up of two or more adult siblings living together, a parent and one or more children, two adults linked by marriage but without children, or adults who adopt a child. A family is a group of human beings who relate to each other in a non-professional way, giving rise to concrete cohesion within the family. Love, care and affection are the most important human values, responsible for maintaining these relational bonds within a family. (Agarwal, V.2005), not only these but also a family gives strength to an individual and due to its strength an individual can also overcome different types of problems. A family gives strength to an individual; it is not only the strength but also the weakness of an individual. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A person learns different things from his family, but learning different things also varies from family to family. There are two basic types of family in our society: Joint family and Nuclear family. A joint family (or extended family) is also known as a complex family, parents and their children's families often live under the same roof, which means that the joint family consists of two or more generations. In some cases, joint family can be defined as a family in which a set of multiple family units are interconnected by blood or marital relations and reside under the same roof. All members, regardless of the particular family unit (within that joint family) to which they belong, live together and share happiness, sorrow, and practically all kinds of problems and joys together. The joint family in itself simulates a typical view of our multicultural and multilingual society in India and also in Bangladesh. (Agarwal, V.2005) Joint families are mostly found in Asia. The term nuclear family developed in the Western world to distinguish the family group and is considered the simplest type of family consisting of a married man and a woman with their offspring'. The nuclear family can also be referred to as a marital family because the emphasis is placed on the husband-wife relationship and the nuclear family is the basic unit of all the more complex forms'. (Nimkoff, F.M. & Middleton, R. 1960) The family in Western countries such as the United States has become more diverse with no particular family organization accounting for half of the U.S. population. Different types of families occur in a wide variety of contexts, and their specific functions and meanings depend largely on their relationship with other social institutions. Non-scholars, especially in the United States and Europe, use the term nuclear family to refer to marital families. Even non-scholars, especially in the United States and Europe, use the term "extended family", this term has two distinct meanings. First, it serves as a synonym for consanguineous family. Secondly, in societies dominated by marital family, it refers to kinship' (Retrieved on 7 April 2007) Behavior, lifestyle, way of thinking varies from family to family, i.e. a person from a joint familybehaves, thinks differently from a nuclear family. People who come from a joint family encounter many different things and by dealing with these different things they mostly learn how to deal with real-world social challenges. Living in a joint family in itself is a beautiful experience and among the two basic types of family, joint family is the one where a person gets different types of advantages, for example, he learns to love and earn respect, which is the key to have harmonious and never-ending relationships. Mutual respect and love are the greatest values ​​that a united family can offer. Not only does a person learn to love and earn respect, but an individual can also share his joys and sorrows; in a joint family there are many people who enjoy a particularly pleasant occasion and who provide support in case of family problems. (i.e., in case someone is sick). When a person lives in a joint family, he can share many secrets with someone of his age (cousins), which he cannot share with his elders or his younger ones. but they cannot do the same when they are part of a family unit. Another advantage of living in a joint family is the safety and development of children, in joint families a child can be brought up properly and perfectly. The chances of a child being spoiled are lower than those of a family unit. For example, in many cases we have seen that working women leave their child at home with the maid or babysitter and their company ruins him, while in mixed families the cases are reversed; there are enough people (such as grandmother, aunts, etc.) to take care of the child. Despite all these advantages, the concept of a joint family is disappearing day by day from our society; and the reason is that people's mentality is changing, they don't want to depend on anyone and they don't want anyone to oppose them as in some cases it has been seen that elders oppose younger ones for not doing any specific thing. One of the disadvantages of living in a joint family is the unequal distribution of shares in the national economy. For example, in many families we have seen that there is a single point of income, such as a joint shop, a single income, or some income generated periodically from fixed assets such as rents and royalties. In these cases, the eldest member (or the earner) is usually the one who takes on the economic power and responsibility for managing household funds and rationally divides each household's share (within the joint family). In most cases, his inability to do so becomes a reason for family divisions. This inability, however, arises from various factors including the dishonesty of oneself (or one's household) or some other family member, in the inappropriate distribution of responsibilities and rights for each household, for expenses. The share of each family unit within the mixed family unit must be decided by establishing a balance between needs (education, clothing and special preferences), the number of dependents, the contribution to the funds and any special expenses. This balance is actually hinged on a very sensitive fulcrum, which should be the result of a healthy exchange of honest thoughts of each responsible person in the joint family. Equal recognition of every individual is very important and also very important to not allow any inferiority or superiority. complex to insinuate itself into anyone's mind. This is to be avoided particularly at a time when parents begin to expect their children to be as bright as the children of other couples in the same joint family, for example. This sometimes givesgives rise to feelings of silent bitterness and these feelings can end up causing differences. Differences in opinions create a barrier between family members and this is one of the important things that all responsible family members should take care of. family united in a mature way. Healthy brainstorming on the issue at hand can give rise to an even healthier living environment. The other way to overcome this problem is to have a heated argument, which worsens the conditions, to the point of causing separations. “(Agarwal, V. 2005) So these are the most common problems which are the reasons behind partition or separation or to avoid living in a joint family, but on the other hand, by doing so a person distances himself from his loved ones and they accept different types of risks by living in a nuclear family and also forget their responsibilities towards their loved ones and their entire family. Living in a joint family can reduce financial pressure or can be beneficial for an individual as members contribute according to their income, but it can also create problems among family members for not contributing equally or less amount of money. People prefer to live in joint families, but due to misunderstandings (i.e. differences in opinions) between family members an individual may avoid living in them. But considering the advantages, people also like to live in joint families. Living in a joint family is financially beneficial for all family members. Since by living together the members contribute according to their abilities and in this way mutual pressure decreases. People in our society face many problems; financial, social and family ones. One of the biggest problems is the decline of the family. In the advantageous vision of the nuclear family, two parents mean twice the chance of a good income, compared to a single parent. It means being twice as likely to have a parent at home teaching their children, being a good role model. It means less stress for both adults and children. It means more diverse influences. A child needs a mother's perspective and a father's perspective, not just once, it's not that balanced. For much of our history and most civilizations, we have had extended families. Mom and Dad lived with, or near, grandmother and grandfather, aunts and uncles, cousins; it was like having a giant family instead of a nuclear one. No strangers raising children, no worries of failure if someone loses their job, always someone there when you need them. The nuclear, isolated, or restricted family is not a recent phenomenon, but has existed in many cultures throughout human history. Indeed, the extended family of several generations is found mostly in relatively advanced, stable and wealthy, but not yet industrialized societies. Very primitive and very sophisticated societies seem to prefer the nuclear family model. However, nuclear families can vary in the degree of isolation and limitation. For example, before the Industrial Revolution the Western nuclear family was often embedded in a larger social unit, such as a farm or estate, an aristocratic court, or a village populated by relatives. Many older neighborhoods in the cities also maintained strong kinship ties, and thus even very small families remained open to the community. Family visits could be frequent and extensive; children could move freely and feel at home in different families. On the other hand, we have seen that, starting from the end of the 17th century; a trend towards closeness has reduced the size of many larger families and changed relationships between remaining family members. They became moreworry about each other. They needed each other more. The idyllic home of the bourgeoisie became an island of serenity in the growing storm of modernization, a safe haven from the outside world, aggression, competition and class warfare. We also saw how this house protected women and protected children from sexual and other temptations. Other ugly social realities were also kept at bay. Family income was no longer earned inside the home, but outside the home. The gender division of labor became more pronounced as men spent more and more time away from their families as wage earners in factories, shops, and offices. Their wives became almost the only companions of their young children, whose care and education was now their main responsibility. (Previously, these tasks had been divided among mothers, grandmothers, wet nurses, and servants.) Virtually the only middle-class men who still worked at home were doctors and lawyers in private practice. As a rule, however, the bourgeois family saw its head and breadwinner only when he returned from work in the evening. This work itself remained an abstraction for both his wife and children. In a typical household, there are two parents and one or both have jobs. So if someone loses their job, either the family has no income, or only half of it. But imagine a family with three or more parents, some of whom work. So a lost job is a less serious disaster for the family. One of the biggest problems families face today is that no one can stay home to take care of the children. It is a statistic that the second parent usually has to go out and work just to bring home about the same amount of money that the first parent pays in taxes. This harms children, who end up being raised by random babysitters and daycare providers. But in an extended family, it's much easier to make sure there is always someone to take care of the children and provide a good role model. Maybe two adults work and one stays home, or each works different hours. In a nuclear family there will be less space for children to receive advice and encouragement from experienced elders. There will be problems in raising children and absence of care and affection from elders towards children. Another question is whether the nuclear family itself, even when complete, is still the best available option. Many people today are convinced that small, single families are uneconomical and wasteful, that they are still emotionally unhealthy, that they perpetuate outdated stereotypical sex roles, and that they produce competitive and selfish children in an age when universal cooperation seems the only hope of humanity. 'humanity. . It is also argued that the modern family no longer has any function other than to provide love and intimacy, and that this is by no means sufficient to justify its existence. Indeed, since families have been largely relieved of their economic, educational and protective functions by the state, sexual attachment has become the almost exclusive basis of marriage, and this basis is notoriously weak. Frequent divorces and remarriages, however, while perhaps practical for adults, hardly seem to be in the best interests of children. Under the circumstances, it is fitting that a number of thoughtful men and women continue to seek more stable, new, and improved family models. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom EssayLiving in a joint family is not only advantageous but also has disadvantages, but to gain something you also have to lose something. The same goes for joint families,, 63(4), 1009-1037.