The family is the most universal of all social institutions. We do not know any society without the family system. The family is ageless and common to all social systems. The family is by far the most important primary group.
It is the smallest and the most intimate group of society. It occupies a nuclear position in the social structure. In many simpler societies the whole social structure is built of family units.
In any society certain essential things must be done for and by the members if that society is to subsist.
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Provision must be made for (i) replacement of members (ii) satisfaction of certain economic wants for food, shelter, clothing etc. (iii) protection of the members, against injury from other persons, (iv) socialisation of new members and (v) satisfaction of human desire for love, affection, security from a world of stress and struggle and comfort.
The modern family is in a state of constant flux. It has given up many of the functions that it has traditionally performed. These changes in the family have been due to the rise of industrialism.
Modern industrialism and urbanism have unleashed powerful social and economic forces which, in their turn, have created new cultural conditions. All these profoundly affect the structure and functions of the family.
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The family has changed from a production unit to a consumption unit. Women have attained a new social status owing to their economic independence. The authoritarian mores of feudalism and the religious control of the family and marriage have declined.
In India, the changes in the joint family are also closely connected with the rise and growth of an industrial economy.
Economic development has been accompanied by the growth of cities and the breakdown of village isolation; these changes have also stimulated individualism and brought out changes in the role of women in the joint family. We can summarise this changing pattern of modern family life.