Joint Family | Advantages & Disadvantages | Essay

Joint family can be defined as a place or unit where the grandparents, father, mother, sons, daughters, grandchildren, uncles, aunts stay together. Family is very important in our life. It means everything to us. Our needs are fulfilled by our family. They support us during both our happy and sad times.

No matter what happens our family will always be there beside us. They take care of us every day. We grow and develop with the different values taught in our family. When we are small children, our parents and elders sacrifice for us so that our needs are fulfilled and we stay happy.

They do a lot for us. So, we should always respect our family and love them. We should take care of them when needed and always obey them. We should always remain united with the family and help any of the members in need. 

Family may of different forms. Some of them are joint family, nuclear family, extended family, single parent family etc. These days all of them are popular. 

What is joint family? 

Joint family is very rare in the present day. Its existence is decreasing with time. But we can still see some joint families in a few areas. Joint family refers to the family where three or more generations stay together. Like the family includes the grandparents, their children and their grandchildren.

Everyone stay under the same roof with a common property, rights and obligations. In a joint family, all the members eat, pray and celebrate together. They are always there for each other. In a joint family, the grandfather or the eldest male member is the head. He is the one who takes all the major decisions of the family. His decision is always taken into consideration.  

Why is joint family important? 

A joint family has several advantages. In a joint family, the wealth is distributed equally among all the members. Even if any of the members earn more than the other, still the wealth is given equally to all. There is economy and expenditure in this type of family.

This means that all the necessary items and resources that the family needs is bought as a whole not for a single person. All the members contribute equally for the expenditures. Only one member who earns the highest does not take the burden of paying for everyone.  

There is social security in a joint family. For example: If a member of the family falls sick or meets with accident or is disturbed by any problem, the entire family takes care of the member. Only one person is not responsible to take care of that person.

Or if the eldest member of the family is retired, he does not have to worry anymore because the family is there to take care. As there are three or more generations in a joint family, the children get to learn different values and culture from everyone.

This way even the culture of the family is carried forward. The children are loved and taken care of equally. The parents do not have to worry about their children when they go to work because the grandparents are there to take care of them. If any one member from the family need financial help or suggestions for job or to start a business, all the members contribute to solve the problem. All the works are divided equally. 

Staying in a joint family everyone learns to share things rather than being selfish and helping each other in need. The family celebrates together during the festivals. They enjoy and have fun together. The children get to study and play together. The family is always there to support. They spend quality time together. 

Disadvantages of a joint family 

Every single thing on this earth will have disadvantages along with its advantages. So, even a joint family has many disadvantages. There is no individuality. Due to this a member cannot focus to develop one’s own personality. The personal development is hindered.

There is no privacy. They do not have much freedom. In a joint family, all the members contribute equally for the family. But some of the members may become lazy to contribute and work hard. They know even if they do not work hard, still they will get everything in front of them.

Every person has different personality, opinions and the way to understand things which may create conflict. The members of the family earn different.

Some may have a high income while some may earn less. Due to this there are chances of being jealous with each other. In most of the joint families, women are not allowed to work outside. Their life is just about the household chores.  

As there are three or more generations staying together, there is age difference among the members of the people. Due to this age difference there are changes of conflict to take place.

This might happen because the elders or the old members of the family may not be ready to adapt the changes like the young people. Sometimes a single person is burdened with a lot of work. As the eldest male member of the people takes all the major decisions, the members may start to fight because they do not support a particular decision.

Sometimes the parents feel that their children are not able to get sufficient love, care and necessary facilities. The reason behind this is that there are so many people to take care due to which the children are suffering. 

Does joint family still exist? 

The visibility of joint family in the present day is very less compared to before. There are many reasons to the less visibility of joint family. The family might have separated due to urbanization, search for proper education and job, to get all the necessary facilities etc.

There must have been troubles in the family due to which they had to settle somewhere else. Due to over population there might be less space for everyone to stay and live. This is another reason contributing to disintegration of the family.

The members of the family do not like to make adjustment for someone else. In most of the joint families, women are allowed to study further or even if they study it is of no importance. But her education is necessary for the upbringing of the children. So, the women of today after marriage are staying separately with their husband.  

As the number of joint families is decreasing, this is giving birth to other forms of family like nuclear family, single parent family etc. These forms of family might be a benefit for some but the advantages which a joint family has can never be replaced. 

It is the wish of the families how they want to live. It is important that even if they stay far from each other, there is no change in the love, care and affection.