1. Depth of Generations: A family consists of people of three or more generations including grandparents, parents and **. Sometimes, other kins such as uncles, aunts, cousins and great grandsons also live in a **** family.
2. Common Roof: Henry Maine called the family a ‘Greater Home’. Members of the family normally reside together under the same roof. It is a place to uphold the family Heritage. It is a place for Socio, Economic, Religious, Entertainment etc. Due to the scarcity of accommodation members of the ***** family may reside separately. Still, they try to retain regular contacts and the feeling of belonging to the same family. They have emotional and economic links with the original family.
3. Common Kitchen: Members eat the food prepared jointly at the common kitchen. Normally, the eldest female member of the family (the wife of the Karta) supervises the work at the kitchen. Rest of the female members are engaged in different kitchen work. A single kitchen under a common roof is an unique element of ***** family.
4. Common Worship: ***** family derives its strength from religion. Hence, it is associated with various religious rituals and practices. Every family may have its own deity or ‘Kula devata’ and its own religious traditions. Members of the family take part in common worship, rites and ceremonies. At least once a year they join other members to take part in the festivals, feasting, marriage ceremonies and so on.
5. Common Property: The members hold a common property. As O’ Malley writes: “The family is a co-operative institution similar to a -stock company in which there is a ***** property”. The total earnings of the members are pooled into a common purse of the family and family expenses are met out of that.
6. Exercise of Authority: In the patriarchal family usually the eldest male member known as ‘Karta’ exerscises authority. The super-ordination of the eldest member and the subordination of all the other members to him is a keynote of the family.
His commands are normally obeyed by others. Karta ruled his family by love and affection. Similarly, in the matriarchal ***** family the eldest female (matriarch) member exercises supreme authority.
7. Arranged Marriages: In the **** family, the elders consider it as their privilege to arrange the marriages of the members. The individual’ right to select his/her life-partner is undermined. The younger members rarely challenge their decisions and arrangements. But now-adays selecting a life partner for a family member is more democratic in nature.
8. Identification with Mutual Rights and Obligations towards the Family: Every member has his own duties and obligations towards the family. The family in turn, protects the interests and promotes the *** of all. The senior members of the family act as guides for junior members.
9. Self-Sufficiency: ***** family is relatively self-sufficient. It meets the economic, recreational, medical, educational and other needs of the members. No other type of family is self-reliant that way today.
