1. On the basis of number:
a. Nuclear or single family: Consisting of husband, wife and their children.
b. Joint family: It has people of three generation.
c. Entended family: Number of people is more.
2. On the basis of residence:
a. Partrilocal family
b. Matrilocal family
c. Neolocal family: In this couple live away from their parents.
3. On the basis of authority:
a. Matriarchal
b. Patriatchal
4. On the basis of lineage:
a. Patrilineal.
b. Matrilineal
c. Bilineal.
5. On the basis of marriage:-
a. Monogamous
b. Polygamous: The Number of husband- wife is not limited to one. It may be polygamous, polyandrous or group marriage family.
6. Other Family
Many thinkers on the basis of size and number of members living in the family divide the family into types- joint family and nuclear family. But on the basis of size only joint family cannot be separated from nuclear family.
a. Nuclear family:- Nuclear family or single is the smallest form of family. It consists of husband, wife and their dependent children. Children are included in the family till the time of their marriage. The family type is the important characteristic of modern industrial and urban society. Not only in India, change in the family is form joint to nuclear form.
Characteristics of nuclear family:
Nuclear family is a family, in which the member are not related to their other kin through or by property orincome or the right and obligations pertaining to them: In nuclear family, people of two generations - parents with their children live together. After marriage couple settle down at a new place of residence.
Small size:- It is not big in size as joint family system. In such families parents with their unmarried children live together. After marriage, children move to their own separate place of residence.
Simple family structure: In nuclear family people of two generations live together. Structure of such family is very simple. Husband, wife or without children constitute a nuclear family.
Independent social unit: Individualism, feeling of self reliance and independence are chief characteristics of nuclear family. For satisfaction of their needs they depends on one another and not their other kinsman as in the case of joint family.
Equality: Nuclear family based on the principle of equality husband and wife enjoy equal authority in the family women are no longer considered inferior to their husbands. In such families division of labour is no longer of traditional nature when wife has to look after the children and household affairs. On the contrary it is a matter of convenience and both co-operate with each other in managing the family affairs.
b. Joint family:- People of three or more generations live together in same house, their property is common, they all eat food prepared in the common kitchen, participate in common worship and are mutually related specific kinship relations. Members of joint family have mutual rights and obligations. Joint family is unique characteristics of Indian culture.
"A joint family is a group of people who generally live under one roof, who eat food cooked at one hearth, who hold property in common and who participate in common worship and are related to each other as some particular types of kindred." - Smt. Iravathi Karve
"We call that household a joint family which has greater generation depth that under family and the members of which are related to one another by property, income and the mutual rights and obligation." -I.P Desai
"In a joint family, not only parents and children, brother and steps brother live on the common property, it may sometimes include ascendants and collaterald up to may generations" - JOLLY
Characteristics of joint family:
~Large Size: The first characteristics of the joint family is its largest size. A single family consist of only the husband, wife and their children and grand children, but a joint family consists of parents, children and grand children and other near relatives along with their spouse. It is a group in which several basic families live together.
~Joint Property: In a joint family, the ownership, production and consumption of wealth take place on a joint basis. In this family property is held jointly. The head of the family manages the property of the family and provides to every members according to his need.
~Common residence: The members of a joint family usually live together. When they live in separate houses at different places, joint family breaks up into many nuclear families.
~Co-operative organism: Co-operation is the basis of joint family system. All members act as productive unit and help one another in the fulfillment of various needs. They accomplish different types of duties, religions, political or social, all the members help one another.
~Common religious and social obligation: All the members generally follow one religion and help one another to perform different rituals and religious festivals. From many social surveys it has been made clear that migratory character of Indian labourers may be attributed to joint family system. Because of the different family functions they have to be together.
~Productive unit: Traditionally joint is productive unit. All the members work on common forms. Ladies and even children help in various agricultural pursuits. In artisans classes productions depends on family as a unit and all the members of family jointly undertake a common pursuit.
~Mutual rights and Obligations: Every members works according to his capacity and gets according to his needs. All members are bound with one another mutual feelings of rights and duties. Every members has a specific position in the family and he is expected to perform such a role as is not conductive to satisfy his needs, but which helps in the satisfaction of other's needs too. One for all and all for one, this is the ideal of joint family system.
7. On the basis of different view points in sociology:
a. Particular family:- In this family system wife resides with husbands family. In almost all the civilized societies, this form of family system is presents e.g, among kharia, bhil etc.
b. Matrilocal family:- In this kind of family, husband goes and lives with his wife. in India among many tribes such families are present as among Khasi, Garo and Nairs of Malabar.
c. Neolocal:- This is the most common form of modern family, when married couples does not resides with husband's or wife's family. They have their own separate place of residence.
8. On the basis of lineage:
a. Matrilineal: In this form of family inheritance is through mother's sides. A women is considered to be the ancestor of the family. The rights of each member in the family depend on his relations with the mother.
b. Patrilineal: In this family, a male is considered to be the ancestor of the family. This is the common types of family prevailling in modern societies.
~On the basis of authority:
a. Partiachal family: In this family father is the head of the family. In ancient Rome and Greece, the patriarch used to be the absolute ruler. He is owner and administrator of the family property, he presides over the religious rites of family and enjoys full authority over the family members.
b. Matriarchal family:- Maciver prefer to call it by the name of materanal family. Rather than the matriarchal family in a matriarchal family the authority rests in the women as head of family with the males being subordinates.
According to Dr. Dube in matriarchal family, men exercise some authority in the family but its mainly as a representative of women. Among khasi, Garo, Nair. In Such families property is inherited through the female can be held by females in family. According to P.R.T Gurdon, the youngest daughter gets the family house and the lions share of the family property.
