Find out how membership, residence pattern and even the mode of interaction changes in the family with broader economic, political - Sociology - Understanding Social Institutions

Question

Find out how membership, residence pattern and even the mode of
interaction changes in the family with broader economic, political
and cultural changes, for instance migration

Pallavi Rawat · Accepted Answer

Family is an institution where its members live together under
one roof and have cordial relationships It is affected by broader
political, economic and cultural activities of the society Some
examples of the way these activities of the society affect the
family are:
Cultural Change
With the change in culture, the membership,
residence pattern and mode of interaction within a family also
changes For example, in a matrilineal society the women play a
major role in decision-making in the family However, in a
patriarchal society, men exercise authority and dominance over the
family
Another example of cultural change is the
preference or resistance towards individualism If the members of a
family are individualistic, then there are chances of having a
nuclear family On the other hand, increase in the inter-personal
relationships leads to a joint family
Political Change
During post-unification period in the 1990s,
Germany witnessed a rapid decline in the number of marriages
because the new German state withdrew all the protection and
welfare schemes which were provided to the families prior to the
unification This is an example of broader political change
influencing the family
Economic Change
When a society undergoes economic changes, even the family gets
affected indirectly For example, industrialisation has led to the
emergence of nuclear families and women have also adopted
instrumental roles in the family
Migration
Due to economic instability in a society, people migrate in
search of work For example, people from a flood affected village
migrate to cities in search of new homes and new jobs In some
cases, women stay at their village and perform household
activities, while the husbands migrate to the city for work
Migration also leads to a change in the housing pattern because
the people who migrate from villages have to live in slums and in
tents Similarly, in village they live with their parents and other
relatives but in the city they either have to stay alone or with
their husband or wife and children only This change depicts a
change in the membership pattern of the family

Find out how membership, residence pattern and even the mode of interaction changes in the family with broader economic, political and cultural changes, for instance migration.