What is family?

What is family? To know this it is necessary to know the various definitions given by different
sociologists who have defined the family differently according to theuir individual view point. Some of
the major definitions are:
1. Biesanz and Biesanz
“The family may be described as a woman with a child and a man to look after them”. In
common parlance people sometimes interpret the word family to mean a wife but it is evident from this
definition that in sociologist the child is an indispensable part of the family.
2. MacIver and Page
“The family is a group defined by a sex relationship sufficiently precise and enduring to provide
for the procreation and upbring of children”. In this way a temporary alliance between a man and
woman for sexual gratification cannot be said to be constitute a family in orer to constitute a family the
sex relationship should necessarily be permanent and definite enough to allow for the procreation of
children and to allow for an appropriate arrangement for their upbringing.
3. Clare
“By family we mean a system of relationship existing between parents and children. In this way
the family is a system of relationships as a part of society. The family does not mean a place or location
but is rather a web mutual relations between the family members in the sam way in which the meaning
of society lies not in its being a group of human beings but in being a web of relations between them.
Characteristics of family
Some idea of essential characteristic of the family must have been conveyed by a perusal of
these various definitions. These essential characteristics of the family are the following.
1. Permanent relations between husband and wife
The family is constituted of the husband and wife and their children. Thus a permanent relation
of some kind between man and woman is the main characteristic of the family. Marital relations in
different countries may be more or less permanent but the relations between man and woman have
some degree of permanency in all cultures. Without this neither can the children be brought up nor can
there be any family Even is societies where polygamy brought and polyandry are customary te husband
wife relationship does posses some degree of permanency.
2. Permanent Sexual Relationship
The family rests on permanent marital relationship because ome more object of it is the
establishment of permanent sexual relationship. Without marriage there can be no family even through
three may be sexual relations. When the marital relations break up as in the case of divorse the family
disintegrates. Proper upbringing of children can be expected only when there are permanent conjugal
relations.
3. Attachment of blood relations
Another necessary characteristic of the family is the existence of blood relationship among the
members. This blood relationship can be real as well as imaginary. The members these family are
generally the descendents of the same ancestors. The relation between adopted children and their
parents is accepted as legal but blood relationship means no more than that among the members of a
family there should exist an attachment of the degree of blood relationship. It is generally believed to
be necessary that there should exist no blood relationship between husbands an wife.
4. Financial provisions for the substances of the members
In a family there is financial provision for the upkeep of its members senile folk children
women folk etc./ The earning members of the family arrange for substances of the other members. In
this way the members of the family are came shed in the is of duties and rights. In different cultures the
burden of earning may fal on different members. At some places the women go out in the family for the
sustenance of its members is accepted almost very where.
5. Common habitation
 If the members of a family reside at different places it would be difficult to call them a family in
spite of there being blood and other relationships. It is a different matter for a member to leave
temporally or for the entire family to change its habit but generally all the members of a family live ion
one residence be it one room or an entire place centered or the ancestral home of the family. In the
nomadic people also the members of one family stay together at one place.
6. Nomenclature
Among the essential characteristics of the family it is a distinct nomenclature which serves to
identify the family
In this way, the family is a group of individual’s in which men and women have the permanent
sex relations of husband and wife, which is distinguished by a name in which there is adequate
financial provision for the sustenance of its members in which there is the attachment of blood relations
among the members and who live in common habitat.

What is Marriage?
But the above mentioned male female relationship is not marriage. The sociologists and
anthropologists have defined marriage specifically. Of these some of the more important definitions are
as follows.
1. According to Westermarck, marriage can be defined as a relation of one or more men to one
more women who is recognized by custom or law and involves certain rights and duties both in the
case of the parties entering the union and in the case of the children of it”. This definition includes
polygamy and polyandry and lays emphasis upon the rights and duties resulting from the ties of
marriage.
2. According to Jacobs and Stern, “Marriage is a term for social relationship of husband and wife
or plural males also used for the ceremony of uniting martial partnes. According to this definition
marriage is a ritual which unites the male and female in the form of husband and wife. This definition
lays emphasis upon the ceremony in marriage.
3. According to Robert H. Lowie “Marriage denotes those unequivocally sanctioned unions which
persist beyond sexual satisfactions and thus come to underline family life. “This definition of marriage
lays emphasis upon the fact that the institution of marriage is the result of actual relationship.
4. According to D.N.Manjumdar and T.N.Madan, marriage may be defined by saying “It
involves the social sanction generally in the form of civil or religious ceremony authorizing two
persons of opposite sexes to engage in sexual and other consequent and correlated socio economic
relations with one another”. This definition on marriage lays emphasis upon its following
characteristics.
(i) It is result of civil or religious ceremony
(ii) It is a means of contact of persons of posited sex.
(iii) In it the male and female get the right of mutual relationship in economic social and biological
spheres.
The above definition of marriage may be summed up by saying “Marriage is a more or less
permanent association of one or more male with one or more female for the purpose of giving social
sanction to progeny satisfaction of biological and social needs and fulfillment of dharma. “This wide
based definition of marriage covers this institution as as it is found among Hindus, Muslims, Christians
and ribald in India.
Evolution of Marriage
According to social anthropologists sociologists and historians the institution of marriage in
human society gradually evolved to its present stage starting from promiscuous relationship between
male and female. In this stage pf promiscuity the male female relationships were unrestrained and
without control. According to the anthropologist Lewis Morgan one finds exchange of wives giving
wives on loan and other such customs in very ancient primitive tires which has no institution of
marriage. Since there was no traction upon sex relationship the father was not Morgan has pointed out
that the institution of marriage evolves through several stages. Of these the set important stages are a
follows.
1. Consanguineous marriage
This was the first stage in marriage institution in this stage there was the prevalence of
endogamy among blood relationship.
2. Group marriage
The second stage in the evolution of marriage was known as that of group marriage. As is clear
by the nomenclature in this system several males married several women as a group among whom
sexual relationship were not defined. However there was restriction upon sex relationships with persons
of the other group.
3. Syndesmian marriage
The third stage in the evolution of marriage was the pairing of the male and female which
however was only temporary and not controlled by any rules and regulations. This pairing could be
broken by mrer desire of anyone.
4. Patriarchal marriage
In this stage a male could marry several females who would live separate from each other. The
custom of hyprgamy and polygamy which will be described later in this chapter belong to this stage in
matriarchal societies.
5. Monogamy
IN 20th century the institution of marriage in most of the civilized societies reached the stage of
present monogamous marriage. In this form of marriage usually one male marries one female at a time
and lives with her until legal separation. In monogamy sex relationships among male and female are
confined within the limits of martial bond and extra marital relationships are considered a sufficient
basis of dissolution of marriage.
The above mentioned stages in the evolution of marriage have been challenged by the famous
anthropologist Westermarck. According to the Westermarck the tradition of monogamy in human
society is not a matter of evolution. It has been borrowed from the animals and birds. The present form
of marriage is not be the result of gradual evolution in this institution but a change in moral principles
accepted by males and females,. The theory of Westermarck is criticized accepted by males and
females. The theory of Westermarck is criticized by the anthropologist Robert Briffalt. According to
Brifflat the scheme suggested by Morgan was more reasonable. Content horary anthropologists o not
accept the either of the above mentioned views This view concerning the evolution of marriage has
been now generally accepted by sociologists and social anthropologists.
Marriage is an important social institution its form and function change according to change in
culture. Hindu marriage is a religious sacrament in which a man woman are bound in permanent
relationship for the physical social and spiritual purpose of sexual pleasure procreation and observance
of Dharma. The main forms of marriage are endogamy exogamy, hyprgamy, polygamy etc