Families are an essential part of everyone’s life and come in many different forms. Even a household of just one person can be considered their own family. The aim of this article is to discuss the difference between two popular kinds of families, the joint family, and the nuclear family. All families are unique, the intention of this article is only to generalize.
Table Summary
| Joint Family | Nuclear Family |
| Extended family, parents, children, children’s spouses, and grandchildren all living within one home | Composed of two parents and their children |
| More concentration on community values | More concentration on individualistic values |
| Family members more reliant on each other | Family members less reliant on each other |
| Way to save money | More costly way of living |
| More likely to have conflict | Less likely to have conflict |
Definitions
Joint families are usually composed of a large group of family members all living together in a shared home. This group would include extended family, grandparents, parents, grandchildren, siblings, cousins, and spouses. The usefulness of this arrangement is that more concentration can be put on greater family values and education as well as there is better care for the elderly or infirm. This living situation also allows for the family to save money that would have been spent on separate accommodations.
Nuclear families are a small unit composed of just two parents and their children, this can also include step-children. All other extended family members would most likely live separately within their own homes. The usefulness is that there are more time and resources for the parents to give directly to their children, this usually results in more individualistic values. Though more expensive, it is usually a more comfortable environment where less conflict occurs.
Joint Family VS Nuclear Family
The primary difference between the two families is the size and living arrangement. Where joint families are large and include extended members and even non-blood relatives, nuclear families are only the parents and their direct line of children.