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Joint family system still strong in India

The claim that the joint family system was eroding was a myth. Today, more than ever before, larger numbers of the elderly live in joint households in India, according to participants at a recent talk in New Delhi.

The exceptions were the westernised middle-class in metropolitan cities where the trend was towards nuclear units, it was pointed out at a recent talk organised in the capital by Helpage India.

Delivering the lecture, Prof A M Shah, a sociologist, said a new understanding was being forged between the young and the old. One example of this was the changing attitude of old persons towards their married daughters. Earlier, their belief in the kanyadaan ideology prevented them from living with their daughters, particularly in north India. But today, changing lifestyles have made this more acceptable, he said.

But at the same time, this did not mean that the elderly today lived in happier circumstances. Their happiness depended on the nature of inter-personal relations within the household, he said.

While research shows that joint families had their share of tensions even in the past, today the nature and intensity of these problems have increased manifold, Prof Shah observed.

He and several other experts attending the lecture stressed that the future well-being of the elderly lay in their remaining within the joint household which was currently undergoing a process of adjustment. Old age homes are the answer to a need in society but not a solution to the problem, it was pointed out.

D R Kohli, former lieutenant-governor of Delhi and currently president of Helpage India, urged the government to announce incentives for families looking after their elderly.

These could be in the form of tax concessions for those financially burdened and loans for those who needed to extend their houses to accommodate the aged, he suggested.

Major General S S Sandhu, director-general of Helpage India, spoke of paying particular attention to health issues. "The healthy elderly are more acceptable in the family because they are not a burden," he said.

The elderly, on their part, must try to understand the young, suggested members of the audience, consisting mainly of senior citizens. The elderly must remain useful to their families and contribute in any manner they can, an 86-year-old man said.

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