Modern Social Change and Family Reorganization in India: A Case Study of Gwalior District
Keywords:
Family Structure, Joint Family, Nuclear Family, Social Change, Migration, Workload and Stress, IndiaAbstract
The present study examines the impact of modern social change on the reorganization of family structure in India, with special reference to Gwalior District of Madhya Pradesh. Using a sociological survey design, primary data were collected from 350 respondents through a structured questionnaire. The study analyzes the transformation from joint family systems to nuclear family arrangements and investigates the socio-economic, educational, cultural, and migratory factors influencing this shift. Statistical techniques such as reliability analysis, descriptive statistics, One-Sample t-tests, Chi-Square tests, and Independent Samples t-tests were employed for data analysis. The findings reveal a statistically significant decline in joint families and a growing preference for nuclear families, driven by factors such as urbanization, employment opportunities, changing values, women’s empowerment, and workload pressures. The results also indicate that unfavourable joint family conditions contribute to migration, while nuclear families experience higher workload and stress. The study concludes that family reorganization in contemporary India is a multidimensional process shaped by modernization and socio-economic transformation.
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