Changing Structure of Family in India: A Study in Nainital City in Uttarakhand

The family is a universal institution and the most important primary group in society. The processes of industrialisation, urbanisation and commercialisation have had drastic impacts on the family. Migration to urban areas, change from caste oriented and hereditary occupations to new patterns of employment offered by a technological revolution, the cut-throat competition for economic survival and many other economic changes have left their impact on the family. All these changes in the socio-economic-political-cultural milieu of our society have led to changes in the structures, functions, roles, relationships and values of the family. The modern family radically differs from that of the traditional one. Changes have taken place in its both structure and functions. The question that debated is whether these changes are causing the disintegration of the family or not. The broad objective of our study is to analyse the changing family structure in Nainital city. It is observed that the different processes have, no doubt, created new situations and problems and have upset certain traditional mores and values. Yet the family institution continues to be the core of the Indian society and has not experienced general disintegration. It is an exploratory study based on primary data. Secondary data has been used as per requirement.