On the basis of Marriage Practices-
FAMILY is classified into four types:
a) Monogamous Family- family comprise of a husband, a wife and may/may not have children. Both of them are prohibited to have more spouses. This form is considered as the ideal form.
b) Polygamous family- one individual has more than one spouse. One man marries more than one woman or reverse. Polygamous family is of two types, namely polyandrous family and Polygynous family.
Polyandrous family- consists of one woman has many husbands at a time. If the husbands of wife are not related to each other, then it is known as non-fraternal polyandrous family. Example, Nayars of Kerala. If the husbands of woman are related to each other in a relation of brother, then it known as fraternal polyandrous family. Example: Toda of Nilgiri hills and Khasa of Jaunsar & Barwar region of Uttrakhand. In this Eldest brother brings wife by performing all the rituals, and all younger brothers have sexual relation with her. If there is age difference between wife and younger brother, then he brings ritually a wife, again all brothers have access to wife.
Polygynous family- one man is allowed to marry more than one woman. Thus this family consists of one husband and several wives. Example: Idu Mishmi tribe in Arunachal Pradesh and Konyaks of Nagaland. All wives may/may not stay together with husbands, wives have common granary, but stay in different apartments.
c) Endogamous family- a family where man is supposed to marry within one’s own group/clan/gotra/caste/varna. Endogamy rules of marriage are practiced in this type of family. Example: Among Muslims and Christians in Kerela, it is necessary to marry within one’s group.
d) Exogamous family- a family where one is supposed to marry outside one’s own gotra/clan/varna/caste/panda/village/parivar. Here rules of exogamy, like four gotra rule, sapinda system are practiced. This type of family can be found in northern region of India among jats of Haryanaand many others.
On the Basis of Rule of Residence-
Family is classified into six types:
a) Matrilocal Family- the family in which a man joins his wife’s matrilineal residence. This type is found among Nambiars, Khasis of Meghalaya, Nayars of Kerala.
b) Patrilocal family- the family in which after marriage daughter moves out of her natal residence and joins her husband’s patrilineal family. And brothers brings wife in his patrilineal family. This type is commonly found in most of the places of northern, and central India.
c) Bilocal family- in this type, after marriage married couple change their residence alternatively. Both paternal and maternal families are given importance. All rituals, customs from both the side are practiced.
d) Uxorilocal family– man changes residence, not necessarily to wife’s matrilineal place but near to the wife’s matrilineal relatives. Example: Nayars of Kerala, mainly to look after the property of his wife, husbands move to nearby place.
e) Virilocal family- in this family, woman stays near the husband’s patrilineal relatives along with her husband.
f) Neolocal family- when husband and wife decide to set up a new independent family, away from their parents and settle at a new place. Example: if husband’s natal family resides in Chennai and wife’s natal family resides in Delhi, and both husband and wife settle in a new place, in London.
g) Avunculocal family- this type of family is found in matrilineal societies. Sister’s son is required to bring wife and join his mother’s brother family to look after property. This means after marriage newly married couple reside in maternal uncle’s house. “Avuncu” means maternal uncle. Example: matrilineal societies of Kerala.
On the Basis of Descent or Ancestry-
Family is classified into three types:
a) Patrilineal family- this type is commonly prevalent in all over the world. In this type descent or ancestry is determined through father line and continues from father to son to grandson and so on. The property and family name or caste is inherited by sons. Example: Jats of Haryana. In this type man is dominant and women are either marginalized or of low status. Patrilineal families are further divided into extreme patrilineal families and moderate patrilineal families.
b) Matrilineal family- the descent or ancestry is inherited through mother. It continues through mother to her daughter to her granddaughter and so on. The property and family Name or caste is inherited through matrilineal line. In this type women is dominant and has high status. Example: Nayars of Kerala.
c) Bilineal family- descent or ancestry is identified/determined through both mother and father.
On the Basis of Nature of Blood Relations-
Family is classified into two types:
a) Conjugal family- in this type two adult individuals of different sexes are related to each other by marriage, a heterosexual pair, who may/may not have children. Example: nuclear family of USA.
b) Consanguineous family- in this type husband and wife are related to each other, they are either cross-cousins or parallel cousins. Husband and wife are related by blood. Example: Muslims or some groups of Reddys of Andhra Pradesh or among some non-Brahmins of Kerala.
On the Basis of Authority-
Family is classified into three types on this basis:
a) Patriarchal family-in this all power is in the hands of patriarch i.e. father. Authority is given to the eldest male member of the family who exercises absolute power/authority over other members of the family. He is the main decision maker. After his death, power is transmitted to eldest son of family. This type is most commonly found in joint families of Hindus in India.
b) Matriarchal family-in this power/authority is in the hands of eldest female member of the family. Woman enjoys high status, liberty and freedom. She owns all the property. Descent is known through mother line. She is the main decision maker. Power/authority is handed over to the wife or eldest daughter. This type is found is mainly found in Khasi, Jantia, Garo tribes of Meghalaya and among Nayars of Kerala.
c) Egalitarian family-in this type power/authority is equally shared/distributed among husband and wife. Both of them are decision maker, take joint decisions and share each other’s responsibilities. Both son and daughter together inherit/gets property in equal shares.
On the Basis of Size, Structure and Composition-
Family is divided into three types:
a) Conjugal family-this family consists of a husband and wife who got married. After this couple may/may not have children.
b) Nuclear family-this type is the most elementary and ideal form, found all over the world. The nuclear family consists of a husband, wife and their unmarried children. This constitutes a basic unit of family, the family size is small. This is an independent autonomous unit. This is also known as primary family. Orientation and procreation are its parts.
c) Extended or joint family-the size of this family is large which extends beyond a nuclear family. And may have more than two nuclear families. This type is most commonly found among Hindu joint family. This family is comprised of father, mother, their sons and their wives, unmarried daughters, grand children, grand father, uncles, aunts, their children, father’s parallel cousins their children and so on. Earlier, joint families were engaged in one type of business/occupation and the next generations follow that business/occupation. But now with globalization, modernization and westernization each family member is engaged in different/similar job. Joint family mostly includes members of three to four generations. It extends parents-child relationship.