Our Families

Class 6 Social Science · Chapter 9: Family and Community · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 9.1

Learn

Nisha lives in a big house in Lucknow with her grandparents, parents, her uncle and aunt, and three cousins. Every evening, they all eat together and someone always has a story to tell. Her best friend Aarav lives in a flat with just his mother and his little sister.

Almost all of us live in a family. The family is the most basic and ancient unit of every society. A joint family has several generations living together: grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts and cousins. A nuclear family is a couple and their children, or one parent and children.

In India, joint families have been common for a long time, especially in villages. Today, many people move to cities for work and live in nuclear families, but they often stay close to their relatives through visits, phone calls and family gatherings.

Whatever its size, a family gives us love, care and safety. It is where we learn our first words, our values and how to live with others. As the Tamil poet-sage Tiruvalluvar taught long ago, love and right conduct are the heart of family life.

Explore: joint or nuclear?

1. Sort each family.

Remember

• The family is the basic unit of society; it gives love, care and safety.
• A joint family has several generations together; a nuclear family is parents (or a parent) and children.

Quick check

Aarav lives with his mother and his sister. What type of family is this?

1. Nuclear family
2. Joint family
3. Community
4. Village council

Think about it

What might be some good things about living in a joint family, and in a nuclear family?

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.