Family can be referred to those groups of people, whom one can trust and care. Such relationships are either formed based on blood relationship or through a marriage. They may or may not live together under a common roof.

Family members can be of two types: one is the immediate family and the other is the extended family. Immediate family members are our father, mother, brothers & sisters. The brothers and sisters are usually referred to as Siblings, irrespective of the gender. The extended family members include our paternal & maternal grandparents, aunts & uncles, cousin brothers & sisters.

Paternal grandparents refer to the mother & father of our father, while maternal grandparents refer to the mother & father of our mother. Aunts and Uncles are the siblings of our father and mother; the cousin brothers & sisters are the sons and daughters of our uncles and aunts.

There are different types of family that can be observed in India. The most commonly noticed type is the nuclear family and the joint family. Nuclear family is when only the immediate family members live separately in a house; for example, father, mother and their children. Joint family is when both the immediate family and extended family members live under a common roof. The joint family system has been more predominant in India, but nowadays due to various factors, the joint family system is slowly diluting into nuclear family.

See Also: Why is one family different from other?

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