Dec 26, 2024
Dec 26, 2024
Indian society faces a significant social change due to explosion of new middle class. It is determined particularly by income regardless of education and employment status. Categorically, identity status consumption is significant to this class. Money and identity status consumption bring various changes in our society and societal relations. We observe significant changes in structure, process and function of family. Now, family relations are thin and truncated.
India is highly rich in its heritage and culture. So, integrity with the family members is a valuable indicator of social bondage. But a new family relation develops among these new- middle class families, which is mostly related with the parents and their children up to a certain period. Especially, the patrilineal relationship has been trapped and similarly matrilineal relationship has been realized only during any occasion. The families might be considered as “the super trader family” according to the ‘economic approach’ where individuals are assumed to be relentlessly pursuing their individual utilities, and in doing this they enter into trades at implicit prices resulting in marriage and the working in the family. The relationship between different members of such ‘super trader family’ takes the form of ‘as if’ market transactions at implicit prices have taken leading role in urban society. They are living in the housing complex/apartments with their own belief and culture. A new culture considered as “flat culture”- newly settled a household in residual flats in housing complex/apartments of different measurement in urban area nourishes a special social bond. But it depends on mutual interests of co-residents. This ‘flat culture’ creates some crucial problems in household set up. It has differed from ‘slum culture’ so far as social and economic parameters are concerned. Children are the worst sufferer of truncated family relations. Child nature is focused to and influenced by parental conflict, estrangement and emotional turmoil. They are rigid, demanding and cyber savvy. Their relation with the virtual world is limited. After all, they are very much materialistic. It shapes their behavior as deviant.
Family fragmentation and intactness generally raise question when the family trend is towards de-institutionalization of marriage and the steady disintegration of the mother-father-child raising unit. So, reformation of family relation, structure and process of the family is need urgent consideration in new middle class.
13-Mar-2021
More by : Dr. Harasankar Adhikari