Indian Family Essay

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The definition and structure of families varies throughout the world. While there may be similar trends between countries, beliefs and values may differ enough to warrant a family structure completely different from what we are used to.
In India, loyalty to family is an integral part of life. The most desired family unit is one where multiple patrilineal generations all live under one roof (Heitzman & Wordon, 1995). The patrilineage seems to be of primary importance as young women normally move in with their husband and his family after marriage (Heitzman & Wordon, 1995). The Indian family maintains a strong hierarchy of authority: elders ranking above all else while males outrank females in simliar age brackets (Heitzman, 1995). The authority of Indian elders is so well esteemed, that it is a customary ritual for younger family members to touch the feet of elders as a sign of respect (iloveindia.com, n.d.). It is interesting to …show more content…

The most prevalent family structure is again the traditional nuclear structure with two wedded parents and dependent children (Everyculture.com, n.d.); however there are many households that contain multigenerational family members (Hitton, n.d.). While arranged marriages are no longer the norm in Greece, family members still play a big role in the selection of spouses (The Library of Congress Country Studies as cited in Greece; the Family, n.d.), often basing selection on things such as reputation, appearance, health etc. Greek children normally live with their parents until they marry, then relocate to a new residence with their spouse (Everyculture.com, n.d.). One interesting Greek family ritual can be seen in their celebration of Christmas, which begins with a 40 day fast that does not end until New Year’s day (Main,

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