The atoms and molecules that make up Indian society may look and function differently, but at their core the family retains its primacy
A Parsi family at a wedding in the late 19th century; picture of india
How we live, who we live with and how we socialize has changed drastically over the past 75 years, but not always in a predictable way. In 1981, the average size of Indian households was 5.6 people – counter-intuitively, the highest since 1947, when it was only 4.9. From then on, it was all nuclear proliferation. The average households now have 4.45 members. The share of joint families has come down to 16 per cent. Today, families with two, one or no children are common; The preference for fewer offspring is also reflected in the national fertility rate. The current figure of 2 children per capita in India is less than the global replacement rate of 2.1.
When it comes to personal habits – both alcohol and tobacco use have declined over the past 15 years, largely due to both government initiatives and increased public awareness. Instead, Indians are now adopting a lifestyle that did not even exist in 1947.
The Internet and its services have undergone massive changes since the 1990s. Today, the country is one of the world’s largest markets for food delivery, social media networks, and app-based dating. On December 31, 2021, Swiggy and Zomato processed 4.5 million orders here, WhatsApp users had 530 million, and India offered dating apps its second largest revenue market after the US. With more Indians reaching out to upgrade their phones and enrich their lives – be it an affair, sending Diwali gifts or having a ‘movie party’ with friends in diverse locations, our social interactions today are almost is always virtual.
A man takes a picture of his wife and children; Getty Images
Despite the digitization of society and the changing shape of the household, the family remains an integral part of the Indian society. The country still has one of the lowest divorce rates in the world – a mere 0.24 percent of the married population, compared to 2.7 percent in the US. The structure of a family may be distorted, but it still largely revolves around the same values of perseverance.
