Family is a very important social institution whether nuclear or extended. A family could be headed by a male or female; descent could be traced from the mother or the father. This structure and composition of the family is based on various factors such as economy, polity, culture and education.

The changes in the structure of family that we see today could be

(i) Same sex marriage

(ii) Love marriage

But history and contemporary times suggest that such changes are met with violent reactions.

Nuclear Family: It consists of one set of parents and their children.

Extended Family: It consisted of more than one couple and, often, more than two generations live together. The extended family is symptomatic of India.

Diverse forms of family

(i) Matrilocal-patrilocal (based on residence)

(ii) Matrilineal and patrilineal (based on rules of inheritance)

(iii) Matriarchal and patriarchal (based on authority)