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Krishnamurti Sai Baba Vivekananda Nigamananda Yogananda Ramachandra Dattatrya Ranade Tibbetibaba Trailanga Other topics Balinese Hinduism Calendar Criticism Denominations Iconography Mythology Nationalism ( Hindutva ) Persecution Pilgrimage sites Hinduism and Jainism / and Judaism Hinduism by country Glossary of Hinduism terms Hinduism portal A joint family or undivided family is an extended family arrangement prevalent throughout the Indian subcontinent, particularly in India, consisting of many generations living in the same household, all bound by the common relationship. Contents 1 Family structure 1.1 Relationships 2 See also 3 References 4 Further reading Family structure Historically, for generations India had a prevailing tradition of the Joint Hindu Family or undivided family. The system is an extended family arrangement prevalent throughout the Indian subcontinent, particularly in India, consisting of many generations living in the same home, all bound by the common relationship. A patrimonial joint family consists of a man and his wife ; their son 's ; their unmarried daughter 's ; their son 's and son 's and son 's and son 's and unmarried daughters, and so on up - to infinite. Any number of these people may without impacting the legal existence of the family, be decreased. The family is headed by a senior person called a ' Karta ', usually the oldest male or female, who makes decisions on economic and social matters on behalf of the entire family. The patriarch 's wife generally exerts control over the household and minor religious practices and often wields considerable influence in domestic matters. Family income flows into a common pool, from which resources are drawn to meet the needs of all members, which are regulated by the heads of the family. However, with urbanization and economic development, India has witnessed a break up of traditional joint family into more nuclear - like families, and the traditional joint family in India accounted for a small number of Indian households. A Hindu undivided family or HUF is a legal term related to the Hindu Marriage Act. The female members are also given the right of share to the property in the HUF. The term finds reference in the provisions of the Income Tax Act, but the expression is not defined in the act. There are various aspects of Hindu law relevant for the purpose assessment of income of HUF with Hindu Succession Act 1956 and Income Tax Act 1961 and wealth in the status of HUF, as well as the impact of the provisions of Hindu Succession Act 1956 as amended by Hindu Succession ( Amendment ) Act 2005 relevant for the purpose of assessment of income and wealth in the status of HUF under the Income Tax Act 1961. In the case of Surjit Lal Chhabra 101 ITR 776 SC, joint family and undivided family are synonymous : `` A joint Hindu family consists of persons lineally descended from a common ancestor and includes their wives and unmarried daughters. The daughter, on marriage, ceases to be a member of her father 's family and becomes a member of her husband 's family. '' In 2016, a judgment of the Delhi High Court ruled that the eldest female member of a Hindu Undivided Family can be its ' Karta ' ( manager ). Relationships Different relationships are addressed via different names. The nature of relationship also varies. Relations can be of equivalence, mutual respect or teasing in nature. In joint families in northern and central India between a bride or sister - in - law and her younger brother - in - law, a joking or teasing relationship is common, and the relationship towards an older brother - in - law is that of respectfulness. In a traditional joint Hindu family, there is a subservient relationship between the wives of the brothers : the patriarch 's wife is addressed as `` Badi Bhabhi '' ( in Hindi ), meaning `` eldest brother 's wife. '' She is traditionally considered the mistress of the house and is in charge of running the household affairs and overseeing the servants ( if any ). The subsequent younger brothers ' wives typically seek her advice and permission for any matter his / decisions regarding the household and rearing of the childrens. See also Look up joint family in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Nuclear family Extended family References Jump up ^ Henry Orenstein and Michael Micklin. `` The Hindu Joint Family : The Norms and the Numbers ''. Pacific Affairs. 39 ( 3 / 4 ) : 314 -- 325. JSTOR 2754275. Autumn, 1966 Jump up ^ Talwar of HUF ( Hindu Undivided Family ). Taxpaisa.com http://taxpaisa.com/meaning-huf-hindu-undivided-family/. Retrieved June 29, 2014. line feed character in last1 = at position 7 ( help ) ; Missing or empty title = ( help ) Further reading Donner, Henrike ( 2008 ), Domestic goddesses : maternity, globalization and middle - class identity in contemporary India, Aldershot : Ashgate Publishing, ISBN 0 - 7546 - 4942 - 3 Michaels, Axel ; Harshav, Barbara ( 2004 ), Hinduism : Past and Present ( 5th ed. ), Princeton : Princeton University Press, pp. 111 -- 131, ISBN 0 - 691 - 08953 - 1 South Asian wedding By religion Bahá'í Buddhist Christian Hindu Islamic Jewish Sikh Zoroastrian By region or culture Arunachal Pradesh ( Panchai baja ) Bengal Bengal ( Hindu ) Kerala ( Kettu Kalyanam ) Orissa Punjabi Rajasthan ( Rajput ) Sikkim ( Limbu ) Tamil ( Iyer ) Telugu By country Bangladesh India ( Hindu ) Nepal ( Ihi ) Pakistan Sri Lanka ( Buddhist ) Types Arranged marriage in India Inter caste marriage Love marriage Traditions Baraat Dahej ( dowry ) Mahr ( dower ) Nikah Sarbala Stealing shoes Rituals Balle Mallarada Puje Bodhu Boron Bou Bhaat Gauna Gaye holud ( Bengali ) Kankana Dharane Mangal Ashtaka Pade Puje Parikrama Saptapadi Saat Phere Shakunamanojaya Upanayana Items Alta Bangles Henna Mangalsutra Nose ring Palki Pheta Sehra Sindoor Thali necklace Tiara Topor Upanayana Varmala Wedding mandap Wedding sari Other Card Photography Songs Websites Social issues in India Economy Brain drain Communications Famine Farmers ' suicides Labour Land reforms Debt bondage National Pension Scheme Poverty BPL Public Distribution System Remittances Reverse brain drain Slums Standard of living Street vendors Transport Urbanisation Unemployment Widening income gap Education Literacy Ragging School corporal punishment Environment Conservation Global warming Manual scavenging Natural disasters Pollution Water supply and sanitation Water disputes Family Cohabitation Divorce Domestic violence Dowry system Family planning Hindu joint family Infertility Nuclear family Polyandry Polygamy Children Abortion Child labour Child marriage Child prostitution Child trafficking Female foeticide Female infanticide Street children Women Acid throwing Bride burning Devadasi Dowry death Eve teasing Women 's health Feminism Menstrual taboo Prostitution Rape Sati Sexism Widows Caste system Caste politics Caste - related violence Dalit Reservation Communalism Proposed states and territories Ethnic relations Religious conflicts Religious violence Secularism Separatist movements Crime Corruption Groom kidnapping Human trafficking Illegal housing Illegal immigration Illegal mining Organised crime Terrorism Vigilantism Cybercrime Health Epidemics HIV / AIDS Leprosy Malnutrition Obesity Suicide Media Censorship Internet Films about social issues Freedom of expression Social impact of Indian soap opera Other issues Feudalism Gambling Hijra Homosexuality Human rights Prohibition Religious and spiritual use of cannabis Superstitions Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hindu_joint_family&oldid=806661108 '' Categories : Marriage, unions and partnerships in India Hindu law Family in Asia Living arrangements Hidden categories : CS1 errors : invisible characters Pages with citations lacking titles Pages with citations having bare URLs Use Indian English from September 2014 All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English Articles needing additional references from May 2011 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia हिन्दी தமிழ் Edit links This page was last edited on 23 October 2017, at 12 : 10. 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Question: who is the head of the family in india
Answer: a senior person called a 'Karta', usually the oldest male or female