Family, Marriage, Kinship, Religion and Social stratification in Himachal Pradesh

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Family, Marriage, Kinship, Religion and Social stratification in Himachal Pradesh

Family

The family, as a primary social institution in India has been undergoing change, both in its composition and structure. The family, as in many societies has been not only the center of socio-economic life, but also the primary source of social security and support for the members of the family. The increasing urbanization, commercialization of the economy and the development of the infrastructure of the modern state have brought changes in the composition and structure of Indian family in the 20th century. The last few decades have brought speedy and important changes in family relations. India’s fertility rate has fallen and life expectancy has increased. All of these changes are taking place in the context of increased urbanization and high standard of living, which is separating children from elders and contributing and bringing change in the composition and structure of family-based support system. The Present study is conducted in Bhota Town of District Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, India. This paper examines the impact of various contributing factors which bring changes in the composition, structure and practices in Indian family. If this trend continues then it will lead the disintegration in familial relations and adversely affect the caring attitude of the family towards its members.

Himachal Pradesh is also known as ‘Dev Bhoomi’ came into existence as a distinct entity on 15 April 1948 with the merger of 30 erstwhile Punjab hilly states. The span of 63 years has taken big strides in the path of social-economic development. The population of Himachal Pradesh is 68, 56,509 in which 34, 73,892 males and 33, 82,617 are female’s. Himachal comes second in literacy rate with 83.78% after Kerala in India.

The age of marriageable individuals is also one of the important factors. Almost 52.00% families were in favor of marriage after 25 years whereas 40.00% was in favor of marriage between 21-25 years. Only 8.00% favored for marriage between 18-21 years. No one favored for marriage before age of 18. All the families were in favor of observing marriage rituals as per the old traditions. The majority of families i.e. 94.00%, accepted that financial exchange is common practice in marriages. Only remaining 6.00% were against financial exchange during marriage. Kashyap (2004) says Marriage in India is still a socio- religious institution that takes place between two families rather than two individuals. It is still arranged by parents and members of the kinship group with class, caste and religious positions. However the youth in India now wants to have a greater say in the choice of marriage partners and they do not mind their parents arranging their marriage as long as they have a say in it. In the present times, though the patterns of partner selection vary in terms of extent of choice given to the young man or woman, family approval is very essential for the marriage to take place. Among the urban educated youth, the traditional concept of marriage as a sacrament, a social obligation, and for the perpetuation of the lineage, is slowly being sidelined by the concept of marriage, for love, companionship and individual happiness.

Religion and social stratification

Hinduism is the major religion in Himachal Pradesh. More than 95% of the total population adheres to the Hindu faith, the distribution of which is evenly spread throughout the state. Himachal Pradesh has the highest proportion of Hindu population among all the states and union territories in India.

Other religions that form a small percentage are Islam, Sikhism and Buddhism. Muslims are mainly concentrated in Sirmaur, Chamba, Una and Solan districts where they form 2.53-6.27% of the population. Sikhs mostly live in towns and cities and constitute 1.16% of the state population. The Buddhists, who constitute 1.15%, are mainly natives and tribals from Lahaul and Spiti, where they form a majority of 62%, and Kinnaur, where they form 21.5%.

Himachal Pradesh has a total population of 6,864,602 including 3,481,873 males and 3,382,729 females as per the final results of the Census of India 2011. This is only 0.57 per cent of India’s total population, recording a growth of 12.81 per cent.[5][82] The scheduled castes and scheduled tribes account for 25.19 per cent and 5.71 per cent of the population respectively.[84] The sex ratio stood at 972 females per 1000 males, recording a marginal increase from 968 in 2001.[85] The child sex ratio increased from 896 in 2001 to 909 in 2011.[85] The total fertility rate (TFR) per woman in 2015 stood at 1.7, one of the lowest in India.

In the census, the state is placed 21st on the population chart, followed by Tripura at 22nd place. Kangra district was top ranked with a population strength of 1,507,223 (21.98%), Mandi district 999,518 (14.58%), Shimla district 813,384 (11.86%), Solan district 576,670 (8.41%), Sirmaur district 530,164 (7.73%), Una district 521,057 (7.60%), Chamba district 518,844 (7.57%), Hamirpur district 454,293 (6.63%), Kullu district 437,474 (6.38%), Bilaspur district 382,056 (5.57%), Kinnaur district 84,298 (1.23%) and Lahaul Spiti 31,528 (0.46%).

The life expectancy at birth in Himachal Pradesh increased significantly from 52.6 years in the period from 1970-75 (above the national average of 49.7 years) to 72.0 years for the period 2011-15 (above the national average of 68.3 years). The infant mortality rate stood at 40 in 2010, and the crude birth rate has declined from 37.3 in 1971 to 16.9 in 2010, below the national average of 26.5 in 1998. The crude death rate was 6.9 in 2010.[90] Himachal Pradesh’s literacy rate has almost doubled between 1981 and 2011 (see table to right). The state is one of the most literate states of India with a literacy rate of 83.78% as of 2011.

 

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