Key Difference: In simple terms, the main difference between joint family and nuclear family is that a joint family is a big family, whereas a nuclear family is a small family.

Family is the most important part of a person; from an early age a child is taught the importance of a family and the part he/she is expected to play in the family. Girls are most commonly taught about cooking, while boys are taught the family business. However, these importances are differentiated according to the families people live in. In this article, let us mainly focus on two families, i.e. joint family and nuclear family.

In a joint family, even if parents go to work, grandparents will be taking care of the children. They will be instructing them the right manners and good qualities about life, and turn the life of children in the opposite way. In the nuclear family, parents quarrel with each other and there is no one to settle the issue. However, in joint family there are parents or in-laws to give advice to the parents to settle the issue.

Tribes, small villages, group of people and such small civilization units are the predecessors of the joint families. Joint families are still common in several parts of the worlds, India, China, African nations and even Arab nations having a large number of such families. Whereas, nuclear families are widely popular in the United States and Europe.

A major importance is placed on family; traditional cultures suggest living in joint families, where parents, male children, children’s spouses and grandchildren, all reside in the same house. However, nuclear families have started receiving more importance in urban cultures.

Comparison between Joint Family and Nuclear Family:

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