INDIA - Survey on Health Care July - June 1995-96, NSS 52nd Round

No. of family nuclei : Family or alternatively nuclear family is the basic family unit consisting of mother and father with their children. The simplest case is that of a married couple with unmarried children.

The following may serve as important guidelines: (i) A married couple with or without unmarried children will form one nucleus family; (ii) One parent (i.e., father or mother) living with one or more unmarried children will form one nucleus family; (iii) In the case of a husband having more than one wife,(i.e., case of polygamy) the husband and each wife will constitute one family nucleus and there will be as many family nuclei as the number of wives; (iv) In the case of one wife living with more than one husband in the household (i.e., case of polyandry) the wife with all her husbands together forms one family nucleus; (v) In the case of brother(s) and/or sister(s) who are unmarried, separated, or widowed living together, the number of family nuclei will be zero. Similarly, friends, cousins etc. staying together will not constitute a family nucleus; (vi) A single member household does not form a family nucleus. Further, a member in a household will be considered only in one family nucleus except in a case of polygamy.