Urbanization has far-reaching effects on larger societal processes and structures. Following are some of the sections
Family and kinship
Urbanization affects not only the family structure but also intra and inter-family relations, as well as the functions the family performs.
With urbanization, there is a disruption of the bonds of community and the migrant faces the problem to replace old relationships with new ones and to find a satisfactory means of continuing relationships with those left behind.
I.P. Desai (1964) showed that though the structure of urban families is changing, the spirit of individualism is not growing in the families. He found that
- 74 per cent of families were residentially nuclear but functionally and in property joint,
- 21 per cent were joint in residence and functioning as well as in property and
- 5 per cent of families were nuclear.
Aileen Ross (1962) in her study of Bangalore found that
- about 60 per cent of the families are nuclear
- the trend today is towards a break with the traditional joint family form into the nuclear family unit.
- Small joint family is now the most typical form of family life in urban India.
- Relations with one’s distant kin are weakening or breaking.
Urbanization and Caste
It is generally held that caste is a rural phenomenon whereas class is urban and that with urbanization, caste transforms itself into class.
But it is necessary to note that the caste system exists in cities as much as it does in villages although there are significant organizational differences.
Caste identity tends to diminish with urbanization, education and the development of an orientation towards individual achievement and modern status symbols.
It has been pointed out that among the Westernized elite, class ties are much more important than caste ties.
However, the caste system continues to persist and exert its influence in some sectors of urban social life while it has changed its form in some other sectors.
- Caste solidarity is not as strong as in urban and rural areas.
- Caste panchayats are very weak in cities.
- There exists a dichotomy between workplace and domestic situations and both caste and class situations co-exist.
Urbanization and the Status of Women
- Women constitute an essential section of rural-urban migrants. They migrate at the time of marriage and also when they are potential workers in the place of destination.
- While middle-class women get employed in white-collar jobs and professions, lower-class women find jobs in the informal sector.
- Women are also found in the formal sector as industrial workers.
- Many women have taken to white-collar jobs and entered different professions. These professions were instrumental in enhancing the social and economic status of women, thereby meaning increased and rigorous hours of work, professional loyalty along with increased autonomy.
- The traditional and cultural institutions remain the same, and crises of values and confusion of norms have finally resulted.
- The personally and socially enlightened woman is forced to perform dual roles - social and professional.
- The status of urban women, because of being comparatively educated and liberal, is higher than that of rural women. However, in the labour market, women continue to be in a disadvantaged situation. In the form of the Glass ceiling, the second shift, the pink colourization of jobs and the feminization of agriculture.
Glass ceiling: The term glass ceiling refers to a metaphorical invisible barrier that prevents certain individuals from being promoted to managerial- and executive-level positions within an organization or industry.
The phrase is commonly used to describe the difficulties faced by women and minorities when trying to move to higher roles in a male-dominated corporate hierarchy. The barriers are most often unwritten, meaning that these individuals are more likely to be restricted from advancing through accepted norms and implicit biases rather than defined corporate policies.
Second shift: In a marriage situation, the second shift notes that the female gender is overwhelmed and expected to do more than the male gender. The woman is supposed to nurture children and take care of the household. Even working women are expected to continue with household chores after leaving a full day's work in many cultures. According to the second shift explanation of marriage roles, the men do little in the marriage. Pink colourization: A pink-collar worker is someone working in the care-oriented career field or in fields considered to be women’s work. Pink-collar work includes jobs in the beauty industry, nursing, social work, teaching, secretarial work, or child care.
Feminization of agriculture: the feminization of agriculture refers to the measurable increase in women's participation in the agricultural sector, particularly in the developing world. Feminist sociology sees this phenomenon as discriminatory toward women because the primary sector is an unorganized and low-paid sector. It is the result of the outmigration of the male population to urban areas in search of better employment opportunities leaving women in rural settings for primary economic activities.
Family
Urbanization affected the family structure and size. Joint families are replaced by nuclear families and the size of the family has been shrinking. The rapidly changing value system in urban areas often results in intergeneration strain.
Culture
Urban areas are a melting pot of people with diverse ethnic, linguistic and religious backgrounds. Urban populations express distinct cultures in terms of food, dressing patterns etc. Many a time migrants lose their culture under the influence of a new urban lifestyle.
Conflict with migrants
Though all residents of urban areas are migrants new or old, those who are residing for generations try to resist newcomers by seeing them as their competitors for limited resources. Like the son of the soil feeling among the Marathi people of Mumbai city and they repeatedly oppose the migrant workers of UP and Bihar.