Impact of Family Structure (Nuclear and Joint) and Gender (Male and Female) on Quality of Life in Reference to Midlife

Abstract

WHO defines Quality of Life as ‘an individual’s perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns.’ India has always been a collectivist nation, where family support and social support are valued more than any individualistic culture. Therefore, in Indian culture it is assumed that family support might play a role in impacting the quality of life but in this rapidly evolving lifestyles many people tend to move to cities with better job opportunities and prefer living in nuclear families because of financial constraints. This being the area of interest for this paper, the objective of this paper is to identify significant difference between genders (Male and Female) and family structure (Nuclear and joint) on Quality of Life in reference to midlife. The sample size for this study was N=60 (from age group 35-60 years) which includes 15 males from nuclear family structure, 15 males from joint family structure, 15 females from nuclear family structure and 15 females from joint family structure. The tool used for this study is WHOQOL-BREF consisting of 26 items which measures four Quality of life domains i.e. Physical Health, Psychological Health, Social Relationships and Environment. Data was analyzed with the help of t-test and ANOVA. Result: It was found that the mean difference was significant. Joint family structure was found to have better Quality of Life than Nuclear Family Structure in reference to midlife. The results indicate males have better Quality of Life than females in reference to midlife. The conclusion of the study indicates that there was a significant difference of mean in each group.