Cross-Cultural Family Structure among Muslim, Hindu, Santal, and Oraon Communities in Rasulpur, Bangladesh

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare family structure patterns among Muslim, Hindu, Santal, and Oraon communities in rural Bangladesh. For this we hypothesized that family structure patterns—marriage, family type and size, residence, role sharing, authority, communication, and property distribution—were not only significantly different but that these patterns of the family structure were also significantly interrelated among the ethnic communities in rural Bangladesh. In so doing 585 males of the ethnic communities selected by cluster random sampling were intensively interviewed with a semi-structural questionnaire in Rasulpur of Bangladesh. Results of Pearson chi-square testing suggest that the family structure patterns were significantly varied. The results of Spearman bivariate correlation coefficients also suggest that the family structure patterns were significantly interrelated among the communities in rural Bangladesh. Further cross-cultural research should be conducted on why and how family structure patterns are significantly different among the communities in Bangladesh.

KEYWORDS:

• family structure
• Muslim
• Hindu
• Santal
• Oraon
• cross-cultural comparison
• Bangladesh