In the pastoral area of northern Tibet, where people live in small, scattered communities due to the vastness of the land, families, as a basic unit in social structure and production, are of special significance. As a social cell, families can reflect social changes by changing in structure and size themselves. Experts believe that, at present, families tend to be smaller – namely, the “nuclear family” of a couple and their unmarried children. This theory is in accordance with the general development trend of China’s population. But in the pastoral area of northern Tibet, the situation is different.
The fourth national census showed that the average population of a family had risen from 4.8 in 1982 to 4.89 in 1990, while in Nagqu, that number had been up to 5.29 in 1990 from 4.9 in 1982. In Amdo County, most families have 3-6 members, while big ones have seven members or more and small-size ones have one or two members. The average population for a family in pastoral areas is larger than that in cities, but a bit smaller than farming areas. The changes in the population of pastoral areas have undergone two phases: from the Democratic Reform to the People’s Commune, and the second up to the reform and opening period, during which families with seven or more members have increased in number while small-size families have decreased.
The changes of family structure don’t just refer to population but also to changes of family types. In sociology, common standards are to divide families into seven types, including single-man family, nuclear family, trunk family, united family, husband and wife family, single-parent family and other miscellaneous families as an independent family type. From our survey, in urban and rural areas, nuclear families have topped the list in different historical periods. Yet, they have been decreasing in pastoral areas in recent years, where trunk families have been increasing. United families have emerged and single-man families are obviously down in number.
Trunk family means a family of two generations, but each generation has only one couple who live with their unmarried children or siblings.
United family means a family comprised of several generations, and each generation has two or more couples living with their children.
A variety of reasons have contributed to the changes of family structure. First, our survey shows clearly that the changes in the system of ownership of the means of production have caused the changes in family structure. At the end of the 1950s, the Democratic Reform in Tibet Autonomous Region had made fundamental changes to the system of ownership of the means of production. After the land, livestock, houses and production tools originally owned by serf owners were confiscated and then allocated to the poor serfs by the government, the economic basis supporting the serf-based ownership system no longer existed. As members of a family got the same amount of property from the government, it was possible that brothers who used to share things now were able to set up separate families. Serfs, who used to be attached to serf owners and had neither freedom nor family, set up their own families as they were allocated land and property. The great change in the economic system caused an increase in small-size families with an average household population fewer than the past. Unlike farming areas, the change was not so obvious as the family size in pastoral areas had always been small because of the nomadic lifestyle.
During the period of the People’s Commune, the means of production was owned by the collective, instead of families and persons. Productive activities were organized by a production team instead of a family. That is to say, the function of a family as a production unit was largely weakened, while relations between men beyond the family boundary were strengthened, which speeded up the process of the family becoming smaller. This situation continued till the 1980s, when reform and opening policies were implemented.
The reform and opening policies promoted by the Central Government and the contract responsibility system again changed the basic production organizing system in pastoral areas. In Tibet, the “two no-change policies” were carried out as well as the contract responsibility system. As the main means of production were now owned, used and managed by families, and the whole process of production relied on them, families again began to play an important and decisive role in production. This resulted in the expansion of the family size, and big families tended to increase in number.
From this we can see clearly that the changes in the family size and structure in Tibet Autonomous Region are closely related with the changes in the social and economic systems with the land system at its core. Changes of social system and state policies are reflected in the changes of family size and structure. In addition to economic development – the decisive factor that has caused the changes, there are other factors as well. One is the natural growth of population. According the fourth national census, the birth rate in Amdo County was 4.206 percent while the natural population growth rate was 2.491 percent. The number of children affects the size and structure of a family. Due to lack of social services, children are usually taken care of by their grandparents as their father and mother take part in productive activities, so families with three generations under one roof have emerged.
The increase of average life expectancy has also caused changes in family structure. More aged people live with their children and grandchildren. Statistics show that before 1950, the average life expectancy in Tibet was only 36 years, but rose t0 58.37 in 1990. In Yuqag of Amdo County, those aged 60 and above formed 9.41 percent of the total population. More families with two generations have appeared.
In addition, marital status, population quality, migration and flowing of population, and the changes of women’s status in family and society have all contributed to the changes in family size and structure in pastoral areas.