: Many families are hierarchical and patrilineal, where a bride typically moves in with her husband's family.
Traditionally, women lived in joint families. This meant the eldest woman (the Dadi or Nani ) controlled the kitchen and childcare, but younger women had little personal privacy or financial freedom. Today, while 60% of urban women still live in nuclear setups, the "emotional joint family" persists via WhatsApp groups. Decision-making is no longer a monolith; young women in metros like Mumbai or Delhi negotiate curfews and career choices, often leveraging their economic contribution as leverage. : Many families are hierarchical and patrilineal, where