What is rural area ?

Rural areas are the area that are not urbanized, though when large area are described country
town and smaller cities will be included. They have low population density and typically much
of the land is devoted to agriculture. Urbanization encroaches on rural land and the
mechanization of agriculture has reduced the number of workers needed to work the land, while
alternative employment is typically easier to obtain in cities.

What is urban area ?

An urban area is characterized by the higher population density and vast human features in
comparison, to areas surrounding it. Urban area may be cities, town or metropolitan area.

The term ‘community’ is used by sociologists to describe a quality of relationship which

produces a strong sense of shared identity among persons living in a fixed geographical area.
They describe ‘rural’ as a community and ‘urban’ as a society. When sociologists hold that a
society moves from traditional to modern, they in fact contrast pre-industrial, largely rural,
traditional society with industrial, largely urban, modern society.

Rural and urban communities may be distinguished from each other on the basis of several
criteria like occupation, size, and density of population, environment, homogeneity-
heterogeneity, social stratification, mobility and system of interaction:

(1) The main occupation of people in rural community is agriculture though a few people are
engaged in non- agricultural pursuits also. People in urban community are mainly engaged in
non-agricultural pursuits like manufacturing, trade and commerce, service and professions.

(2) Rural communities are of small size while urban communities are of larger size.

(3) Density of population in rural community is low (200 to 1,000 persons per square mile) while
in urban community, it is high (more than 1,000 persons per square mile).

(4) People in rural areas are close to nature while people in urban areas are surrounded more by
man-made environment and are isolated from nature.

(5) Rural communities are more homogeneous while urban communities are more
heterogeneous.

(6) While rural communities are stratified more on caste and less on class basis, urban
communities are stratified more on class basis.

(7) Mobility in rural areas is more from villages to villages and villages to cities, while mobility
in urban areas is more from one city to an other city.

(8) Relations amongst people in rural areas are predominantly personal and relatively durable
while in urban areas, relations are more secondary, impersonal, casual and short-lived.
(9) The infant mortality rate in rural areas is one and a half time more than the rate found in
urban areas (80:49) ratio.

(10) Labour force participation rate in rural areas is more than three times than that found in
urban areas.

(11) The number of working children in the rural areas is 10 times more than in the urban areas.

(12) In rural market Consumer thinks of in so many ways, such as money, durability, buying
capacity and so on. In urban market customer thinks of brand and its updates

(13) Rural society is one which is not industrialized, whereas present day urban society is highly
urbanized and industrialized.

Sl No. Rural Society (Pre- Urban Society

industrial Society) (Industrial Society)

1. Life in the society was Life in the city is not

very simple and simple but very complex
reflected in the way of and complicated.
living, dressing, food
habits, shelter and
manners etc.

2. The people in the The people in the city

society had homogeneity belong to different castes,
and thus enjoyed more creeds, religions and
or less the same social cultures, thus do not enjoy
status. the same social status.

3. In the rural society there In cities there are many

was very little scope for occupations, so
occupational mobility. occupational mobility is
as well as frequent.

4. Here the family played a In the cities hold of

very significant and families is not strong, and
predominant role. Its many functions which the
hold was very strong. families used to perform
have been taken away by
other institutions and
associations.
5. In villages there is no In the cities there must be
fast change and as such fast mobility and
no necessity for social adaptability to suit ever
adaptability. changing fast life.

6. In the rural society In the cities it is different

culture was very deep- to find pure culture.
rooted. Everyone loved
culture and cultural
heritage above
everything else.

7. In a rural society there is In an urban community

no division of labour. there is always division of
labour and specialisation
in job allotment.

8. Rural society did not In urban communities

give due and proper women enjoys
respect to the comparatively high social
womenfolk. status.

9. In this society people In cities, people have no

loved nature and natural time to stand and gaze at
bounties. They were the nature. They are not
religious minded and religious minded but more
afraid of gods and materialistic.
goddesses.

10. There were very few The cities provide both

chances of providing incentive and
employment and employment to the people
incentives to the and thus frustrated
unemployed by the villages find solace in the
society. cities which respects
ability and judges their
worth.