CHAPTER—XIII
STANDARD OF LIVING
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
We have hitherto studied the general features of the
economic life of the people of Atgam. We are now in
a position to give the true economic picture of the village,
for which the preceding chapters will serve as a back-
ground. For this purpose we shall first take into account
the expenditure or standard of living of the people.
The standard of living^1 is a phrase used in different
senses by different economists. It is, therefore, necessary
to determine the exact sense in which it is used in this
chapter. The term 'standard' may mean either a type>
an average or an ideal. For instance, when phrases like
a 'standard typewriter* or a 'standard dictionary* are used,
the term 'standard^1 means the common, ordinary, ac-
cepted or representative form of an object. But when such
an expression like 'a man of high standards' is used, the
same term 'standard' means an 'ideal*. The standard of
living may thus mean two things: (i) the way in which
people actually live and (ii) the way in which they ought
to live. The former concept is of greater importance than
the latter in such realistic literature as village studies.
We have, therefore, used the standard of living of a group
to mean 'an average amount of necessaries, comforts and
luxuries enjoyed by the typical family in the group,^1
GROUPING OF THE PEOPLE
Having thus determined the meaning of the expression
'standard of living* we should know whether the people
inhabiting this village form a homogeneous group.
We have already found it necessary to classify the peo-
1 Cf. Applied Sociology, Henry Pratt Fair-child, p. 83.