It is all in the hands of the women, be it a mother-in-law or a daughter-in-law. Every man is in favour of a joint family but the final say is with the women in the family. They are the ones who decide to make it or break it. The circumstances that lead to a break up are a result of their choice while the reverse is not true. Women are mostly let down by their own community, in some cases the mothers -in-law by their daughters-in-law and in some the other way round. I hope most of the males would agree with me and am equally hopeful that their partners wont ever!