Chapter 2 Families and Parents 35
Extended Families
An extended family includes all the
relatives in a family, such as grandparents,
aunts, uncles, and cousins. In contrast, a
family of origin, which may also be called an
immediate family, includes only parents and
their children. In general, all people have
extended families.
In the extended-family structure, more
relatives than an immediate family live in one
home. Any mixture of grandparents, parents,
children, aunts, uncles, and cousins may live
in one residence. These living arrangements
may be temporary or permanent, depending
on the family’s situation. The extended-family
structure is more common in other countries
than in the United States. Many American
families do share their homes with extended
family members, however.
Extended family members may live
together for various reasons. Adult children
may move back into their parents’ homes
following college, while they are searching
for a job. Newlyweds may live with one
spouse’s parents until they find a separate
living space. Following divorce, a parent and
his or her children may move into a relative’s
home temporarily.
Another type of extended-family structure
includes aging parents who move in with an
adult child’s family. Sometimes older adults
move in with family members to assist in
caring for the children. Older people may also
move in with an adult child if they become
unable, for health reasons, to live alone.
Couples Without Children
The fifth family structure includes
married couples without children. People
may not always think of childless couples
as families, but spouses are related to one
another by marriage. This makes them a
family even if they do not have children.
A married couple may be unable to have
biological children or may choose to remain
childless. Some couples delay parenthood
until they have been married several years.
They remain in this family structure until
they have children and enter the nuclear
family structure, 2-6.
How Families Function
Why do people need families? What
purposes do families serve? These questions
can best be answered by looking at how
families function in society. Family functions
refer to the responsibilities a family has for
its members and how the family carries out
these responsibilities. The family’s main
purpose is to take care of its members.
Although families may differ in the way
they are formed and in their structure,
today’s families all perform these same
basic functions. These functions include
procreation, economic support, emotional
growth and well-being, socialization and
education, and assignment of social roles.
2-5 A stepfamily includes each spouse’s children
from previous relationships and any children they
have together.