What we think of a “family” is mostly one or two parents and their children. This is called a “two-generation” or “nuclear” family. Children usually move out of their parents’ homes either when they reach adulthood or after they marry. Relationships with other family members, like grandparents, are still valued, of course. But the nuclear family usually lives by itself. Of course, acceptance of different types of nuclear families can vary in each culture. For example, single parents are much more common in some countries than others. That includes some places like Africa.
However, it’s also the norm in many countries to see households made up of extended families, with parents, children, grandparents, and maybe sometimes aunts, uncles, and cousins sharing a home. Extended family households are most common in Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America and parts of Africa. For example, the 2015 World Family Map study found that at least 40% of children in these regions live in households that include adults other than their parents.
Recent contemporary social models have been focusing on the importance of the nuclear family and consequently, minimizing the importance of extended family. One of the factors refer us back to Industrial Revolution which associated rise of class influences in social networks. The increasing importance of individualism made big…
