The extended family today

• Charles-in Swansea the extended family is "all but extinct" with the only significant exceptions being in the Bangladeshi community

• Willmott-the extended family continues to exits but as a dispersed extended family where they are geographically separated but remain in frequent contact

• Chamberlain-caribbean family in britain are multiple nuclear families as they ,ight geographically dispersed they still provided support due to their frequent contact they also make big contributions to childbearing
  --> the extended family survives as it performs important functions
  --> Bell-in Swansea both working class and middle class families had emotional bonds with kin and relied on them for support but middle class families there was more financial help from father to son and in working class families had more frequent contact (lived closer) and there was more domestic help between mothers to daughters

• Brannen-long and thin family structure as it is extended vertically (up/down) as it has many generations (grandparents, parents and children) but has little horizontal (sideways) extended as it has little aunts, uncles and cousins

• Charles-there is the same high level of contact between mothers and adult daughters as Bell found in the 1960s

• increased life expectancy-more grandparents and great grandparents

• smaller family size-people have less siblings so there is less horizontal expansion

• despite an increase in beanpole families people still feel a sense of obligation to help extended kin

• Finch + Mason-over 90% of people had given or received financial aid from family members amd about half helped sick family members
  --> more is expected from females
  --> Cheal-when it comes to household tasks "a systematic set of rules exist for deciding who has a greater obligation to assist"
  --> sons are rarely chosen as caregivers for elderly women as it should be the husbands job and if not available it should be the daughter then the daughter in law
  --> daughters are rarely chosen as a suitable choice to provide money

• Mason-not all women have equal roles as it depends on history, the obligation the women feels towards their relatives and other responsibilities that would give an excuse to not be involved
  --> Finch + Mason-the principle of reciprocacy is also important when deciding responsibilities as people feel as if help should be returned to avoid any feeling of indebtedness

• the extended family continues to play a important role in physical and emotional help

• however it is different from Parson's classic extended family as members do not live together and do not have as strong of a sense of mutual obligation but some sense of obligation does remain to some kin and as a last resort in a time of crisis