extended family today

The Extended Family Today

  • Classical extended family: three or more generations living together (e.g. grandparents, parents, children).

  • Historically common among working-class families; now more dominant in East-Asian communities.

  • Functionalists like Parsons: extended family was dominant in pre-industrial society, replaced by nuclear family in modern industrial society.

  • Charles (2008): classic three-generation household is “all but extinct” — exceptions found in Bangladeshi communities.

  • Willmott (1988): extended family survives as ‘dispersed extended family’ — relatives live apart but maintain contact.

  • Chamberlain (1999): Caribbean families in Britain form ‘multiple nuclear families’ with strong kinship support.

  • Bell (1968): extended families still offer emotional and practical support:

    • Middle-class: financial help from father to son.

    • Working-class: frequent contact and domestic help from mothers to daughters.

The 'Beanpole' Family

  • Brannen (2003): beanpole family is ‘long and thin’ — vertically extended across generations but not horizontally.

  • Includes grandparents, parents, and children but lacks aunts, uncles, cousins.

  • Charles: strong mother–daughter contact persists, but sibling ties have declined.

  • Beanpole structure may result from:

    • Increased life expectancy — more surviving grandparents/great-grandparents.

    • Smaller family sizes — fewer siblings and horizontal ties.

Obligations to Relatives

  • Finch and Mason (1993): over 90% of people gave or received financial help; half cared for a sick relative.

  • Gendered expectations:

    • Females expected to do more than males.

    • Cheal (2002): hierarchy of caregiving obligations:

      1. Spouse

      2. Daughter

      3. Daughter-in-law

      4. Son

      5. Other relatives

      6. Non-relatives

  • Daughters preferred for personal care; sons rarely chosen.

  • Sons more likely to provide money; daughters less so.

  • Mason (2011): caregiving depends on relationship history, perceived obligations, and competing responsibilities.

  • Reciprocity matters — help should be returned to avoid indebtedness.

  • Extended family still provides support, but not in the same way as Parsons’ classic model.

  • Obligations remain, especially in times of crisis, but are more selective and situational.