We may think we know what we mean by a 'nuclear' family and an 'extended' family, but reality is more complicated than most people believe

----- Nội dung dịch tự động từ ảnh -----
We may think we know what we mean by a 'nuclear' family
and an 'extended' family, but reality is more complicated
than most people believe. Most nuclear families are part
of extended families: children have grandparents and in
many cases, aunts, uncles and cousins as well. Part of what
makes them 'nuclear' is that they live in their own separate
household, but it is not the whole story. In Greece or Italy,
for example, a nuclear family may live in its own flat, but the
extended family may live in the same apartment block or in
the same street and family members see each other and even
eat together every day.
True or False? Nuclear families are isolated from their
extended family.
There is at least one more factor to consider. "Family members
may be separated from each other by geographical distance,
but they may have close emotional ties. Even in North
America and northern Europe, grandparents usually have
close bonds with their grandchildren, and families often travel
long distances so that they can see each other. Grandparents
often help their adult children, for example, by cooking and
looking after their children in emergencies. In the same way,
when their parents become too old to live on their own, adult
children may take them into their own homes. As a result, they
turn their nuclear family into an extended family.
True or False? Members of extended families often look after
people who live in other households.
The structure of families changes over time. The effects of
urbanization and industrialization are enormous, but they
are not the only reasons for the changes. People marry, have
children, become widowed, divorce and die. Children grow
up and adults grow old. Nuclear families become extended
families and extended families become nuclear families.
Family ties stay strong or become weak. One thing is certain:
in a changing world, the family will continue to change, but
ultimately, it is likely to continue to be the basic unit of society.
True, False or Not Given? Changes to family structure will
become increasingly fast in the future.