An extended family is a family that includes relatives beyond the nuclear family of parents and their children, such as aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, or other relatives, all living nearby or in the same household. The extended family can take different forms, including stem and joint families. In some circumstances, the extended family comes to live either with or in place of a member of the immediate family. For example, an elderly parent may move in with his or her children due to old age.
Extended families are prevalent in many cultures, such as those of Asians, Middle Easterners, Africans, Indigenous peoples like Native Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Latin Americans and Caribbeans, and even in Eastern and Southern Europeans (Orthodox/Catholic countries) . In these cultures, extended families are the basic family unit, and the modern western nuclear family is not the norm.
The extended family can provide a support system that brings families closer together, especially in the face of economic difficulties. The extended family can also be an extensive group of people who are related by blood or marriage or who otherwise regard themselves as a large family.
In summary, an extended family is a family that includes relatives beyond the nuclear family of parents and their children, and it can take different forms. Extended families are prevalent in many cultures and can provide a support system that brings families closer together.
