Role of the Extended Family

There are many types of family that exists in today’s society, each important to the upbringing of any children of which may be apart of it.

There are many types of family that exists in today’s society, each important to the upbringing of any children of which may be apart of it. Whether due to economic changes, cultural values, the role of caregiver goes beyond mother and father (Kurrien & Dawn Vo, 2004). The family unit is as diverse as the societies they each represent. This sometimes can manifest traditional roles of doting mothers and providing fathers into a home with two sets of parents (Kurrien & Dawn Vo, 2004). Therefore, the involvement and importance of the extended family: grandparents and other family members such as aunts and uncles play a significant role in both its economic and social function.

The family unit is as diverse as the societies they each represent. This sometimes can manifest traditional roles of doting mothers and providing fathers into a home with two sets of parents (Kurrien & Dawn Vo, 2004). Therefore, the involvement and importance of the extended family: grandparents and other family members such as aunts and uncles play a significant role in both its economic and social function.

The quantitative analyzed data showing family members within the socioeconomic status. A study of families within the Asian society that are poor and from rural areas compared to upper-middle class families (Kurrien & Dawn Vo, 2004). The sample comprised of different families consisting of three groups, which shared nuclear, and extended family living arrangements. Each group were given a scheduled of activities that were to be performed by the caregiver to a child. Some of these activates included the daily function of a parental role such as, bathing, feeding and transporting to and from school (Kurrien & Dawn Vo, 2004).

Data found that fathers in the upper-middle class family, regardless of it being nuclear or extended, were more involved in performing the activities (Kurrien & Dawn Vo, 2004). Mothers continued to be the primary caretaker in both extended and nuclear family. In upper-middle class extended families, grandmothers were just a source of support, compared to the poor disadvantaged families where the responsibilities were provided by not just grandmothers but other female members of the family including aunts living under the same roof (Kurrien & Dawn Vo, 2004). In the article findings, it was an important note that grandmothers were more involved in childcare activities than fathers in all groups within the extended family (Kurrien & Dawn Vo, 2004).