Extended family

An extended family consists of a larger group of related individuals over several generations. For large families with more than three offspring ( multi-child families ), one speaks also of an increased cohort fertility. ( See also fertility rate = aggregate fertility rate and net reproduction rate in international comparison. )

Forms of extended family

Already two generations can form a large family, for example, when related pairs educate a larger number of children. Even with (eg ) three intermarried couples can be as 20 to 30 nieces and nephews represent a large family network, which already allows for close neighboring apartments diverse group dynamic relationships within the family.

This can be with their children and grandchildren as well as uncles, aunts and other relatives the parents. Previously, in many cases also the servants were expected to. The family members usually lived together in a house or a settlement and constitute a single economic unit consisting, for example, in common agriculture or crafts.

In the narrower sense of a relatively close living family the " multi-local multi-generational family " was examined and determined on the basis of data from the Family Surveys from 1988, that "the number of more than two generations comprehensive family associations of nearly 5% in individual households to around 20% of all family constellations increases, if you extend the fictitious households to the neighborhood. "

To the " disappearance" of the families with many children wore in the industrialized countries, especially the family planning by the birth control pill in the 1970s at. This is there in the population statistics clearly by the Pillenknick mentioned incision in the birth curve visible. In less developed societies, extended families are to the survival of most members is essential if women / mothers die in child birth (percentage of maternal mortality in demography / GYN ).

In industrialized countries, extended families play quite a role in all layers, although a significant accumulation in the low percentage represented upper class and people must be held no qualifications. This phenomenon is suspected of a sociological analysis is not easily accessible, so that extended families "disappeared" as appear. By contrast, they are more common in poor countries. This has to do mainly with the local nature of family planning, the predominantly agricultural economy structure and a largely non-social system so that the children " pension plan " the parents are (see Family ( sociology) ).

In societies which allow polygamy, the family associations could turn once again considerably larger. So is the largest family in the world, the family of the Indian Ziona Chana, who was living in 2011 with 39 wives, 94 children, 14 daughters- and 33 grandchildren. Chana is the leader of a Christian sect.

After the micro census 2005 living in Germany one percent according to the classic family picture together: a house with parents, children, Grandpa and Grandma, and in rare cases even great-grandparents.

Incidence in Germany by number of children

Statistical Number of households by number of children in Germany:

History

In Central Europe, the number and size of the former extended families is often overestimated. The following aspects contribute:

• Until the 20th century the maternal and infant mortality was very high. For example, 302 children died from 1832 to 1835 in Bavaria 1,000 live births in the first year of life, and in the years 1901-1905 after all, still 240 children.
• Thus, these families were more than twice as large as today. The average household size in Bavaria the years 1818 to 1871 was 4.6 persons, rose in 1900 to 4.7 persons in the short term and declined to 1925 to 4.3 persons.
• To this fact also added, that the male marriage age was in the country in over 28 years and that of women was 27 years ( after interim sinking it's up again much like 100 years ago). Due to the low life expectancy and earlier menopause, therefore, there were only about 15 years for the procreation of children available.
• Overall, therefore, made ​​the families with several generations of less than is commonly assumed.

Another aspect is the population share, the marriage was hardly possible. So it was often forbidden to marry as journeymen before a master site was free. It lived and worked in many of the previous non-family households people, which makes difficult to comprehend the structure of the " extended family ". 1910 lived servants in 20% of households in Bavaria, to which 11% subtenants or lodgers came. In Master families often lived in the same house journeymen. In the German Reich survived in 1882 1.282 million servants in the house of the employer; In 1925 there were 1.016 million and 1939 at least 995,000 more people. Sociologically prevailed also in our past nuclear families and more complex "mixed" or " binuclear " or stepfamilies. The alleged transition from large - to small family is therefore incorrect, and it affects only the number of children and hardly those of the generations. In contrast to today's small families in which mainly prevails matriarchy, in large families until today the classic patriarchy (sociology) sets the tone. See also patriarchal hegemony.