Final answer:
A household consists of individuals who share a residence and socioeconomic needs, and may include various family structures, such as nuclear and extended families. Definitions of family can vary culturally and legally, with sociologists emphasizing relational aspects and the U.S. Census using a specific criteria based on co-residence and legal ties.
Step-by-step explanation:
A household is a group of individuals who live within the same residence and share socioeconomic needs associated with production and consumption. These individuals may be connected by blood, marriage (affinal ties), adoption or by other relational connections such as fictive kin, like godparents. Extended family may include not just parents and children (the traditional nuclear family), but also other relatives like grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
The composition and definition of what constitutes a family varies greatly across cultures and has adapted to changing social and economic needs. Sometimes, larger household units form to meet specific needs like eldercare or job loss. Sociologists tend to define family more by how members relate to one another rather than by a strict configuration of status roles. The U.S. Census Bureau, however, provides a more structured definition, recognizing a family as two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption, who reside together.