Final answer:
Extended families typically include a wider range of relatives beyond the nuclear family, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. These family units can also span multiple generations and form adaptable social and economic alliances. The structure of extended families varies widely across cultures, reflecting different societal norms and needs.
Step-by-step explanation:
Typically, extended families comprise not just the nuclear family of parents and children but also a broader range of relatives. This can include grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, as well as family members from previous generations. Often, these family units function as a single integrated economy, sharing not just a household but also resources, responsibilities, and support systems. In agricultural societies, extended families are a vital social and economic unit due to their ability to contribute more labor towards self-subsistence.
In various cultures, extended families can take unique forms. For example, amongst the Mundurucú, the family unit includes only the mother and preadolescent children, with fathers living separately. In the Mosuo culture, children are raised within the mother's lineage despite fathers being from outside the household. Hence, the definition of an extended family is culturally dependent and varies widely across societies.
The modern concept of family encompasses more than in the past, adaptable to changing social and economic needs and may include non-blood relatives or co-residential groups that take on familial roles during times of transition or need. Given the diversity and adaptability of family structures, the extended family remains a prevalent and significant societal unit worldwide.