The family has always been very important in all times and societies. However, contemporary families differ a lot from large traditional families. A t

The family has always been very important in all times and societies. However, contemporary families differ a lot from large traditional families. A traditional, or extended, family had a similar structure in different countries. It consisted of several generations and was headed by the eldest man in the family. For example, an ideal traditional Chinese family consisted of the head of the family and his wife, their three or for sons and their wives (the daughters didn’t live in the family as they moved to their husbands’ families after the wedding) and a dozen grandchildren. People lived shorter then, and that’s why usually there were no more than three generations in a family. Children were absolutely dependent on their parents and grandparents, and the status, role and behavior of each member of the family were strictly regulated. Nobody could break the rules. The interests of the family were above the interests of an individual member. If anyone ignored or betrayed the family interests, they were punished very severely. Most traditional families in Russia, Ukraine, and Poland looked the same. Nowadays families are much smaller. They often consist of two generations only: parents and their dependent children. The family of this kind is called a nuclear family. There are no male or female responsibilities within the family. This means most women go to work and earn some money, and men often help with cooking, washing and some other work round the house. Children behave differently too. They are allowed to express their point of view and take part in decision-making on different family’s issues. Sometimes they can even ignore the senior generation’s recommendations or advice, which was absolutely impossible in traditional families. Children are more independent nowadays, and when they grow up, they often prefer to live apart from their parents. Having separate homes, however, doesn’t matter much as long as adult children care for their parents and remember to help them. Answer the questions: 1. What is a traditional family?