Socio-economic differences in household complexity in Sri Lanka

The joint-extended household in which married sons co-reside with their parents and one another is not idealized by Sri Lankan society the way it is by various cultures of the Indian subcontinent. However, it cannot be said that the extended family or kin group is unimportant. It is central in the determination of marriage partners, in determining the education of children, and in caring for the economic welfare of its members (Nyrop et al., 1971 Chapter 7).