The Extended Kinship System: Correlates of and Attitudes on Frequency of Interaction.

The view that extended kinship systems in modern urban society have only marginal existence has been questioned by several recent studies of urban families. These studies have generally indicated that some extended kinship system is operating for most urban families, although there is considerable variation in the frequency of interaction among the extended kin. Since it is the urban middle-class family system which is thought to be most representative of American values, and since it is precisely this family type which is thought to have emphasized more than others the isolation of the nuclear family from extended kin, this study focused on the extended kinship systems of urban middle-class families. The basic bilaterality of the American kinship system is demonstrated by the finding that while respondents were in contact, at least monthly, with one-third of their relatives, they were also in contact, at least monthly, with one-fourth of their in-laws. The occurrence of a family event such as a christening, wedding, or funeral or of a need arising from illness, for example, was felt by 45 per cent of the respondents to be a chief reason for kin contact.