People living together as an extended family occasionally feel a greater security and belonging. This is an advantage of extended type of family because this family contains more people to serve as resources during crisis and provides more role models for behavior of values. The disadvantage of living in an extended type of family is shouldering more expenses for their basic needs.
In many cultures, such as in those of many of the Southern Europeans, Asians, Middle Easterners, Africans, Latin Americans, and Pacific Islanders, extended families are the basic family unit. Cultures in which the extended family is common are generally collectivistic cultures.
Complex Family is a generic term for any family structure involving more than two adults. The term can refer to any extended family or to a polygamy of any type. It is often used to refer to the group marriage form of polygamy.
A joint family is also known as a complex family, parents and their children's families often live under a single roof. This type of family often includes multiple generations in the family. In India, the family is a patriarchal society, with the sons' families often staying in the same house.
In the joint family setup the workload is equally shared among the members. The women folk are often housewives and cook for the entire family. The patriarch of the family (often the oldest male member) lays down the rules and arbitrates disputes. Other senior members of the household baby sit infants in case their mother is working. They are also responsible in teaching the younger children their mother tongue, manners and etiquette.
This kind of setup is fast eroding