The meaning of family and structure of family is different for everyone among different cultures and countries. In general a family can be understood as a group that are related by birth, marriage, adoption, or living together. As for me, my mother, father, younger brother, and younger sister are my family and this may be different for some people. For example a close friend of mine has a family of three consisting of herself and her mother unlike my family that has siblings and both parents. In come cases people live with other members in their extended families like a grandparent, in-laws, aunt, uncle, or cousins. I have seen this very common among my family in Pakistan where they live in large families with several extended members. In my grandmothers family in Pakistan her family consist of her husband, her son, her daughter-in-law, and her grandkids. As a Pakistani-American there are various differences I have seen in the two countries' culture. Being there just three months ago I have seen the views of family people have in Pakistan as compare to here in New York specifically in Long Island where I reside. .
In Pakistan, having multiple wives is very common and mostly seen in men who are wealthy and can financially afford multiple wives. Seeing polygamy as a common and preferred form of marriage left me at a surprise where I have mostly seen monogamy where a man has one spouse at a time. This trip to Pakistan left me thinking about how the culture affects our idea of an accepted family and marriage. Among the different family styles in both cultures, blended families was something I had seen in both cultures. In New York families had step-siblings from remarriages or divorces as compare to Pakistan where step-siblings originated from polygamy. Most families in Pakistan prefer living with numerous family members like their extended families in which they portray that as their ideal structure.
