Crossing geographic, cultural, and historical boundaries, this volume explores the diversity of the world's families, emphasizing the importance of understanding and valuing them within their own cultural contexts. Covering contemporary Third World as well as Western families, this excellent teaching text addresses topics essential for developing a multicultural perspective.

The book begins with background information on family theories and comparative research methodology, along with an overview of the history of the family and gender relations in the Western world.

This is followed by chapters on family variation, which explain research on the origin, functions, and universality of the family; kinship terminology and how kinship affiliation affects such issues as postmarital residence patterns; and the diversity of marital structure (plurality of husbands and/or wives) and how culture and economy affect these patterns.