The Relationship Between Age and Household Type in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka in 1975, there was a clear relationship between age and the propensity to live in a complex family household that was consistent with the idea that the extended household was important at all ages, but particularly at older ages. The relationship is also consistent with the predominance of a stem-family system. The proportion living in a complex fami ly household was lowest among children under 15 years of age (at 35%) and again at 35-49 (at 36%), and was highest among individuals 65 years or older (at 74%). However, this differed significantly by marital status and sex, the overall pattern reflecting the fact that few children are married, most middle-aged people are currently married, many old people are formerly married and that females tend to marry younger but live longer than males. The more detailed look that includes people who do not follow a "typical" course reinforces the notion that the extended family household is important at all ages. Since the Sri Lanka censeses provide little data on households, this study uses household data gathered by the Sri Lanka World Fertility Survey of 1975

Extended family · Fertility · Geography · Marital status · Population · Residence · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Typology · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Demography · Insurance, Mortality, Demography, Risk Management