Such an approach may suffice for developed countries, where small nuclear households dominate, most people work for wages, children go to school and leave their parents afterwards, and less time is devoted to household chores. But family structure in the Third World especially its rural areas, is more complex. There, households are large and occasionally encompass several couples and their children. Household members are engaged in a multiplicity of income-generating activities, both on their own and in collaboration with others. Self-employment is the rule.
Household chores are many and time-consuming and they fall overwhelmingly on the shoulders of women.
Children are numerous and spend less time in school and more time helping around the house or the farm. It is customary for young adult males to remain on their father's farm until they are allowed to marry and often to stay after marriage in the case of vertically integrated households. A proper understanding of the functioning of Third World households requires a conceptual framework tailored to their characteristics. Third World societies have evolved detailed laws and customs governing the transfer and use of productive resources such as land, capital, and farm inputs, and assigning specific tasks and roles to household members according to their status. These rules restrict individual choice and impose financial and work obligations so that members contribute to the joint welfare of the household.