Families are the core of Tai society. In rural areas, the immediate family usually lives, eats, and farms together. A young married couple may live with the bride's family until they can establish their own home. The Central Tai are distinguished by a near absence of labor division by sex. Both men and women plow, till, fish, cook, tend babies, clean house, and wash clothes.
Rice is the major economic crop, providing both a food staple and a cash crop.
The wealthiest Tai live in wood-framed homes that are raised off the ground and have plank floors, hard wood or mahogany panels, and tile roofs. The poorest villagers live in bamboo homes with thatched roofs and dirt floors. The temple and school are prominent features in the villages. Water taxis transport people and cargo on polluted waterways that connect houses and other buildings. They believe that merit can be acquired through feeding monks, donating to temples, and attending worship services.