Abstract: | The author assesses the patterns of family extension in Peru by examining variations in family composition over the family life cycle. The amount and type of extension among Peruvian families at successive stages of family development are examined. The relative importance of general overlap and of child and spouse replacement mechanisms as processes that help to ensure the viability of residential family units is studied. The empirical analysis is based on a 1970-1971 survey of a national sample of Peruvian households |