Yi Chin-chun points out that, unlike the Western "husband and wife" model, the traditional Chinese family structure is based on the patriarchal lineage group. Thus where the elder generation lives, apart from or with their children, becomes a reliable index for conducting research on family structure.
伊慶春指出，與西方社會的「夫婦家庭型」不同，傳統中國家庭制度是「父子世系群」，因此，老年人口的居住安排方式，便成了考察家庭結構變遷的具體指標。