Abstract
The aim of this paper is to provide a new perspective on the Malay family through examining the pattern of grandparental coresidence with grandchildren. The characteristic of the Malay family is observed in its nature as a family circle or network comprising various dyadic relationships. The household usually consists of a part of such a family circle centering on a conjugal couple. This does not mean, however, that the household composition is based on the ideal of nuclear family, as the nuclear family is not ideologized among the Malays. Rather, we would argue, the substitutability of parental roles makes easy the frequent occurrence of pro-parental household, especially of those households comprising a grandmother and her unmarried grandchildren. The grandparent-grandchildren relationship, furthermore is strengthened by the other factors such as a demographic condition concerning with marriage and birth, the high rate of divorce, or emigrant labor.
