Sociologists use a social structure framework to define and study the different family forms in society. consider this example: everardo is a high school student who lives with his mother, father and two siblings in a large condominium in downtown chicago. he has many aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and three grandparents who live in nearby suburbs. everardo and the family members with whom he lives are considered a family, while his nearby relatives are referred to as his family.