FAMILY LIFE
More than 70% of Czechs live in apartments in urban areas. Most families are small, with only one or two children. Because of a chronic housing shortage, most adult children continue to live with their parents until they can find an apartment of their own and afford the high rents. Also, grandparents often live with the family when they can no longer live alone. Although most women work full-time outside the home, they continue to be responsible for housework and raising children. 
The grandmother, babicka, plays a very important role in the family. She is looked upon with respect and love. The babicka often lives with her children and cares for the grandchildren while both parents work. The 1855 novel Babicka, a Czech classic by Božena Nemcová, describes a grandmother in a 19th-century Czech family.

 Some Czechs who live in cities also have weekend homes in the country where they garden and enjoy the outdoors. Some of these houses were once occupied by Germans, who left the country after the Second World War. Others are village houses that were abandoned by the rural population. Traditional rural houses are made of wood, often with elaborate carvings and decorations.

  Did you know?
In rural areas when a person dies, amateur bands, usually made up of members of the local fire brigade, walk with family and friends to the final resting place of the body.
In the past, Czechs tended to marry young, especially in rural areas. Young men often married before beginning military service at the age of 18. Today, people are marrying later. Some Czechs have traditional village weddings, with singing, dancing and elaborate meals. The bride and groom and many of the guests wear traditional costumes with elaborate embroidery. According to tradition, the groom must saw wood as part of the wedding celebrations.
 
 
  Did you know?
Some houses in Prague that were built in the 18th century have signs or ornamental frames made of metal, stone or wood above the entrance. These frames, called cartouches, indicated the social rank or profession of the occupant.