Economic sociologists who study the family examine how economic forces impact family life: family structure, marriage and divorce rates, divisions of labor within the family, parenting practices, inequality between and within families, and family saving and spending practice are all impacted by economic forces. Further, economic sociologists treat economic action as embedded, meaning they take for granted that social relationships—and not just “rational” choices—shape how people make economic decisions like what to buy, how much to spend and save, when and where to work, etc.. In the context of the family, this means that economic sociologists try to understand how family life shapes when and why people spend their money.