With the help of the people in the Han Dynasty, the empire had a social status greater than any other dynasty, except Rome. The typical Han-era Chinese household contained a nuclear family with an average of four to five members, unlike in later dynasties when multiple generations and extended family members commonly lived in the same household. The father was the head of the house, all members reported to him. Arranged marriages were normal, and a new wife joined the husbands family. Sons were over daughters in the family to help carry on ancestor worship. Girls and women were expected by normal custom and the Confucian tradition to behave passive towards male relatives, however mothers were given a status above that of their sons. Women also had professions in and outside of the home, and had protection under the law. The empress was superior in status to her male relatives, while the mother of the emperor had the authority to override his decisions and choose his successor.