Family

• Arranged Marriage


  A marriage in which the parents have a say in the choice of bride or bridegroom for their son or daughter.
• Bigamy


  The illegal practice in a monogamous society of having more than one spouse.
• Breadwinner


  The person who is the main income earner.
• Census


  A survey of all people and households in the country, held every 10 years in the UK.
• Cereal Packet Family


  The stereotypical image of the nuclear family presented through the media involving two parents and two children.
• Cohabiting


  Partners living together without being married.
• Commune


  A small community whose members share in the ownership of property and the division of labour.
• Conjugal Bond


  The attachment that exists between marriage partners.
• Dependent Child


  A person living in the household who is under 16 years of age or aged between 16 and 18 but in full time education.
• Divorce


  A legal ending of a marriage.
• Divorce Petition


  The formal request to start divorce proceedings.
• Domestic Division of Labour

  How household tasks are divided between family members.
• Egalitarian


  The idea that all are equal.
• Empty Shell Marriage


  When a couple are still married and live in the same house but lead separate lives.
• Extended Family


  A family composed of the nuclear family and other relatives.
• Family


  A group of two or more persons associated by birth, cohabitation, marriage or adoption.
• Family Diversity


  The idea that there are many different types of family structure.
• Female Infanticide


  The intentional killing of baby girls due to the preference for male babies.
• Generation


  A group of people who live during the same time period.
• Grounds for Divorce


  The legal reasons given for wanting a divorce.
• Non-family Household


  People living together in a domestic dwelling who are not related, e.g. students.
• Integrated Conjugal Roles


  Husband and wife perform similar tasks and have a number of common interests and activities.
• Kibbutz


  A collective community in Israel in which teenagers live separately from their parents.
• Marriage


  A legally recognised union of a man and woman by religious or civil ceremony.
• Matrifocal


  A family organised by and focused on the mother.
• Monogamy


  The practice of being married to only one person at one time.
• Neo-Conventional Family


  The new nuclear family headed by a married or cohabiting couple who are both working.
• Nuclear Family


  A family group consisting of the father, mother and their dependent children.
• Patriarchal


  A situation where men dominate society and its institutions.
• Polyandry


  The accepted practice in some societies of a woman having more than one husband.
• Polygamy


  The accepted practice in some societies of having more than one spouse.
• Polygyny


  The accepted practice in some societies of a man having more than one wife.
• Reconstituted Family


  A new family formed when two adults remarry or cohabit and live together with children from a previous relationship.
• Segregated Conjugal Roles


  Husband and wife perform different tasks and have a number of separate interests and activities.
• Serial Monogamy


  A pattern of divorce and remarriage.
• Social Stigma


  Branding something with negative feeling of shame and disgrace.
• Spouse


  A marriage partner, husband or wife.
• Status


  The honour and prestige attached to a person's position in society.
• Stereotypical


  Oversimplified and sometimes exaggerated view.
• Symmetrical Family


  Family where responsibilities are equally shared between husband and wife.