conjugal family
Quick Summary
The conjugal family is a kinship group primarily united by marriage. It typically includes parents, their children, and other close relatives. The stability of a conjugal family often depends on the quality of the marital relationship, especially in industrialized societies where individuals may live away from their kin groups.1
In contrast, a consanguineal family centers around a lineage, reckoning kinship through either the father's or mother's line. This type of family includes parents, their children, and their children's children, deriving stability from its enduring nature and corporate identity. Kinship terminology refers to the system of names used for family relationships, with anthropologists identifying basic systems found across societies.12
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
- extended family
…in anthropological terminology as a conjugal family), or it may be loosely applied to mean all living consanguineal kin. Compare nuclear family.
Read More…in anthropological terminology as a conjugal family), or it may be loosely applied to mean all living consanguineal kin. Compare nuclear family.
Read More 
nuclear family…predominant nuclear-family unit are the conjugal family and the consanguineal family. As its name implies, the conjugal family is knit together primarily by the marriage tie and consists of mother, father, their children, and some close relatives. The consanguineal family, on the other hand, typically groups itself around a unilineal…
Read More…predominant nuclear-family unit are the conjugal family and the consanguineal family. As its name implies, the conjugal family is knit together primarily by the marriage tie and consists of mother, father, their children, and some close relatives. The consanguineal family, on the other hand, typically groups itself around a unilineal…
Read More
cultural globalizationDemographic influences…revolution in family values: the conjugal family (centring on the emotional bond between wife and husband) is rapidly replacing the patriarchal joint family (focused on support of aged parents and grandparents). This transformation is occurring even in remote, rural regions of northwest China where married couples now expect to reside…
Read More…revolution in family values: the conjugal family (centring on the emotional bond between wife and husband) is rapidly replacing the patriarchal joint family (focused on support of aged parents and grandparents). This transformation is occurring even in remote, rural regions of northwest China where married couples now expect to reside…
Read More
FranceEconomic expansionThe conjugal family gained in importance: Roman and especially canon law favoured its authority over the wider solidarities of clan or kin (extended family); rulers made the hearth a basis of fiscal responsibility. The growing population remained overwhelmingly agrarian, but changes in farming practices made their…
Read MoreThe conjugal family gained in importance: Roman and especially canon law favoured its authority over the wider solidarities of clan or kin (extended family); rulers made the hearth a basis of fiscal responsibility. The growing population remained overwhelmingly agrarian, but changes in farming practices made their…
Read More