Conjugal family

A conjugal family is a family system of spouses and their dependent children, by birth or adoption. Conjugal means there is a marriage relationship. If someone refers to their own conjugal family, they are referring to the fact that they are married with children. In a conjugal family, spouses and their children are considered to be principally relevant, with other more distant relatives less relevant. Being a nuclear family, a conjugal family is detached from kinship.

In Western societies
There are basic characteristics to a conjugal family. In western societies, the majority of pairings are opposite-sex.

Western societies often treat marriage as a legally-binding relationship, rather than an informal agreement. In these societies, both partners usually share control of their children's upbringing. They both have roles as a parent to protect their children, oversee the development of their children in society, and see to the survival of their children. The term is also applied to partners that are in a committed relationship, but not legally married.

In some cases, both partners have separate lines of income to support the family; in others, only one receives substantial income, colloquially called the "breadwinner," while the other spends more time caring for children and being a homemaker.

Conjugal family roles have changed over the course of history. Historically, marriages were exclusively opposite-sex and it was assumed that the male would be the head of the household and provide for the family while the woman would stay in the home and care for the children. However, conjugal roles have evolved over the years; in modern times, women often share breadwinning responsibilities with the men, and same-sex couples are more common.