Abstract:
Nowadays there have appeared a number of new, alternative forms of marriage and family life. As a result, more and more often the term is used in plural - "families". Alternative forms are treated as real types and many of tchem are approved of socially, or even legalized - usually after some time, ex post facto - by law. In this way they become institutionalized models of living and give the "partners' exclusiveness of each other" Although their variety is put in the limelight, the main type of a formal, monogamous family does not disappear. Hence it is most often proposed to adopt many definitions of family, depending on the type of relationship and family structure.