Family

single

not married, or not involved in a romantic relationship with anyone

married

having a spouse

spouse

a husband or wife

your significant other

your husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, etc.

detrimental [to the relationship]

causing harm or damage

arranged marriages

marriages in which your parents choose a husband or wife for you

love marriages

marriage which is driven solely by the couple, with or without consent of their parents, as opposed to arranged marriage

the divorce rate

the ratio between the number of divorces pronounced in a year and the average total population for the year

commitment

a promise or the fact of being willing to give your time and energy to something

accommodation

voluntary altering one’s behaviour to the partner’s needs

contraceptives

any of various devices or drugs intended to prevent pregnancy

pregnancy

the state of being pregnant

foetus/fetus

a young human being or animal before birth, after the organs have started to develop

abortion

the intentional ending of a pregnancy

labour

the last stage of pregnancy from the time when the muscles of the womb start to push the baby out of the body until the baby appears

nurture

to take care of someone or something

authoritarian parents

an extremely strict parenting style. It places high expectations on children with little responsiveness. those parents focus more on obedience, discipline, control rather than nurturing their children

upbringing

the way in which you are treated and educated when young, especially by your parents, especially in relation to the effect that this has on how you behave and make moral decisions

a sheltered upbringing

a life etc in which someone has been too protected by their parents from difficult or unpleasant experiences

a strict upbringing

being raised according to rigorous rules

to be raised/brought up

to be brought (a person) to maturity through nurturing care and education

maternity leave

a period in which a woman is legally allowed to be absent from work in the weeks before and after she gives birth

paternity leave

a period of time that a father is legally allowed to be away from his job so that he can spend time with his new baby

to instil sth into sb

to gradually put an idea or attitude into somebody's mind; to make somebody feel, think or behave in a particular way over a period of time

father figure

an older man who you treat like a father, especially by asking for his advice, help, or support

foster parents

people who officially take a child into their family for a period of time, without becoming the child's legal parents

dysfunctional family

a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often child neglect or abuse on the part of individual parents occur continuously and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions

child abuse

behaviour in which adults intentionally treat children in a cruel or violent way

child benefit

money received regularly by families from the government to help pay for the costs of taking care of children

nuclear family

a family consisting of two parents and their children, but not including aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.

extended family

a family unit that includes grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, and uncles, etc. in addition to parents and children

single-parent

someone who has a child or children but no husband, wife, or partner who lives with them

relatives

members of a given family

sibling

a brother or sister

adolescent

a young person who is developing into an adult

birth rate

the number of live births per thousand of population per year

aging society

society with increased number of old people within the total population

senior citizen

polite expression for an old person

old people’s home/nursing home

a place where old people can live together and be cared for when they are too weak or ill to take care of themselves

frail elderly people

individuals, over 65 years of age, dependent on others for activities of daily living, and often in institutional care

dementia

a medical condition that affects especially old people, causing the memory and other mental abilities to gradually become worse, and leading to confused behaviour

Alzheimer’s disease

a disease that results in the gradual loss of memory, speech, movement, and the ability to think clearly, and that is common esp. among older people