division

Complex families are one of the variants of a household that combines several married couples. For a number of reasons, such families enjoyed the support of the state, landlords and the peasant community for a long time. However, after the Great Reforms, complex families began to transform under the influence of socio-economic processes. The article assesses the prevalence of a complex family among the peasant population of the Russian Empire and its changes in the second half of the 19th century.

 Fraternal households belong to the category of specific complex households consisting of cohabiting single-generation couples. As a rule, their appearance is the result of an unfulfilled family section for one reason or another. Due to their structural exoticism, fraternal families are easily identified and compared. At the same time, by virtue of their peculiarity, fraternal families are more likely unstable collectives, prone to disintegration.