RE Key Terms

adultery

voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone who is not their spouse.

annulment

a catholic church ruling that a marriage was never valid.

bigamy

the offence in the uk of marrying someone while already married to another person.

civil partnership

legal union of same sex couples.

cohabitation

an unmarried couple living together and having sexual relations.

contraception

methods used to prevent pregnancy occurring.

divorce

the legal ending of marriage.

educating children in faith

bringing up children according to the religious beliefs of the parents.

extended family

a family that extends beyond parents and their children by including grandparents and other relatives.

family

a group of people related by blood, marriage, or adoption.

family planning

controlling when and how many children couples have.

gender discrimination

to act against someone on the basis of their gender; discrimination is usually seen as wrong and may be against the law.

gender equality

the ideas that people should be given the same rights and opportunities regardless of their gender.

gender prejudice

unfairly judging someone before the facts are known; holding biased opinions about an individual or group based on their gender.

heterosexual

being sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex.

homosexual

being sexually attracted to members of the same sex.

human sexuality

how people express themselves as sexual beings.

marriage

the legal union between a man and a woman, or in some countries, two people of the same sex.

nuclear family

a couple and their children regarded as a basic social unit.

polygamy

the practice or custom of having multiple wives at once.

procreation

bringing babies into the world, producing offspring.

protection of children

keeping children safe from harm.

remarriage

when someone marries again while their former spouse is still alive.

same sex marriage

marriage between partners of the same sex.

same sex parents

people of the same sex raising children together.

sex before marriage

sex between two single unmarried people.

sex outside of marriage

sex between two people where one or both are married to someone else.

sexual stereotyping

having a fixed general idea or image of how men and women will behave.

stability

safety and security; a stable society is one where peoples rights are protected.

stepfamily

family formed on the remarriage of a divorced or widowed person including children.