stem family

English

Noun

stem family (plural stem families)

1. (anthropology) A family system in which a couple's firstborn child lives with them in the family home, and that child's spouse moves into the home of said in-laws, so that the younger couple's children are raised in the home of their grandparents. Usually, the younger offspring move out upon marriage. The inheritance, depending on the culture, may or may not be the most favorable to the firstborn.

See also

• nuclear family
• extended family
• primogeniture