This course unit develops reflective knowledge with students about the concept of Family and its construction and historical and social contextualization. From the plural meaning, associated with the social and cultural context of the present Western society, this UC aims to provide analytical tools to students, theoretically discussing the notions of the family institution, deepening its historical origins. To this end, we try to discuss relevant issues related to families in today's Portugal, based on the main sociological theories in this field. It seeks to understand its configuration in the light of its relations with other social institutions. In this context, issues such as: various (new) forms of relationships and families, the division of domestic work and power relations, the place of children and young people, domestic violence, divorce and family support networks, the place of older people and aging. In this sense, its complexity imposes a conceptual family approach that will be thought of as a place of practice, whose meanings are made by those who participate in it.