What this topic covers

OCR's Relationships and Families topic asks how people make sense of love, commitment, marriage, sex, family life and equality — and how religious and non-religious beliefs shape their choices.

• Marriage — its nature and purpose, and views on civil and same-sex marriage.
• Sexual relationships — sex within marriage, and views on sex before marriage, cohabitation and contraception.
• Divorce and remarriage, the family, and gender roles, equality and sexuality.

Key skill: the specification asks you to give a range of views — different religious traditions disagree with each other, and non-religious (e.g. Humanist) people add further views. Don't treat one view as "the" religious answer.

Words you must be able to define

• Marriage — a legal (and, in many faiths, sacred) union between two people committing to a lifelong relationship.
• Cohabitation — living together, and often in a sexual relationship, without being married.
• Contraception — methods used to prevent pregnancy during sex.
• Adultery — a married person having a sexual relationship with someone who is not their spouse.
• Procreation — having children; often given as one purpose of marriage.

Common mix-up: cohabitation means living together without marriage; adultery is unfaithfulness within a marriage. Keep the two apart.

Define the term

What marriage is for

Many people — religious and non-religious — give similar purposes for marriage. In many religions marriage is also seen as a sacred covenant, not only a legal contract:

Note the range: non-religious people (e.g. Humanists) usually value commitment and companionship too, but tend to see marriage as a personal and legal choice rather than a sacred covenant.

Term → meaning

Tap a key term on the left, then its meaning on the right.

Marriage as a lifelong bond

Many Christians teach that marriage is a lifelong, exclusive union, given by God and blessed for love, companionship, support and (for many) having and raising children. A common teaching is that what God has joined should not be separated.

Different marriages, different views

A civil marriage is a legal, non-religious ceremony (e.g. at a register office). Since 2014, same-sex marriage has been legal in England, Wales and Scotland.

Religious views on same-sex marriage vary widely. Some denominations and faith groups affirm and conduct same-sex marriages; others teach that marriage should be between a man and a woman and do not. Many non-religious people (e.g. Humanists) support equal marriage.

Say it fairly: "There is a range of views. Some Christians and other believers support same-sex marriage; others do not — so it is wrong to give one view as 'the' religious position."

Types of marriage

Sex, marriage and different views

A common teaching across many religions is that sex belongs within marriage. Many Christians, Muslims, Jews and others therefore discourage sex before marriage and cohabitation. Views differ, though — some religious people accept sex within a committed relationship, and many non-religious people (e.g. Humanists) accept it between consenting adults.

Define the term

When a marriage ends

Divorce is the legal ending of a marriage. Religious views differ a great deal:

• Roman Catholic teaching is that a valid, sacramental marriage is indissoluble — it cannot be dissolved — so the Church does not permit divorce and remarriage in church (though a civil divorce or annulment may be recognised in some cases).
• Many Protestants permit divorce and remarriage, especially where a marriage has broken down, seeing it as a sad but sometimes necessary step.
• Islam and Judaism both make provision for divorce (in Islam through processes such as talaq; in Judaism through a document called a get), while still encouraging couples to try to stay together.

Range of views: some see divorce as always wrong, others as a last resort, and many non-religious people as a reasonable choice when a relationship cannot continue.

Different types of family

Families come in many forms, and the specification asks you to recognise the main types of family:

• Nuclear family — parents and their children living together.
• Extended family — parents, children and other relatives (e.g. grandparents, aunts, uncles) living close by or together.
• Single-parent family — one parent raising the children.
• Blended (step) family — two families joined together, e.g. after remarriage.
• Same-sex parents — a couple of the same sex raising children.

Fair range: religious and non-religious people value family, but views differ on which family types they see as ideal. Many welcome all loving, stable families; some traditions place special value on the married, two-parent family.

Types of family

Why family matters

Religious and non-religious people give overlapping reasons for the importance of family:

For many believers, an important purpose of family is raising children and passing on faith and values — teaching children beliefs, practices and morals, and supporting one another. Families also give love, stability and care across the generations.

Range of views: non-religious people (e.g. Humanists) also see family as central for raising children and passing on shared values and morals — but they pass on ethical values rather than a specific faith. Both agree family provides love and support.

Men and women in the family

The specification asks about gender roles and equality — and here too there is a range of views:

• Traditional view: some believers hold that men and women have different, complementary roles in the family (for example around work in and out of the home).
• Egalitarian view: many believers and most non-religious people hold that men and women should share roles and responsibilities equally.

Importantly, many religions teach that men and women are of equal value and dignity before God, even where believers disagree about roles. Some argue their scriptures support equality; others read them as supporting distinct roles.

Say it fairly: distinguish equal value (widely taught) from identical roles (contested). Present both traditional and egalitarian views.

Is it a type of family?

Tap each term, then tap the box that fits: is it a type of family, or a different term?

A map of the topic

Here is the whole topic on one page — each issue, and the fact that a range of views exists on each:

Define the term

Traditional and egalitarian views

On gender roles in relationships and family, two broad positions often appear — and they should be presented side by side:

• Traditional — men and women have different, complementary roles (for example around home and work). Held by some, but not all, religious believers.
• Egalitarian — men and women should share roles and responsibilities equally. Held by many religious believers and most non-religious people.

Crucially, many people in both groups agree that men and women are of equal value — they disagree about roles, not about worth. Believers may point to different parts of their scriptures to support each view.

Memory hook: traditional = distinct roles; egalitarian = equal shared roles. Both are real, held views.

Which view?

How these views shape lives

Exam questions often ask about the impact of these beliefs. They are not just ideas — they shape real choices:

• Seeing marriage as a lifelong covenant can mean couples work hard to stay together and may see divorce as a last resort.
• Believing sex belongs within marriage may lead some to avoid cohabitation before marrying.
• Views on contraception shape family planning — some Catholics avoid artificial methods; many others use them responsibly.
• Valuing family as a place to pass on faith and values shapes how parents raise and teach their children.
• Egalitarian or traditional views on gender shape who does what in a home and how equality is understood.

Remember: for each of these, non-religious people (e.g. Humanists) also have thoughtful views — often supporting equality, personal choice and loving, stable families.

Which part of the topic?

Tap a term, then tap the box where it belongs.

One more check

The ideas to know

You've covered the OCR GCSE (J625) topic of Relationships and Families, keeping a fair range of views throughout. Press Finish to see your score.