Родственники по браку: свекры и тещи

Parent of one's spouse

A parent in law is a person who has a legal affinity with another by being the parent of the other's spouse. Many cultures and legal systems impose duties and responsibilities on persons connected by this relationship. A person is a child in law to the parents of the spouse, who are in turn also the parents of those sibling in laws (if any) who are siblings of the spouse (as opposed to spouses of siblings). Together, the members of this family affinity group are called the in laws.

A father in law is the father of a person's spouse. Two men who are fathers in law to each other's children may be called co fathers in law, or, if there are grandchildren, co grandfathers.

A mother in law is the mother of a person's spouse. Two women who are mothers in law to each other's children may be called co mothers in law, or, if there are grandchildren, co grandmothers. In comedy and in popular culture, the mother in law is stereotyped as bossy, unfriendly, hostile, nosy, overbearing and generally unpleasant. They are often depicted as the bane of the husband, who is married to the mother in law's daughter. A mother in law joke is a joke that lampoons the obnoxious mother in law character. Some Australian Aboriginal languages use avoidance speech, so called "mother in law languages", special sub languages used when in hearing distance of taboo relatives, most commonly the mother in law. A mother in law suite is also a type of dwelling, usually guest accommodations within a family home that may be used for members of the extended family.

Parent in laws are often viewed as either a source of conflict or a source of support in a marriage relationship. Jealousy, competition, differences, and disillusioned expectations can cause conflict to arise in these relationships. The perception of parent in laws as negative influences on your marriage leads to the characterization of female in laws as particularly difficult. The stereotyped mother in law joke finds humor in the reality of conflict with in laws. Positive influences have also been noted as in laws can be a found family for partners/child in laws who are not as close to their own family. People believe that negative relationships with in laws will have a disastrous effect on the future of their marriage. However, the amount of connection to parent in laws has not been found to influence the success of their children’s marriage. The lack of marriage success may not fall on conflict in the parent in law relationship, but on whether the children in law are on the same page about conflicts. Thus, discordant perceptions exist between spouses and their perceptions of their relationships with their in laws, and it is disagreements on those connections that negatively affect marriage outcomes.