Married or unmarried; with children or without; single parenting or parenting with a partner... There are lots of forms of living together in Germany aside from traditional marriage between a man and a woman. Same-sex couples are now able to marry, live together and raise children. It is also common for couples of different nationalities and religions to live together.

People in Germany make their own decisions on how they live

In the majority of households, people live together as a family, with or without children. The decision to live alone is also part of this: Around 17 per cent of people in Germany choose this path. Single parents make up eight per cent of households. However, single mothers are nine times more common than single fathers.

The German constitution gives everyone the right to decide freely what life he or she will lead. This also includes everyone having the choice to live alone, in a relationship or a marriage. As a result, there is a variety of different types of family and relationships in Germany.