Aim of the study:
Early adulthood involves developmental tasks which are related to the fulfillment of professional and family roles. Currently taking parental roles is increasingly deferred by young people, and the decision to be a parent is more often postponed. The aim of the analyzes presented in the article was to find an answer to the question: what is the structure of relationships in family systems of spouses who do not take parent roles?

Subject or material and methods:
The research involved 170 people who are married for at least three years.76 spouses not taking parental roles (the average marriage seniority 4,3 years, SD 1,7), 94 spouses who have at least one child(the average marriage seniority 6,6, SD 2,3). The following research tools were used in the study: the Survey questionnaire (developed by the authors) and the Family Rating Scale Faces IV-Sor

Results:
On the basis of the conducted analyzes, it can be concluded that the family systems of young adults who do not take parent roles have their specificity and differ from the family systems of young adults who are parents.

Discussion:
The research shows differences in the cohesion of family systems between marriages that postpone parenthood and those with children. At the same time, the results of the research have indicated the importance of gender for the diversity of respondents, both in terms of cohesion and the flexibility of family systems

Conclusions:
Marriages remaining in the prolonged phase of childlessness may have their specificity of functioning, especially in terms of marriage relations and flexibility in taking family roles