Abstract
This article presents a sociological conceptualization of the concept of the «image of kelin» as an intergenerational normative construct. The relevance of the study is that the image of kelin retains regulatory significance in urban families of Kazakhstan, but its content is complicated by the influence of education, women's employment, housing conditions, and the autonomy orientation of young families. The purpose of the article is to develop an analytical model that allows considering the image of kelin as a system of normative representations of the status, duties, behavioral forms, and boundaries of autonomy of a young married woman in her husband's family. From a methodological point of view, the work is based on an integrative literature review and a conceptual synthesis of studies on affinal kinship, family duties, gendered labor, intergenerational transmission of norms, patriarchal power, and the urban transformation of the family. The article presents a conceptual distinction between roles, status, image of kelin, and intergenerational perceptions; a working definition of the image of kelin; a multidimensional model that includes seven dimensions; a normative overlap mechanism; and an operational matrix for future empirical research. The scientific contribution of the article lies in shifting the concept of the image of kelin from a cultural-descriptive interpretation to the level of sociological analysis. The practical significance of the model lies in its use in the development of interview guidelines, quantitative indicators, and comparative analysis of generations in urban families in Kazakhstan.