The rural world has  undergone many transformations due to the processes of modernization and  globalization.  Little is known about  rural families, and knowledge about urban families is usually transferred to  rural families, as if the reality was the same for both.  This study sought to understand. The  practices in the intimate sphere of Chilean rural families in Chile nowadays  and how these are affected by the economic, social and political changes of a  society with strong values placed on modernization processes. A qualitative  case study design was used, with in-depth interviews conducted with seven  families from the communities of Teno, Romeral and Rauco, in the Maule Region  of Chile. Families had to have the presence of three generations, so as to know  the views of family and intergenerational changes in it. Results show that the  gap between the cultural changes in the social and structural changes in the  family, is higher in rural households.