1st Edition
Changing Patterns of European Family Life A Comparative Analysis of 14 Countries
Originally published in 1989, this cross-national study investigates the role and pattern of family life in fourteen countries in contemporary Europe. Providing a wealth of information on European families, it is a key source for anyone wishing to understand the changes in the family at that time.
The contributors argue that, far from withering away, the family remained a very important social unit which continued to have considerable influence on other social institutions such as the state and the labour market. The central theme is the interrelation between changes in production and working life on one hand, and changes in family life and reproduction on the other. The contributors focus on the pressures and contradictions produced by the division of functions between family and work, and on problems which have arisen as a consequence of the sometimes incompatible and even conflicting demands of the two institutions. They show that the evolution of the nuclear family model in Europe had led to a great diversity of family patterns, and conclude that the family in modern European societies still had a contribution to make which no other institution could provide.
Foreword. Introduction. Part I: Theoretical Background 1. Comparative Research and Its Problems Jens Qvortrup 2. Theories and Ideologies of Family Functions, Gender Relations and Human Reproduction Edmund Dahlström 3. Ideologies About Family Forms: Towards Diversity Rhona Rapoport 4. Towards a New Paradigm: Family in the Welfare State Crisis Giovanni B. Sgritta Part II: Paid and Unpaid Work 5. Women Between the Family and Employment Riitta Jallinoja 6. Gender Segregation in Paid and Unpaid Work Elina Haavio-Mannila 7. Psycho-social Dimensions of Paid Work and Family Life Nevenka Černigoj-Sadar 8. Tensions Between Paid Working Hours and Family Life Rosemarie Nave-Herz 9. The Impact of Marriage and Children on the Division of Gender Roles Andrée Michel Part III: Reproduction and Caring 10. Historical Changes in the Family’s Reproductive Patterns Angelo Saporiti 11. Caring Kari Waerness 12. The Male Gender Role and Responsibility for Childcare Hildur Ve Part IV: Conclusions 13. European Family Life Patterns – A Reappraisal Katja Boh 14. Methodological and Organisational Considerations Maren Bak. Appendices.
Biography
Katja Boh, Maren Bak, Cristine Clason, Maja Pankratova, Jens Qvortrup, Giovanni B. Sgritta and Kari Waerness
