The Palgrave Handbook of Family Sociology in Europe

Preface
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 Introduction
	Trends in Researching Families and Intimate Lives in Europe
	Welfare State and Family Policy Regimes in Europe
	Families as Relationships
	Parental Arrangements, Parenting, and Child Well-Being
	Family Lives in Mass Migration Context
	Family and the Life Course Trajectories
	References
Part I Researching Families and Intimate Lives in Europe: Theoretical and Methodological Trends
2 The Family of Individuals: An Overview of the Sociology of the Family in Europe, 130 Years After Durkheim’s First University Course
	Introduction
	Proposal 1: A Balance Where the I Outweighs the Family We
	Proposal 2: The is’ Need for Recognition, or “The Triumph of Love”3
	Proposal 3: Gendered Inequalities Between Is
	Proposal 4: The Resistance of We
	Proposal 5: Looking for a New Balance Between I and We
	Conclusion: The Sociology of the Family is Not a “Zombie”
	References
3 Gender, Social Class, and Family Relations in Different Life Stages in Europe
	Introduction
	Youth, Gender, Structural Living Conditions and Family
	Rush Hour of Life: Between Work and Family
	Late Phase of Working Life: Women Taking Care of the Family
	Gender Inequalities, Income Determinants, and Social Classes
	Final Remarks
	References
4 What Law Has Joined: Family Relations and Categories of Kinship in the European Court of Human Rights
	Introduction
	Family Law and Human Rights in Europe
	Alliance, Consanguinity, and Filiation
	Alliance: Cohabitation, Marriage, and Civil Unions
	Consanguinity: Maternity by Birth and Paternity by Marriage or Recognition
	Filiation: Adoption, Assisted Reproduction, and Surrogate Pregnancies
	Conclusion
	References
5 Family Demography and Values in Europe: Continuity and Change
	Introduction
	Terminology, Conceptions, Causal Mechanisms, and Operationalisations
	Continuities
	Change in the Era of Modernisation
		The Demographic Transition
		The Value of Children Approach
		Modernisation and the Establishment of the Nuclear Family
	Continuity and Change in the Era of Late Modernity
		The Second Demographic Transition
		Changing Gender Roles, Declining Birth Rates and Pluralisation of Family Lives in Sociological Perspectives
		Dehierarchisation of Family Relations and Increasing Requirements for Parenting
		Life Courses and Family Careers
	Cross-Cultural Differences
	Conclusion
	References
6 The Configurational Approach to Families: Methodological Suggestions
	Family Weness
	Looking for Patterns of Interdependency
	Going Deeper into Interdependencies
	The Nuclear Family as a Leitbild
	Away from Social Expectations
	Conclusion
	References
7 Visual Family Research Methods
	Introduction
	Going Beyond the Contraposition of Language and Vision
	Linking the Visual with Sociological Thinking
	The Value of Visual Methods for Family Research
	Using Drawings in Family Research
	Family Photography and Filming
	Family Mapping
	Methodologically Complex Visual Family Research
	A Critical Glance at Using Visual Methods in Family Research
	References
Part II Welfare State and Family Policy Regimes in Europe
8 Family Transformations and Sub-replacement Fertility in Europe
	Introduction
	Patterns of Low and Very Low Fertility
	Low Fertility and Family Transformations
		Demographic Markers of Changes
		Changing Ways of ‘Doing Family’
	The Drivers of Fertility and Family Changes in Europe
	Policy Responses to Low Fertility and Changes in Families
	Towards Better Understanding of Family Transformations and Evidence-Based Policies: Research Challenges and Data Needs
	References
9 Reexamining Degenderisation: Changes in Family Policies in Europe
	Introduction
	The Background
		Too Ambiguous and Not the Right Goals
		Policies or Regimes?
	Genderisation and Degenderisation
	Operationalising Genderisation Typologies of Family Policy
		Genderising Parental Leave
		Genderizing Daycare Policies
		Criticisms of the Degenderisation
	Changes in Parental Leave
	Changes in Daycare
	Conclusion
	References
10 Familialisation of Care in European Societies: Between Family and the State
	Introduction
	Welfare State and Care Arrangements
	Methodology
	Childcare Policies in European Welfare States
		Care Leaves for Parents
		Care Institutions for Children
		Cash Benefits
		(De)Familialisation of Childcare
	Care for the Elderly in European Welfare States
		Formal Care Services
		Care Leaves
		Cash Benefits
		(De)Familialisation of Care for the Elderly
	Discussion
	References
11 Who Benefits from Parental Leave Policies? A Comparison Between Nordic and Southern European Countries
	Introduction
	Nordic Countries
		Similar Basis?
		Differences Between the Nordics?
		Challenges, for Whom Is Work-Life Balance Facilitated?
	Southern European Countries
		Similarities and Some Differences
		Parental Leave in the Southern European Country Cluster
		Open Challenges: Who Takes Up, Who Benefits and Who Doesn’t
	Conclusions
	References
12 Family, Poverty, and Social Policy Interventions
	Introduction
	Poverty Is Harmful for Family and Children
	Four Types of Social Policy Instruments and Family Poverty
	The Impact of Social Policy Instruments on Family Poverty
	Conclusion
	References
Part III Families as Relationships
13 Redefining the Boundaries of Family and Personal Relationships
	Introduction
	From Institutional to Individual Perspective
	Theoretical and Methodological Frameworks for (Re)Defining Relational Boundaries: Families, Intimacy and Personal Life
	Recent Research Settings Generating Redefinitions of Boundaries
	Conclusion: Critique and Reflections on European Trends
	References
14 Money in Couples: The Organisation of Finances and the Symbolic Use of Money
	Introduction
	The Establishment of a Research Field—Money in Couples
	Central Concepts and Theoretical Perspectives in Research on Money in Couples
		Management, Control and Power
		Power and the Social Meaning of Money
		A Typology of Money Management
		Reflecting on the State of Research on Money in Couples
	Symbolic Meanings and Uses of Money in Couples
		Money in Everyday Life as an Arena for the Construction of Couplehood
		Expressing Togetherness
		The Meanings of Merging Money
		Symbolic Consumption to Build Couple Relationships—A Few Examples
		The Symbolic Importance of the Source of Money
	Concluding Discussion
	References
15 Sibling Relationships: Being Connected and Related
	Introduction
	Social Studies of Family Relations
	The Relevance of Children’s Perspectives
	Sibling Studies in the Field of Social Science
	Replacing a Normative Terminology
	Exploring Everyday Practicalities
		Everyday Practicalities and Routines
		Commuting Between Sibling Groups and Family Regimes
		Materiality Matters
		Emotional Complexities
	Conclusion: Siblingship as Practical and Sensitive Relations
	References
16 “It’s a Balance on a Knife-Edge”: Expectations of Parents and Adult Children
	Introduction
	Intergenerational Relationships Today
	The Institutional Context for Intergenerational Relationships in Denmark
	Data and Methods
	Symmetries and Asymmetries in Parents’ and Adult Children’s Mutual Expectations
	Distancing Oneself from Under-Involved and Over-Involved Parents
	The Goldilocks Principle of Parenting: Neither Too Hot nor Too Cold
	Conclusion
	References
Part IV Parental Arrangements, Parenting and Child Well-Being
17 Non-Parental Childcare in France, Norway, and Spain
	Introduction
	Non-Parental Childcare and the French, Norwegian, and Spanish Labour Markets
	Research Hypotheses
	Data and Methodology
	Results and Discussion
	Conclusions
	References
18 Sharing the Caring Responsibility Between the Private and the Public: Childcare, Parental Choice, and Inequality
	Introduction: Childcare Matters
	Unequal Take-Up
	A Matter of Choice?
	Structural Barriers
	Sharing the Caring Responsibilities
	Discussion
	References
19 Shared Parenting After Separation and Divorce in Europe in the Context of the Second Demographic Transition
	Introduction
	The Significance of Shared Parenting After Divorce in the Context of the Second Demographic Transition
	National Experiences of JPC in a Selection of European Countries
	Patterns of JPC in Relation to Gender Equality in a European Comparative Perspective
	Outcomes for Children
	Conclusion
	References
20 Subjective Well-Being of Children in the Context of Family Change in Estonia, Poland, and Romania
	Introduction
	Family Change—The Context of Children’s Subjective Well-Being
	Children Assess Their Well-Being and Family Life
		Children’s Overall Life Satisfaction
		Material Well-Being and Overall Life Satisfaction
		Relational Well-Being and Overall Life Satisfaction
	Reflections and Conclusions
	References
21 Assessment of Parental Potential: Socio-Economic Risk Factors and Children’s Well-Being
	Introduction
	Assessments of Parental Potential
		The Vetting of Adopters, Foster Carers, and Donor Gamete Recipients
	Poverty and Parenthood
	Data and Method
	The Official Justification for Vetting in Adoption, Foster Care, and Assisted Reproduction
	Socio-Economic Challenges as a Risk Factor in the BBIC Child-Welfare Assessment Guidelines
	Socio-Economic Challenges as a Risk Factor in Assessments of Parenting Potential
		Adoption
		Assisted Reproduction
		Foster Care
	Concluding Discussion
	References
22 Towards a ‘Parenting Regime’: Globalising Tendencies and Localised Variation
	Introduction
	‘Parenting’: What Is ‘the Problem’?
	Consequences of the ‘Parenting’ Turn
		‘Parenting’ De-Gendered
		‘Parenting’ De-Naturalised
		‘Parenting’ Floats Free from Parents
		‘Parenting’ as Work
		‘Parenting’ Requiring Expertise, Self-Reflection and Scaffolding
		‘Parenting’ as a Reversal of the Parent–Child Relationship
	Discussion: Globalising Tendencies and Localised Variation
		Conclusion: Reposing the Problem of ‘Parenting’
	Bibliography
Part V Family Lives in Migration: Intergenerational and Transnational Relationships
23 Migration and Families in European Society
	The Discovery of the Immigrant Family
	Family Reunions
	Inequality and Diversity
	Conclusions
	References
24 The Multidimensional Nature of Family Migration: Transnational and Mixed Families in Europe
	Introduction
	Transnational Families
		Definition and Characteristics
		Migratory Decisions
		Maintaining Transnational Lives
		Transnational Parenting
	Mixed Families
		Conceptual Framework
		Trajectories from a Life-Course Perspective
		Negotiation and Transmission of Culture
	Conclusion
	References
25 Intergenerational Relations in the Context of Migration: Gender Roles in Family Relationships
	Introduction
	Intergenerational Relations in Migration Context
	Upward Transfers—Actors Involved and Impact on Gender Roles in the Family
	Downward Transfers—Actors Involved and Impact on Gender Roles in the Family
	Discussion
	References
26 Despite the Distance? Intergenerational Contact in Times of Migration
	Introduction
		Intergenerational Solidarity and Contact
	Intergenerational Contact and Migration
	Analytical Approach
	Parent-Child-Contact in European Families
	Migration and Intergenerational Contact in Europe
	Explaining Intergenerational Contact in European Families
		Explaining Intergenerational Contact in the Light of Migration
	Conclusions
	References
27 Parenting and Caring Across Borders in Refugee Contexts
	Introduction
	Data and Methods
	Refugee Men’s Practices of Transnational Parenting and Care Across Borders
	What Is Transnational Care?
	Practices of Transnational Care and ICT-Mediated Transnational Care
	Conclusions
	References
Part VI Family Trajectories: (Un)Linking Lives Over Time and Place
28 The Contribution of the Life-Course Perspective to the Study of Family Relationships: Advances, Challenges, and Limitations
	Introduction
	The Emergence and Expansion of the Life-course Perspective
	The Life Course: Key Dimensions
	Operationalising the Life-Course and Creating a Family Trajectory Typology
	Understanding Diversity in Family Forms: Standardisation and Individualisation Processes of the Life Course
	Understanding Family Roles: Institutional Gendering of the Life Course
	Understanding Family Configurations and Beyond: The Interplay Between Family Stages and Transitions
	Conclusion
	References
29 Varieties of Youth Transitions? A Review of the Comparative Literature on the Entry to Adulthood
	Introduction
	Transformation of the Transition to Adulthood: The Rise of a New Pattern?
	The Resilience of Cross-National Diversity
	Youth Unemployment and the School-to-Work Transition
	Youth Poverty and Social Exclusion
	Conclusion
	References
30 Transitions in Later Life and the Re-configuration of Family Relationships in the Third Age: The Case of the Baby Boomers
	Introduction: Baby Boomers and the Third Age
	The Transition to Retirement: Conjugal Projects
		Retirement Timing in Couples
		Retirement: A New Stage in the Life Course of Couples
	Family Relationships from the Perspective of the Third Age
		Retirees Faced with the Ageing of Their Parents
		Relations with Children and Grandchildren
	Conclusion
	References
31 From Taken for Granted to Taken Seriously: The Linked Lives Life Course Principle Under Literature Analysis
	Introduction
	Method
	Restoring Linked lives’ Relative Importance
	Scratching the Surface of the “Linked Family Lives” Mantra
		From Life Course to Family Life
		A Panoramic View of How Family Lives Are Linked
	Family Linked Lives Profiles in the Life Course Research Arena
	Conclusions
	Annex
	References
32 Afterthoughts on an “Earthquake of Change”
	References
Index
486548_1_En_33_Chapter_OnlinePDF.pdf
	Correction to: Migration and Families in European Society
		Correction to:  Chapter 23 in: A.-M. Castrén et al. (eds.),  The Palgrave Handbook of Family Sociology in Europe, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73306-323