Family Continuity and Change: Contemporary European Perspectives (Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life)

"This volume provides readers with recent sociological approaches to family understanding, theorising and practices within the context of continuities and change, both across generations and during individual life courses. The contributors uniquely investigate the friction between persisting family needs and changing circumstances, between holding on to traditional family norms and adapting to fast-changing demands. Authors from nine countries develop and apply innovative theoretical and methodological approaches for a more differentiated description of European family lives at the beginning of the 21st century, and show that family sociology has achieved significant commonalities across national borders in Europe, thus helping our understanding of complex family realities. The book will be essential reading for students and scholars with an interest in family and intimate life, family sociology and policy, sociology and gender studies" -- Prové de l'editor Preface 6 Contents 8 List of Contributors 11 List of Figures 13 List of Tables 14 1: Introduction 16 References 20 Part I: Family Understandings 21 2: Approaches to the Study of Family Life: Practices, Context, and Narrative 22 Habitual and Quotidian Aspects of Family Life: Social Practice Theory 23 Family Lives in an Historical and Generational Context 28 Narrative Analysis of Family Lives 34 Conclusion 40 References 42 3: Family Salience Across Nations: Configurations of Morphological Conditions 45 Family Salience and Welfare State 47 Social Development and Family Salience 48 Results 62 Conclusion 66 References 69 4: Cultural Conceptions of Family as Inhibitors of Change in Family Lives: The ‘Leitbild’ Approach 72 Introduction: Why Turn to Cultural Theories? 72 The Term ‘Leitbild’ 75 The Theoretical Concept of Leitbilder in the Literature 75 An Elaboration of the Concept of Leitbilder 77 Leitbilder Compared to Other Cultural Concepts 78 Facets of Leitbilder 81 The Influence of Leitbilder on Behaviour 83 Leitbilder of the Family: An Operationalization 84 Empirical Evidence for ‘Leitbilder’ and Their Impact on Family Lives 86 Discussion 89 References 91 5: The Importance of the Family as an Institution: Findings from an Italian Survey 98 Introduction 98 Family and Institution: A Complex Relationship 101 Research Questions and Hypotheses 103 Data 104 Methodology and Data Analysis 106 How Can the Results Be Interpreted? 111 Conclusion 111 References 114 Part II: Family Across the Individual Life Course 126 6: The Influence of Personal Networks on Decision Making About Family Formation: Has It Changed? 127 Introduction: Family Formation Between Natural Order and Individual Responsibility 127 The Research Methodology 130 Goals and Questions 130 Research Data 132 Results 134 Influences of Personal Networks on the Family-Formation Process 135 Features Interrelated with Variations in Personal Networks’ Influence on Family Formation 141 Conclusion 145 References 146 7: Relational Networks of Young Couples and Marriage Choice Paths in Italy: Data on Membership and Influence 149 Introduction: Couples’ Choice Paths and Analysis of Networks 149 The Relational Perspective in Network Analysis 153 Objectives and Hypotheses 154 Methodology and Data Analysis 157 Main Results 159 Morphology of Networks 161 Data on Membership and Influence 166 Other Data on Openness and Generativity of Couples 169 Conclusion 169 References 171 8: Rebuilding the Family: Continuity and Change in Family Membership and Relationship Closeness in Post-Separation Situations 175 Introduction 175 Family Belonging in Post-Separation Situations 177 Data and Research Design 180 Rebuilding the Family? 182 Family Belonging and Emotional Closeness 185 Partner and Ex-partner 186 Children 189 Conclusion 192 References 194 9: Coresidence as a Mechanism of Relational Proximity: The Impact of Household Trajectories on the Diversification of Personal Networks 197 Theoretical Framework and Methodology 197 Data and Methods 201 Results 204 Current Household Types and Household Trajectories 204 Mapping Personal Configurations 207 Linking Current Household Type, Household Trajectories, and Personal Configurations 211 Discussion and Conclusion 215 References 218 10: The Impact of Coresidence Trajectories on Personal Networks During Transition to Adulthood: A Comparative Perspective 221 Introduction 221 Theoretical Overview 223 Coresidence Trajectories During the Transition to Adulthood 223 Changes in Personal Networks 224 Contextual Background 226 Research Issues 228 Methodology 229 Data Summary 229 Personal Networks Based on a Name Generator 229 Coresidence Trajectories 230 Structural Factors 230 Results 231 Coresidence Trajectories Between Ages 20 and 40 Across Three Countries 231 Personal Networks Across Three Countries 236 Coresidence Trajectories’ Impact on Personal Networks Between Ages 20 and 40 Across Three Countries 241 Discussion 245 References 248 Part III: Family Practices 253 11: Why Parents Take Unpaid Parental Leave: Evidence from Spain 254 Introduction 254 Hypotheses and Review of the Literature 256 Characteristic Features of Childcare Leaves in Spain 258 Methodology and Database 260 Results 263 Leave Use and Characteristics 263 Factors Conditioning Parental Leave-Taking 264 Reasons for Taking Parental Leave 268 Conclusion 271 References 273 12: The Creativity of Mothering: Intensity, Anxiety, and Normative Accountability 277 Introduction 277 Action Theory 279 Creative Action 282 The Creativity of Motherhood 283 The Ideal Types 286 Rational Planners 286 Romantic Expressivists: Authentic Mothers 289 Pragmatists 292 Conclusion 294 References 295 13: Farm Fathers and Their Fathers: Flexible Work and Cultural Change 299 Introduction 299 Research and Theory 301 Method and Data 303 Colocation and Fathering Practices 305 Fathering in the Home and Beyond the Farm 305 Fathering at Work But Not in the Home 307 Discourses of Contemporary Fathering 309 Involved Fathering 309 Intensive Fathering 311 Changing Childhood 312 Framing the Practices of the Older Generation 313 Complementary Gender Roles 313 ‘Good Farming’ 314 Farm Succession 315 Conclusion 316 References 318 14: Conclusion: Changes and Continuities in European Family Lives 321 Introduction 321 Family Understandings 324 Family Across the Individual Life Course 328 Family Practices 331 Conclusion 333 References 333 Index 337 Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Introduction....Pages 1-5 Front Matter....Pages 7-7 Approaches to the Study of Family Life: Practices, Context, and Narrative....Pages 9-31 Family Salience Across Nations: Configurations of Morphological Conditions....Pages 33-59 Cultural Conceptions of Family as Inhibitors of Change in Family Lives: The ‘Leitbild’ Approach....Pages 61-86 The Importance of the Family as an Institution: Findings from an Italian Survey....Pages 87-114 Front Matter....Pages 115-115 The Influence of Personal Networks on Decision Making About Family Formation: Has It Changed?....Pages 117-138 Relational Networks of Young Couples and Marriage Choice Paths in Italy: Data on Membership and Influence....Pages 139-164 Rebuilding the Family: Continuity and Change in Family Membership and Relationship Closeness in Post-Separation Situations....Pages 165-186 Coresidence as a Mechanism of Relational Proximity: The Impact of Household Trajectories on the Diversification of Personal Networks....Pages 187-210 The Impact of Coresidence Trajectories on Personal Networks During Transition to Adulthood: A Comparative Perspective....Pages 211-242 Front Matter....Pages 243-243 Why Parents Take Unpaid Parental Leave: Evidence from Spain....Pages 245-267 The Creativity of Mothering: Intensity, Anxiety, and Normative Accountability....Pages 269-290 Farm Fathers and Their Fathers: Flexible Work and Cultural Change....Pages 291-312 Conclusion: Changes and Continuities in European Family Lives....Pages 313-328 Back Matter....Pages 329-346 Vida Česnuitytė, Detlev Lück, Eric D. Widmer, Editors. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.