Changing Family Dynamics and Demographic Evolution: The Family Kaleidoscope

Whether considered from an American or a European perspective, the past four decades have seen family life become increasingly complex. Changing Family Dynamics and Demographic Evolution examines the various stages of change through the image of a kaleidoscope, providing new insights into the field of family dynamics and diversity. Contributions from both eminent and contemporary scholars provide a comprehensive and multidisciplinary perspective encompassing over five decades and two continents. This is the kaleidoscope, showing the diversity and complexity of contemporary families. Each chapter is a new turn with the built in mirrors reflecting new insights into the colored glass and beads. Through this analogy, this book explores family transitions in the US and Europe, gender dimensions of family transitions, children in new families, intersectional approaches of demographic processes and policy perspectives as well as offering thoughts on a future outlook. Unique and accessible, this book will appeal to students and researchers in a variety of fields including demography, the sociology of the family, gender studies and family law. It will also be of value to policy makers for children and families as well as those involved in family social care. Contributors include: E. Alofs, T. Brouckaert, C. Defever, D. De Wachter, K. Featherstone, F.F. Furstenberg Jr., T. Kil, K. Matthijs, P. Meier, D. Mortelmans, L. Murinkó, K. Neels, J. Scott, B. Segaert, W. Sigle, I. Szalma, L. Toulemon, J. Vergauwen, J. Wood

Table of Contents:
Contents: INTRODUCTION a view through the family kaleidoscope PART I. LOOKING BACK AT FAMILIES 1. The Changing American Family: An Overview From 1965 To 2015 Frank F. Furstenberg Jr. 2. Fifty Years of Family Change in Europe: Diversifying Partnerships Laurent Toulemon PART II. LOOKING AT GENDER 3. Gender Inequality in the Division of Housework Over the Life Course: A European Comparative Perspective Tine Kil, Karel Neels and Jorik Vergauwen 4. Intersectionality in Young Adults’ Households: A Quantitative Perspective Dimitri Mortelmans, Petra Meier and Christine Defever 5. From the Kitchen Table to the Other: Results of Ethnographic Research on Undocumented Mothers’ Parenting Practices Creating Feelings at Home Tine Brouckaert PART III. LOOKING AT CHILDREN 6. What is Family in the Context of Genetic Risk? Katie Featherstone 7. The Educational Gradient of Maternal Employment Patterns in 11 European Countries David De Wachter, Karel Neels, Jonas Wood and Jorik Vergauwen 8. Fatherhood and Men’s Second Union Formation: Norway, France and Hungary, 1980s-2000s Lívia Murinkó and Ivett Szalma PART IV. LOOKING FORWARD 9. Why Demography Needs (New) Theories Wendy Sigle 10. Conflicting Family Interests: A Challenge for Family Policy Jacqueline Scott Index

About the Author :
Edited by Dimitri Mortelmans, Centre for Population, Family and Health (CPFH), University of Antwerp, Koenraad Matthijs, Centre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven, Elisabeth Alofs, Faculty of Law and Criminology, Free University of Brussels and Barbara Segaert, University Centre Saint Ignatius Antwerp, Belgium

Review :
'Very elegantly, the editors use the image of a kaleidoscope to portray the necessity for new research perspectives to enhance understanding of the field of family dynamics in a time of change and increased family diversity - which is exactly what this book contributes. In bringing together a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives, quantitative and qualitative methods, international comparative studies as well as in-depth case studies, this book offers new and sobering insights to family studies.' --Trude Lappegard, Statistics Norway, Oslo, Norway'Gender issues and the position of the child in the family are conventional issues reflected through the prism of unconventionality: this is a strength of this book. Gender issues; genetic risk, motherhood and fatherhood are diversely explored through an international comparative analysis, intersectionality, and ethnography, utilising reviews of recent changes in American and European family dynamics. Challenges to theory and policies are the end points in the book but starting points for further multifaceted research.' --Dimiter Philipov, Vienna Institute of Demography, Austria 'Overall, The Family Kaleidoscope is a very insightful and inspiring volume, which provides the reader with a well-balanced mix of new and needed evidence, innovative topics and approaches, and much stimulating discussion provoking a large array of thoughts for future research.' --European Journal of Population