A new book examined whether heterosexual relationships had become more intimate and equal over the previous 40 years.
Source: Jenny van Hooff, Modern Couples? Continuity and change in heterosexual relationships, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Dec
An article said that the role of grandparents in family life was becoming more important as a result of demographic changes, and that grandparents offered a 'huge resource' to families. Older people generally found their role as grandparents rewarding, and this contributed to well-being and reduced the risk of loneliness.
Source: Sarah Wellard, 'Older people as grandparents: how public policy needs to broaden its view of older people and the role they play within families', Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, Volume 13 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Dec
A new book challenged the assumption that opportunities for mobility undermined the family in modern industrialized societies. Mobility was not just about bringing people together: it also allowed for time apart. Collective forms of mobility, such as moving house, going on holiday, and the school run, also sustained family life.
Source: Clare Holdsworth, Family and Intimate Mobilities, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Nov
A report examined what sustained and nurtured families, and what equipped some families to overcome problems better than others. In times of austerity, it was the closest family ties that offered the most financial and emotional support – rather than friends, the wider family, or community networks. The financial downturn was dominating family life, with some families close to financial breaking point: but the impact was not universal, with young people, young families, 'homemakers', unemployed people, and students suffering most. Women were also feeling less resilient, citing financial problems as causing them greater worry than men. The report identified five key drivers of resilience: planning and control; the family support network; work status; perceived change in family life; sharing experiences and knowledge.
Source: Family Resilience: Exploring what makes families better able to cope with life s challenges, Scottish Widows Centre for the Modern Family
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Jun
A briefing presented preliminary results of a study on the role of grandparents in family life in Europe. Grandparents were more likely to be poor in terms of wealth than people of the same age who were not grandparents, with around 1 in 4 grandparents in the bottom 20 per cent of the wealth distribution.
Source: Karen Glaser and Giorgio di Gessa, Grandparenting in Europe: Main study – Preliminary Findings Briefing, Grandparents Plus
Links: Briefing | Grandparents Plus press release
Date: 2012-Jun
An article examined why adult children and their parents lived together in European countries, and the role of individual characteristics, family structures, and cultural contexts. Country comparisons showed that welfare state arrangements also had a substantial effect. Co-residence appeared to be a response to economic insecurities at both individual and societal levels.
Source: Bettina Isengard and Marc Szydlik, 'Living apart (or) together? Coresidence of elderly parents and their adult children in Europe', Research on Ageing, Volume 34 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-May
An article examined trends in maternal contact in seven western countries (including Great Britain) between 1986 and 2001. There was no evidence that adult children's contact with mothers had become less frequent. In particular, contacts that did not require face-to-face interaction had increased, consistent with the diffusion of mobile phones and internet use.
Source: Judith Treas and Zoya Gubernskaya, 'Farewell to moms? Maternal contact for seven countries in 1986 and 2001', Journal of Marriage and Family, Volume 74 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A bulletin presented annual statistics for the United Kingdom on the number of families by type, people in families by family type, and children in families by type. In 2011 there were 17.9 million families: of these, 12.0 million consisted of a married couple with or without children. The number of opposite sex cohabiting couple families had increased significantly, from 2.1 million in 2001 to 2.9 million in 2011. In 2011, 38 per cent of married couple families had dependent children, the same percentage as cohabiting couple families. There were 2.0 million lone parents with dependent children in 2011, compared with 1.7 million in 2001 There were 26.3 million households in 2011: of these, 29 per cent consisted of only one person and almost 20 per cent consisted of 4 or more people.
Source: Families and Households, 2001 to 2011, Office for National Statistics
Links: Bulletin | ONS press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Jan
An article examined how levels of well-being within families were affected when other family members had a chronic illness.
Source: Cara Booker and Amanda Sacker, 'Limiting long-term illness and subjective well-being in families', Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, Volume 3 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jan