Cover; Copyright; Contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 Traditional Approaches to the Family; 2 Individualization, Intimacy and Family Life; 3 Parenting Practices and Values; 4 The Changing Nature of Childhood; 5 Families and Ageing Societies; 6 Globalization, Migration and Intimate Relations; 7 Families, Fertility and Populations; 8 Families and New Reproductive Technologies; 9 New Directions: Personal Life, Family and Friendship; Notes; Bibliography; Index
Summary
New kinds of intimate relationships such as post-divorce families, co-habiting couples, 'friends as family' and same-sex unions are now commonplace. This book explores the growing diversity of family life by presenting a comprehensive assessment of recent research and theory, and foregrounds new thinking about 'family', parenting, childhood and personal life. A Sociology of Family Life queries notions of moral decline by revealing a remarkable persistence of commitment and reciprocity across cultures in traditional and new family relations. This insightful and innovative work examines factor
