Description
Book SynopsisThis volume tackles key issues in the changing nature of family life from a global perspective, and is essential reading for those studying and working with families.
- Covers changes in couple relationships and the challenges these pose; parenting practices and their implications for child development; key contemporary global issues, such as migration, poverty, and the internet, and their impact on the family; and the role of the state in supporting family relationships
- Includes a stellar cast of international contributors such as Paul Amato and John Coleman, and contributions from leading experts based in North Africa, Japan, Australia and New Zealand
- Discusses topics such as cohabitation, divorce, single-parent households, same-sex partnerships, fertility, and domestic violence
- Links research and practice and provides policy recommendations at the end of each chapter
Table of ContentsList of Figures xiv
List of Tables xv
Preface xvi
The Contributors xvi
About the Book xvii
Acknowledgements xviii
Contributors' Biographies xx
Part I Changing Couple and Family Relationships 1
1 Global Changes in Marriage, Parenting and Family Life: An Overview 5
Angela Abela and Janet Walker
2 Cohabitation or Marriage? Contemporary Living Arrangements in the West 16
Turid Noack, Eva Bernhardt and Kenneth Aarskaug Wiik
3 'Alone Together' Marriages and 'Living Apart Together' Relationships 31
Paul R. Amato and Lydia N. Hayes
4 Marriage and Divorce in the Western World 46
Jan Pryor
5 Divorce in the Arab Gulf Countries: A Major Challenge to Family and Society 59
Layachi Anser
6 Couple and Family Dynamics and Escalations in Violence 74
Justine van Lawick
7 Loving Diversity: Living in Intercultural Couple Relationships 87
Danika N. Hiew, W. Kim Halford and Shuang Liu
8 Growing Older in a Changing World: Opportunities and Challenges for Family Life and Social Support 100
John Bond
Part II Parenthood, Parenting and Family Life 115
9 The Transition to Parenthood: Choices and Responsibilities 119
Janet Walker
10 Why Fewer Babies? Understanding and Responding to Low Fertility in Europe 136
Maria Letizia Tanturri
11 Mothers, Fathers, Families and Child Development 151
Gabriela Misca and Jo Smith
12 Raising Children in Single-Parent Families 166
Jan M. Nicholson, Fabrizio D’Esposito, Nina Lucas and Elizabeth M. Westrupp
13 Sexual Orientation, Marriage and Parenthood: A Global Perspective 189
Charlotte J. Patterson, Rachel G. Riskind and Samantha L. Tornello
14 Parenting Teenagers 203
John Coleman
15 Working Families: Who Cares? 215
Simon B. Burnett, Jonathan Swan and Cary Cooper
16 Children and Divorce in World Perspective 227
Paul R. Amato and Lisa M. Boyd
Part III Global Impacts on Family Life 245
17 Globalisation and Family Life 249
Melinda Mills
18 The Internet and Its Implications for Children, Parents and Family Relationships 262
Monica T. Whitty
19 Immigrant Families Coming to the West 275
Ubaldo Martínez Veiga
20 The 'Quiet Migration': Challenges for Families with Children Adopted Internationally 288
Gabriela Misca
21 Families Living on the Margin in Affluent Societies 302
Angela Abela and Marie-Cécile Renoux
22 Mate Selection and Marriage Stability in the Maghreb 317
Sabah Ayachi
23 Demographic Change and Its Impact on Relationships in Japan and East Asia 328
James M. Raymo
24 I Say a Little Prayer for You: Do Prayers Matter in Marriage and Family Life? 341
Frank D. Fincham
Part IV Looking to the Future: The Role of States in Supporting Families 355
25 Why Should States Have an Interest in Making Families Stronger? 357
Ruth Farrugia
26 Making a Global Case for Family Policy: How Families Support Society and How Policies Support Families 369
Karen Bogenschneider
27 Partnership, Parenting and Protecting Children’s Best Interests: Implications for Policy and Practice 382
Janet Walker and Angela Abela
Index 393
