Description
Book SynopsisThe traditional image of the family as a life--long unit is fading fast. There are fewer marriages, more divorces, and ever more children born to unmarried or single parents. The forms of our private life are changing rapidly, and people are embarking on new lifestyles based on cohabitation, separation and same--sex partnerships.
Trade Review"This book is a ‘must-read' for those interested in where family diversity is leading in terms of present-day relations between the sexes and generations, and the increasing tensions and incompatible demands of employment and family care. Beck-Gernsheim blends careful appraisal of evidence with bold speculation about future trends. She brings a welcome note of optimism, suggesting that the ‘reinvention' of family life expands opportunities, and that multicultural families can help heal ethnic and national divides. The book provides a new and relevant angle on old debates about family decline, family diversity, and social change. Beck-Gernsheim makes clear why family is much more than just another lifestyle choice."
Jackie Scott, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, CambridgeTable of ContentsPreface to the English Edition.
Acknowledgements.
Chapter 1: The New Confusion about the Family.
Chapter 2: When Divorce Becomes Normal.
Chapter 3: Life as a Planning Project.
Chapter 4: Generational Contract and Gender Relations.
Chapter 5: We Want a Special Child.
Chapter 6: Towards the Multicultural Family.
Notes.
References.
Index.
