Exploring how family life has radically changed in recent decades, this comprehensive Research Handbook tracks the latest developments and trends in scholarly work on the family. With a particular focus on the European context, it addresses current debates and offers insights into key topics including: the division of housework, family forms and living arrangements, intergenerational relationships, partner choice, divorce and fertility behaviour. Bringing together contributions from leading family sociologists, the Research Handbook examines important questions: have family patterns across different countries become more similar, or have differences between countries and social groups increased over time? How diverse are family forms across different countries? How do conventional theories explain these patterns? And what are the major innovations in theorising and describing family behaviour? In order to resolve these key points, the chapters provide an overview of past and present developments in scholarly work on European families. They also present concise overviews of theories, methods, critical debates, empirical findings and pathways for future research. Its analysis of important areas of research in the field will make this Research Handbook a valuable resource for scholars and students of sociology, demography, and family and gender policy. It will also be beneficial for policy experts in these fields.

Based on the German case, this open access book highlights the increasing flows of migration and the internationalisation of individual life courses. It analyses the experiences of migration across four central domains - employment and income, partners and families, health and wellbeing, as well as friends and social participation - which potentially have far-reaching consequences for social inequalities and life chances. The book showcases results from an innovative probability sample that is representative of German emigrants who recently moved abroad and remigrants who recently returned from abroad and compares their international experiences with the sedentary population in Germany. Stays abroad, whether temporary or permanently, have become the new normal for increasing numbers of people from highly developed welfare states. Unnoticed from mainstream migration studies, these countries are today not only major immigration countries but also important sources of international mobility. By providing an empirically founded prism of the global lives of German migrants, this book is a valuable resource for students and researchers of migration, social inequality, and the life course and provides practitioners with insights into these regularly overlooked aspects of international migration.

Based on the German case, this open access book highlights the increasing flows of migration and the internationalisation of individual life courses. It analyses the experiences of migration across four central domains - employment and income, partners and families, health and wellbeing, as well as friends and social participation - which potentially have far-reaching consequences for social inequalities and life chances. The book showcases results from an innovative probability sample that is representative of German emigrants who recently moved abroad and remigrants who recently returned from abroad and compares their international experiences with the sedentary population in Germany. Stays abroad, whether temporary or permanently, have become the new normal for increasing numbers of people from highly developed welfare states. Unnoticed from mainstream migration studies, these countries are today not only major immigration countries but also important sources of international mobility. By providing an empirically founded prism of the global lives of German migrants, this book is a valuable resource for students and researchers of migration, social inequality, and the life course and provides practitioners with insights into these regularly overlooked aspects of international migration.

Korea and Germany are commonly described as emblematic examples of divided nations. But while Korea is still divided Germany has gone through a peaceful unification. The book offers a unique comparative study on the demographic change in these divided countries. It also investigates the developments after Germany's unification. Based on this demographic insights of a merged society it asks about their use and limits for a possible Korean scenario of reunification.

Job-related spatial mobility is a subject of great importance in Europe. But how mobile are Europeans? What are the consequences of professional mobility for quality of life, family life, and social relationships? For the first time, these questions are analyzed on the basis of the findings of a large-scale European survey. The contributions in Volume I are directed at the diversity and the extent of mobility in six European countries - Germany, Spain, France, Poland, Switzerland, and Belgium. In Volume II (due early in 2009), the causes and determinants of job mobility and their individual and social consequences are analyzed in cross-national comparisons.

Job-related spatial mobility is a subject of great importance in Europe. But how mobile are the Europeans? What are the consequences of professional mobility for quality of life, family life, and social relationships? For the first time, these questions are analyzed on the basis of the data of a large-scale European survey. This volume analyzes the causes and determinants of job mobility and the individual and societal consequences in cross-national comparison. Contents include: Theoretical Framework * Methodological Issues * Historical Perspective * Phenomenology of Mobile Living * The Process of Becoming Mobile * Family Life and Job Mobility * Job Careers and Job Mobility * Social Integration and Job Mobility * Job Mobility and Quality of Life * Advantages and Disadvantages of Being Mobile * Mobility Culture * Motility * Life Course Perspective * Gender and Job Mobility * Social Class and Job Mobility * Support and Coping Strategies * Recommendations for Politics and Economy * Job Mobility in Europe.

Die AutorInnen des Bandes analysieren Konsum aus der Perspektive der Soziologie und geben einen Uberblick uber den aktuellen Stand der soziologischen Diskussion und die historische Entwicklung der Konsumforschung. Daruber hinaus wird das Themengebiet interdisziplinar geoffnet. Konsum und privater Verbrauch werden ebenso aus der Sicht der Mikro- und Makrookonomie, der Psychologie, der Haushaltswissenschaft, der Marktforschung, der Demographie und der Sozialpolitik analysiert."

Wie bei der Verteilung von Familienformen im allgemeinen haben die unter schiedlichen Gesellschaftssysteme der fruheren BRD und DDR auch in Struktur und Leben nichtehelicher Lebensgemeinschaften ihre Spuren hinter lassen. Dies gilt auch, wenn sich der Blick auf nichteheliche Lebensgemein schaften mit Kindern richtet, eine Lebensform, die in der DDR viel haufiger war als in der BRD. Gemass diesen unterschiedlichen Traditionen sind in den alten Bundeslandern Paare mit ein- oder beidseitiger Scheidungserfahrungen haufiger und Partnerschaften lediger Eltern seltener als in den neuen Bundes landern. Ebenfalls auf DDR-Tradition beruht der hohere Anteil von nichtehe lichen Lebensgemeinschaften in einem gemeinsamen Haushalt. Unter die Rubrik der Ost-West-Unterschiede fallen auch folgende Befunde: In den neuen Bundeslandern liegt der Anteil der haufiger als einmal monatlichen Kontakte insgesamt deutlich niedriger als in den alten Bun deslandern; ob dies mit dem DDR-spezifischen Charakter nichtehelicher Lebensgemeinschaften zusammenhangt, als "nichteheliche Familien gemeinschaften" zu fungieren, erscheint nicht ausgeschlossen, bedarf aber weiterer Aufklarung. Der Kontakt ehelich geborener Kinder zum anderswo wohnenden ge schiedenen oder getrenntlebenden Vater ist in den alten Bundeslandern intensiver als der Kontakt nichtehelich geborener Kinder zu ihrem zur Zeit der Geburt mit der Mutter nicht verheirateten Vater ausser Haus. "Kindorientierung" der Eheschliessung in den alten Bundeslandern geht demnach einher mit einer verbreiteten Indifferenz nichtehelicher Partner gegenuber ihren Kindern. In den neuen Bundeslandern ist dieses Gefalle kaum zu spuren."

In diesem Sammelband erortern namhafte Fachleute aus verschiedenen Wissenschaftsdisziplinen den Wandel und die aktuelle gesellschaftliche Situation von Familie. In 25 Einzelbeitragen werden anhand theoretischer Uberlegungen und neuester empirischer Forschungsergebnisse zentrale Fragen zur Institution Familie zwischen gesellschaftlicher Pragung und individueller Gestaltung diskutiert: Themen sind die Formen, das Ausmass und die Rahmenbedingungen des Wandels von Familie sowie ihr gesellschaftlicher Standort, die Sozialisationsfunktion der Familie und ihre Rolle im Kulturtransfer zwischen den Generationen, der Umgang mit den Optionen Ehe und Elternschaft, die innerfamiliale Arbeitsteilung, Ursachen und Bewaltigungsstrategien familialer Konflikte und Eltern-Kind-Beziehung in der Postadoleszenz, ebenso Beitrage zur Sozialberichterstattung und Sozialpolitik. Der Band gibt damit einen Uberblick uber die gegenwartige Lage der Familie und uber den Diskussionsstand einer interdisziplinaren Familienwissenschaft."

Family in all its aspects Familienbande International experts provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art of European family research and outline the multiple formations, structures and configurations of family in Europe. Four aspects are discussed in depth: family images, sex/gender roles, globalisation and family development processes. Influenced by globalisation, European countries experience processes which still have greatly varying consequences. Cultural differences, reflected in a range of family schemes and national family policies, are one reason for the continued existence of differences in the scope and speed of change processes. Quite generally, images and concepts of family have become more heterogeneous and flexible. The flip side of this coin is that family members are increasingly faced with the challenges of achieving a satisfactory work-life balance - a task aggravated by globalisation. We therefore need to ask how family policy can help families enjoy adequate freedom of action and latitude for their decision-making. To summarise: a read well worth the effort for all experts working in family research and family policy.

German description: Die systematische Analyse der sozialen Beziehungen und der Familienstrukturen mehrerer Generationen mit Hilfe der Erstellung von Genogrammen ist zu einer vielfach genutzten Methode in der Familientherapie und der Sozialen Arbeit geworden. Der Schwerpunkt beim Einsatz dieser Methodik in den psychosozialen Arbeitsfeldern liegt bisher auf der Analyse der familiaren Funktionstuchtigkeit. Wenig eruiert werden die sozialen Einflusse, die auf die Familie einwirken und sich ebenfalls mit dieser Methodik und erganzend mit der Netzwerkanalyse darstellen lassen. Fur die Analyse dieser Methoden wird ein Raster vorgestellt. Weitere Erganzungen der Arbeit mit Genogrammen werden mit der visuellen Analyse und durch die Fokussierung auf die Ressourcen angeboten. Die hier vorgestellte Genogrammarbeit stellt Moglichkeiten der psychosozialen und der sozialen Diagnostik vor, die interdisziplinar verschiedene soziale Arbeitsfelder und Berufsgruppen verbindet.