Originally published in 1987, now with a new preface, the focus of this book is the distribution of material resources, notably money, work, care and food, within and between households. Hitherto, social policy research had tended to roll households and families into one and consider them as ‘private’ spheres which only connected with society via the male head of household – the ‘breadwinner’. Examination of resource distribution had stopped short at the door of the household. The contributors to Give and Take in Families open up the ‘Black Box’ of the family and explore the assumption that resources are equitably distributed between household members. A dominant concern is with gender relations. Each study attempts to make women – as resources in caring for other people, as providers of income, as transformers of income into goods and services – visible in the household unit. Findings from nine empirical studies are presented, examining resource distribution in relation to the composition of households, and the life cycles and life experiences of household members. A wide variety of household types is considered, and attention is given to households undergoing changes (such as divorce and unemployment) that are likely to have major implications for household structure and resources. The implications of these innovative and thought-provoking studies for social policy are considerable, with relevance to the fields of inequality and income support, the provision of care for children and the elderly, the labour market and divorce law. This book will still appeal to practising researchers and students in the social sciences, particularly women’s studies.

This study reports on recent doctoral research focused on six academic staff working in early blended learning environments in campus-based contexts at a large Australian university. The case-based research reports on how information and communications technology (ICT) was used by each of these staff, all early adopters of new technologies, to enhance their face-to-face teaching, and how this use contributed to an understanding of blended learning in higher education. Across the cases, seven dimensions of blended learning environments were identified - a significant finding of this study. Overall, the study enhances understanding of the nature, purpose and scope of early blended learning approaches in a university setting, and highlights the importance of academics' use of resource-based learning to create blended learning environments across a range of courses. The study also establishes reasons why these teachers embraced the use of ICT in their on-campus teaching, and provides insights into how each perceived their teaching role.

Providing a comprehensive overview of issues of ageing from a global perspective this ambitious text introduces the reader to a wide range of issues and policies on ageing. Topics examined include: theoretical perspectives on ageing in society; demographic trends; roles played by older people as political actors; migration; health; pensions; family and institutional care; and elder abuse.

This will be an essential text for students of social gerontology, as well as an invaluable resource for students of nursing, social work, social policy and development studies.