Summary of all the lectures of Families in Context (FiC) at Tilburg University given in 2024 by prof. Ivanova. The summary is fully in English and additional tips and exam questions mentioned by the lecturer are added. I also have a summary on my account with all the literture for this course. Thes...
Lecture 1 - The family: what is it and why study it?....................................................................... 2
Lecture 2 - Life courses in context.................................................................................................8
Lecture 3 - Partnerships: Who partners? With whom? Does it matter?.......................................14
Lecture 4 - Becoming a parent and does the transition matter?..................................................20
Lecture 5 - Parenting and social class.........................................................................................26
Lecture 6 - Family and work: who does what within families?..................................................... 30
Lecture 7 + 8 - Ending partnerships and what happens after?....................................................34
Lecture 9 - Intergenerational relationships: the strength of parent-child ties............................... 40
,Lecture 1 - The family: what is it and why study it?
Does the definition of family matter?
Yes: for…
…credibility / value (to start a family)
…law
Obligations (provide care, filial responsibility)
Rights (decision-making, migration)
The family (Murdock) = The family is a social group characterized by common residence,
economic cooperation, and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom
maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of
the sexually cohabiting adults.
> So the traditional (nuclear) family: That is based on legally endorsed and
biological ties.
BUT: An unprecedented decline of the family as a social institution. - Popenoe
This alarm came from different indicators:
A. Partnerships: divorce ->
B. Downgrade in marriage ->
, C. Downgrade in fertility: fewer number of children per woman
Unprecedented decline of the family?
● Endorsing the statement means that anything deviating from the pattern is unusual, or
even exotic. (Nauck)
● However, that vision of the family captured a specific moment in time (and definitely: the
experience of a specific group or place).
Diversity has always been the name of the game
Numerous examples of diversity rather than uniformity.
● Hajnal line: diversity visible within Europe, already prior to the 20th century.
● The same as Naucks European Marriage Pattern (literature).
Disclaimer: This divide
could also be an
oversimplification:
meaningful diversity
found within regions
too (see Szoltysek,
2015).
There is an abundance of other examples of the family variations even within countries.
, Back to the statement: Unprecedented decline of the family
That vision of the family (the traditional nuclear family) captured a specific moment in
time and the experience of a specific group (white, middle-class, parts of Global North).
> More the families we live by rather than the families we live with (Gillis, 1996).
So the focus in this course will be:
● Not on any one explicit understanding of family.
● Focus will be on family-making behaviors (parenting, parenthood, ending partnerships,
exchanging care and support).
● Focus will be on variation and changes in these behaviors across time/space and
crucially: The sources of variation and changes.
○ On structural sources (specificities of labor markets, policies)
○ On cultural sources (ideational changes)
These two feed into each other: culture and structure reflect on each other.
One single definition of family is not possible if everybody needs to agree, so we don’t do that.
So why study changes in family-making behaviors?
- Maybe a most basic reason: literal reproduction of societies.
- Substantial repercussions for a wide-array of political decision making.
Identity: shaping of our social selves.
How we ‘do’ family shapes the next members of society.
● Therefore: reproduction of society.
● Example: Gender identity.
Social cohesion: families as bridges between groups.
Changes in patterns of partner choice can tell us a lot about group closure within a society.
● Families as the ties that bind (meeting 3 and 9)
Les avantages d'acheter des résumés chez Stuvia:
Qualité garantie par les avis des clients
Les clients de Stuvia ont évalués plus de 700 000 résumés. C'est comme ça que vous savez que vous achetez les meilleurs documents.
L’achat facile et rapide
Vous pouvez payer rapidement avec iDeal, carte de crédit ou Stuvia-crédit pour les résumés. Il n'y a pas d'adhésion nécessaire.
Focus sur l’essentiel
Vos camarades écrivent eux-mêmes les notes d’étude, c’est pourquoi les documents sont toujours fiables et à jour. Cela garantit que vous arrivez rapidement au coeur du matériel.
Foire aux questions
Qu'est-ce que j'obtiens en achetant ce document ?
Vous obtenez un PDF, disponible immédiatement après votre achat. Le document acheté est accessible à tout moment, n'importe où et indéfiniment via votre profil.
Garantie de remboursement : comment ça marche ?
Notre garantie de satisfaction garantit que vous trouverez toujours un document d'étude qui vous convient. Vous remplissez un formulaire et notre équipe du service client s'occupe du reste.
Auprès de qui est-ce que j'achète ce résumé ?
Stuvia est une place de marché. Alors, vous n'achetez donc pas ce document chez nous, mais auprès du vendeur MarijkeS. Stuvia facilite les paiements au vendeur.
Est-ce que j'aurai un abonnement?
Non, vous n'achetez ce résumé que pour €4,99. Vous n'êtes lié à rien après votre achat.
