Changing family and societal challenges

There have been substantial changes in the family patterns in Europe in the past decades resulting in a wide variety of family forms and relationships. Marriage rates have declined, and both marriage and parenthood have been delayed, if entered at all. Fertility rates have declined well below the levels that are necessary for the replacement of the population.

Non-marital cohabitation has become increasingly prevalent, and divorce and separation rates have increased substantially even among couples with children. These changes have also influenced the family life-course, that is the sequence and pace at which certain events (such as marriage, birth, etc.) occur in individuals’ lives. Individual lives are influenced by other family members, kin and broader social networks. The linkages within and between families and generations, and the decisions individuals make in these networks shape the life-courses and their outcomes.

The societal context also affects the family life-course through policies and norms that may prioritize certain types of families and distribute welfare risks more or less evenly across families and generations. The main processes that shape the family life-course interact with four dimensions: gender, culture, socioeconomic resources and life stages.

Based on this context, the EU-funded project FAMILIESANDSOCIETIES aims to further the understanding of the development of families in Europe and of the challenges resulting from these developments. The project seeks to fill research gaps regarding family change in Europe, to assess the compatibility of existing policies with these changes and to provide a broader, research grounded basis for policy making. Twenty-five research partners from fifteen European countries and three transnational civil society actors collaborate in FAMILIESANDSOCIETIES. The project also involves a large group of various stakeholders and policy-makers.

To provide reliable insights into causes and consequences of family changes, the project relies on comparative analyses applying advanced quantitative methods to high quality register and survey data and also conducts qualitative studies.

FAMILIESANDSOCIETIES employs methodological strategies which greatly improve the quality of scientific knowledge and the assessment of impacts of policies and social changes on family life-courses. It analyses the impact of a variety of family policies on families, gender relationships and intergenerational dynamics. The project provides in-depth insight into how social and economic contexts as well as specific events in a family life-course shape the well-being of children, women and men, mothers and fathers, hence optimizing the knowledge base for policy recommendations.