Families and Personal Networks : An International Comparative Perspective

Description

This book critically assesses the main features of the modernization of family life and personal relationships by examining and comparing three European countries with different social and political pathways: Portugal, Switzerland and Lithuania. Drawing on national surveys of family trajectories and social networks, the contributors highlight personal and family relationships through the lens of network and life course perspectives as well as gender and generational perspectives. Providing innovative, comparative findings on families and personal networks through the use of diverse methodologies, this edited collection will be of interest to scholars, students and policymakers across a range of social science disciplines. Front Matter ....Pages i-xv Introduction (Eric D. Widmer, Jacques-Antoine Gauthier, Karin Wall, Vida Česnuitytė, Rita Gouveia)....Pages 1-18 Contextualising Personal Networks Across Birth Cohorts and Countries (Vasco Ramos, Vida Česnuitytė, Karin Wall, Dominique Joye)....Pages 19-60 A First Portrait of Personal Networks in a Comparative Perspective (Rita Gouveia, Gaëlle Aeby, Vida Česnuitytė)....Pages 61-97 Changing Meanings of Family in Personal Relationships: A Comparative Perspective (Karin Wall, Rita Gouveia, Gaëlle Aeby, Vida Česnuitytė)....Pages 99-130 Mapping the Plurality of Personal Configurations (Gaëlle Aeby, Eric D. Widmer, Vida Česnuitytė, Rita Gouveia)....Pages 131-166 Understanding Personal Networks as Social Capital (Eric D. Widmer, Rita Gouveia, Gaëlle Aeby, Vida Česnuitytė)....Pages 167-186 Linking Family Trajectories and Personal Networks (Jacques-Antoine Gauthier, Gaëlle Aeby, Vasco Ramos, Vida Česnuitytè)....Pages 187-223 Conclusions (Karin Wall, Vida Česnuitytė, Eric D. Widmer, Jacques-Antoine Gauthier)....Pages 225-238 Back Matter ....Pages 239-254