Ebook: Family: Changing Families, Changing Times

Our understanding of the family has been in flux over the past 30 years. This new text explores the patterns of contemporary Australian family life, and the impact of social, political and economic change.

We are shaped by our early lives in our families, and in times of crisis, we turn to our families for help. Yet though we seek intimacy and support from our families, they can sometimes be places of stress and violence.

Family explores contemporary Australian family life, looking at new partnership patterns, the decline in fertility, changing roles for fathers, children as consumers, the ageing population, and intimacy and power in family relationships. It examines the dissatisfaction many families now experience in terms of work/life balance, as parents juggle paid work and child care responsibilities. It also considers the impact of expectations of high levels of personal fulfillment not only on family relationships but on all aspects of life.

With contributions from leading Australian family researchers including Kerreen Reiger, Barbara Pocock, Beryl Langer and Andrew Singleton this text is for tertiary courses in sociology, social work, education, community studies and other human service fields. It is also a valuable resource for policymakers and researchers.