6.  European Case Studies in Family Change and Policy Practice  

2003 pp 86 Ł6.50; also available online with password (click here)

Editors: Louise Appleton and Linda Hantrais

Contributors: Moira Ackers, Mňnica Badia i Ibańez, Olivier Büttner, Julia Griggs, Kati Karelson, Valentina Longo, Elizabeth Monaghan, Olga Niméus, Katre Pall, Małgorzata Potoczna, Lucyna Prorok-Mamińska, Devi Sacchetto, Elizabeth Such, Judit Takács, Dimitra Taki, Jutta Träger, Spyridon Tryfonas

Drawing on statistical data, contextual analysis and new empirical work, the eleven country case studies track changing family structure, the challenge it presents for governments, the responses of policy actors, and the experiences and perceptions of families themselves in eight EU member states and three candidate countries. The first two papers on France and Sweden show that the state and electorate are aware of the need for policy and recognize the legitimacy of intervention. Policy has been adapted in response to changing socio-demographic trends, with the state acting as the facilitator of choice between work and family life. The third paper on the British case illustrates the gradual shift towards greater acceptance of state intervention and the development of partnerships between policy actors, arguing that governments are adopting a more ‘hands-on’ policy approach. In Germany, family members are calling for greater intervention to support them in their desire to have children and are seeking a holistic approach to family life, aware that single policies fail to meet all their needs. The Irish case illustrates the ambivalence of attitudes and shows that Irish governments are taking pre-emptive action to help cope with the socio-economic problems that are likely to arise in the future. The Estonian paper focuses on the shift in responsibility for family well-being from the state to families, in a context where economic restructuring and the withdrawal of the state have provoked a return to traditional family values, self-reliance and mutual aid. The Hungarian authors highlight the increasing heterogeneity of family forms and find that policy is lagging behind, so that families are assuming responsibility for family care. In Poland, the experience of transition has brought into focus many paradoxes, creating the need for greater support for families to offset the effects of population decline and ageing. Families are demanding the provision of job opportunities and of more effective public services. In Spain, as women have been entering the labour market in larger numbers, in the absence of flexible working hours and part-time contracts, the burden for child and elder care is more difficult to manage, while the underdeveloped welfare state is preventing the implementation of policies to assist families. Despite recent changes in family life in Italy, policy has stagnated and become inaccessible to many families because of high costs. In Greece, families are less able to carry the burden of family responsibilities. They recognize the need for state intervention but fear it may threaten family networks.