Families, Relationships and Intimate Life, Second Edition is a thorough exploration of the controversies, contradictions and broad patterns that characterize contemporary relationships and families. Beginning with the conceptual scaffolding of families in their historical and cultural context this text includes the key cultural differences of ethnicity, class and sexuality. Theoretical perspectives including functionalism, feminist approaches and reflexive modernization are also clearly outlined. Once the groundwork has been established this book delves into examining the complexity of contemporary family life, covering key elements in the life course - childhood, youth, partnering, parenting and ageing and both the positive and negative sides of family life including intimacy and violence.
Author(s): Deborah Dempsey, Jo Lindsay
Edition: 2
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2015
Language: English
Pages: 288
City: Oxford
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Introduction
Defining families and relationships
Thinking sociologically
Why study families and relationships?
Structure of the book
Key concepts
Discussion questions
Recommended further reading
Chapter 2: Relationships and families over time
Introduction
Pre-modern families (circa pre-eighteenth century)
Modern families (eighteenth–mid twentieth century)
Families and relationships in late modernity
Indigenous Australian families
History of East Asian and South-East Asian families
Conclusion
Key concepts
Discussion questions
Recommended further reading
Chapter 3: Diversity in families and relationships
Introduction
Diversity beyond the nuclear family
Contemporary Indigenous Australian families
Culturally and linguistically diverse immigrant families
Social class
Conclusion
Key concepts
Discussion questions
Recommended further reading
Chapter 4: Sociological perspectives on relationships and families
Introduction
Structural functionalism
Political economy perspective
Feminism
Individualisation
Micro-sociological perspectives
Queer theory
Conclusion
Key concepts
Discussion questions
Recommended further reading
Chapter 5: Young people, relationships and sexuality
Introduction
Leaving home
Young people and partnering
Changing concepts of young adulthood
Intimate relationships
Sexuality
Conclusion
Key concepts
Discussion questions
Recommended further reading
Chapter 6: Love, Commitment and marriage
Introduction
Love and romance
Changing relationship patterns
Marriage patterns in Australia
Unmarried cohabitation
The pure relationship and ‘the transformation of intimacy’
Gay marriage and commitment ceremonies
Conclusion
Key concepts
Discussion questions
Recommended further reading
Chapter 7: Relating beyond the cohabiting couple
Introduction
Beyond heterorelationality
Friendship
The single life
The emotional and social significance of group households
Living apart together (LAT)
Conclusion
Key concepts
Discussion questions
Recommended further reading
Chapter 8: Fertility, technology and family change
Introduction
Fertility trends
Social consequences of low fertility rates
Explanations for fertility behaviour
Cultural beliefs about parenting
Assisted reproductive technologies and family change
Conclusion
Key concepts
Discussion questions
Recommended further reading
Chapter 9: Parenting, children and childcare
Introduction
Childhood and historical change in western countries
Cultural differences in childhood
Changing research perspectives on childhood
Families and new media technologies
Parenting
Diverse parenting contexts
Conclusion
Key concepts
Discussion questions
Recommended further reading
Chapter 10: Families and labour
Introduction
A brief history of gendered work
Families and the paid labour market
Domestic labour
Explaining inequality
Domestic labour, fairness and change
Domestic labour arrangements in lesbian and gay relationships
Conclusion
Key concepts
Discussion questions
Recommended further reading
Chapter 11: Separation, divorce and reconstituted families
Introduction
Divorce rates: change and continuity
Changes in the institutional basis of marriage
Causes of divorce
The impact of divorce
Step-families/blended-families/reconfigured families/post-divorce families
Conclusion
Key concepts
Discussion questions
Recommended further reading
Chapter 12: Violence in intimate relationships
Introduction
Defining and naming violence in intimate relationships
A continuum of violent behaviours
Australian patterns and trends
Explanations for domestic and family violence
Conclusion
Key concepts
Discussion questions
Recommended further reading
Chapter 13: Ageing, care and intergenerational relationships
Introduction
An ageing Australian population: demographic characteristics and implications
Sociological perspectives on ageing
Grandparenting
Conclusion
Key concepts
Discussion questions
Recommended further reading
Chapter 14: Conclusion: new families, new relationships?
Intimate life and the wider society
Love and panic
The future of families
Glossary
References
Index
