Table of Contents

1. IntroductionDefining families and relationshipsThinking sociologicallyWhy study families and relationships?Structure of the bookKey conceptsDiscussion questionsRecommended further reading2. Relationships and Families Over TimeIntroductionPre-modern families (circa pre-eighteenth century)Modern families (eighteenth–mid twentieth century)Families and relationships in late modernityIndigenous Australian familiesHistory of East Asian and South-East Asian familiesConclusionKey conceptsDiscussion questionsRecommended further reading3. Diversity in Families and RelationshipsIntroductionDiversity beyond the nuclear familyContemporary Indigenous Australian familiesCulturally and linguistically diverse immigrant familiesSocial classConclusionKey conceptsDiscussion questionsRecommended further reading4. Sociological Perspectives on Relationships and FamiliesIntroductionStructural functionalismPolitical economy perspectiveFeminismIndividualisationMicro-sociological perspectivesQueer theoryConclusionKey conceptsDiscussion questionsRecommended further reading5. Young People, Relationships and FamiliesIntroductionLeaving homeYoung people and partneringChanging concepts of young adulthoodIntimate relationshipsSexualityConclusionKey conceptsDiscussion questionsRecommended further reading6. Love, Commitment and MarriageIntroductionLove and romanceChanging relationship patternsMarriage patterns in AustraliaUnmarried cohabitationThe pure relationship and ‘the transformation of intimacy’Gay marriage and commitment ceremoniesConclusionKey conceptsDiscussion questionsRecommended further reading7. Relating Beyond the Cohabiting CoupleIntroductionBeyond heterorelationalityFriendshipThe single lifeThe emotional and social significance of group householdsLiving apart together (LAT)ConclusionKey conceptsDiscussion questionsRecommended further reading8. Fertility, Technology and Family ChangeIntroductionFertility trendsSocial consequences of low fertility ratesExplanations for fertility behaviourCultural beliefs about parentingAssisted reproductive technologies and family changeConclusionKey conceptsDiscussion questionsRecommended further reading9. Parenting, Children and ChildcareIntroductionChildhood and historical change in Western countriesCultural differences in childhoodChanging research perspectives on childhoodFamilies and new media technologiesParentingDiverse parenting contextsConclusionKey conceptsDiscussion questionsRecommended further reading10. Families and LabourIntroductionA brief history of gendered workFamilies and the paid labour marketDomestic labourExplaining inequalityDomestic labour, fairness and changeDomestic labour arrangements in lesbian and gay relationshipsConclusionKey conceptsDiscussion questionsRecommended further reading11. Separation, Divorce and Reconstituted FamiliesIntroductionDivorce rates: change and continuityChanges in the institutional basis of marriageCauses of divorceThe impact of divorceStep-families/blended-families/reconfigured families/post-divorce familiesConclusionKey conceptsDiscussion questionsRecommended further reading12. Violence in Intimate RelationshipsIntroductionDefining and naming violence in intimate relationshipsA continuum of violent behavioursAustralian patterns and trendsExplanations for domestic and family violenceConclusionKey conceptsDiscussion questionsRecommended further reading13. Ageing, Care and Intergenerational RelationshipsIntroductionAn ageing Australian population: demographic characteristics and implicationsSociological perspectives on ageingGrandparentingConclusionKey conceptsDiscussion questionsRecommended further reading14. ConclusionIntimate life and the wider societyLove and panicThe future of familiesGlossaryReferencesIndex

About the Author

Deborah Dempsey - Senior Lecturer, School of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, Swinburne University Jo Lindsay - Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, Monash University and President of the Australian Sociological Society