Children and the Changing Family

This timely and thought-provoking book explores how social and family change are colouring the experience of childhood. The book is centred around three major changes: parental employment, family composition and ideology. The authors demonstrate how children's families are transformed in accordance with societal changes in demographic and economic terms, and as a result of the choices parents make in response to these changes. Despite claims that society is becoming increasingly child-centred, this book argues that children still have little influence over the major changes in their lives. This book breaks new ground by researching family change from the child's point of view. Through combinations from childhood experts in Scandinavia, the UK and America, the book shows the importance of studying children's lives in families in order to understand how far children are active agents in contemporary society. Students of childhood studies, sociology, social work and education will find this book essential reading. It will also be of interest to practitioners in the social, child and youth services.

Introducation: Theorizing Childhood and Family Change 1. Children's Changing Families and Circumstances: Increasing Diversification and Inequality? 2. Children's Perspectives on Middle Class Work-Family Arrangements 3. Changing Labour Markets and Changing Families 4. Father Presence in Child Care 5. Children's Experiences of their Parents' Divorce 6. Children Coping with Parental Divorce: What Helps, What Hurts? 7. As Fair as it Can be? Childhood After Divorce 8. Children's Stories - As Told and Between the Lines: Children and Fathers in Parental Break-up 9. For Children's Sake: Symbolic Power Lost? 10. Childhood and Family Time: A Historically Changing Relationship Afterword: Changing Childhood - A Case Study