Policy Insights

Increased longevity is one of the most remarkable success stories in human history. However, it leads to several challenges. One of them is the rise in the number of older people in need of long-term care. In almost all European countries, the majority of care is provided by the family members, in particular where the level of professional formal care is limited.

Family diversity is not a new phenomenon, and it is here to stay. However, different types of families are not always equally supported by governments. Our recently published book focuses on the “triple bind” of single-parent families, and on the following question: How can societies support all family models? And while it is often suggested that family diversity would require a complex policy design, we believe otherwise. It does not have to be that complicated.

In den Jahren zwischen 1817 und 1829 veröffentlichte Johann Wolfgang von Goethe seine Novelle Ein Mann von fünfzig Jahren. Es geht darin um die mitunter schmerzhafte Erfahrung des Älterwerdens und des „Ergrauens“, und die sich daraus ergebenden Absurditäten im Zusammenleben von Alt und Jung; oder, wie Jonathan Swift (der kurz vor Goethes Geburt im Alter von 77 Jahren starb) einmal ironisch bemerkte: „Jeder möchte gerne länger leben, aber niemand alt werden“.

Between 1817 and 1829, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe published his novella The Man of Fifty. It tells the story of the somewhat painful experience of growing old and grey, and the absurdities the relationships between old and young can sometimes take; or, as Jonathan Swift (who died shortly before Goethe was born, at the age of 77) ironically stated: "Every man desires to live long; but no man would like to be old."

Children who live full time with one parent are more likely to feel stressed than children in shared custody situations. The benefit holds regardless of the level of conflict between the parents or between parent and child. These are the results of a new study from Stockholm University’s Demography Unit.

Recent decades of family change have seen increases in cohabitation rather than marriage, family dissolution, step-family formation and joint residential custody. Children are involved in many of these increasingly common family transitions and family forms.

Drawing conclusions of what promotes intergenerational mobility, thus promoting more equal societies, has turned out to be rather difficult. In our edited volume, we argue that an important factor that previous studies have overlooked is compensation. This means that when resources are lacking or have suddenly been lost, some attempts are made to access other resources. These attempts may come from the children, the parents themselves, or other persons nearby, such as grandparents, other extended or new family members, or even neighbours.

In 2001, a secondary education policy debate left German society rattled. In December of that year, the OECD published its first Programme for International Student Assessment report. PISA revealed Germany, the economic engine of Europe, to be lagging behind its OECD counterparts in both performance and equality among 15-year-olds.

What are the two most important findings of your research for FamiliesAndSocieties?

by Patrick I. Dick