Rieder
Irene
Family Policies
Schmidt
Eva-Maria
Family and Children
Family Policies
Who is Taking Care of Babies?

Who is Taking Care of Babies?

Decisions on sharing parental leave among couples in Austria
A wide range of factors have been identified in influencing parents’ decisions on shared leave, including gender ideologies towards parenting and care work. Masculinity is one of the driving forces in changing gender relations within families, meaning how fathers are positioned and their practices inside a household or a relationship. In this context, little attention has been paid to the extent to which masculinity is jointly constructed by both fathers and mothers, and how these constructions are linked to the use of parental leave.
Books and Reports: European Policy Brief: Intergenerational Linkages in the Family

European Policy Brief: Intergenerational Linkages in the Family

This policy brief highlights recent research findings from the project "FamiliesAndSocieties" on the role of laws and policies in shaping gendered interdependencies in families; the way the "sandwich generation" (those who are likely to raise a child or a grandchild and care for parents at the same time) cares for older parents across countries; transfers in Europe from ageing parents to adult children and vice versa; and, the extent to which the financial crisis has affected intergenerational patterns of family support across households.
Does a Short Paternity Leave Influence Practices of Fatherhood?

Does a Short Paternity Leave Influence Practices of Fatherhood?

Effects of paternity leave schemes offered by employers in Switzerland
What happens to views and ideas about gendered representations and practices of fatherhood if a company allows new fathers to take one month of paid leave in a country with no statutory paternity leave? Isabel Valarino and Jacques-Antoine Gauthier analysed the implementation and use of a one-month paid paternity leave in the urban French-speaking context in Switzerland.
News: Cohabitation across Europe

Cohabitation across Europe

Catching up with the new normal
In 2016, thousands of couples across Europe will decide to move in together—without getting married first. It makes sense. Sharing expenses cuts costs in an economy characterized by slug­gish wage growth, and living together simply saves time. Plus, cohabitation connotes a certain level of commit­ment without the legal—and social—obligations that come with marriage. You might call it a baby step. Whatever the case, they won’t be alone. By 2010, nearly 40% of French couples between the ages 25 and 44 had chosen the cohabitation route, registered or un­registered.
Less In The Family

Less In The Family

Changing care ideals in the Netherlands
Traditionally, Dutch long-term care arrangements were mainly provided by the government. But to limit costs, during the past few decades the Netherlands has been reforming its historically generous, public long-term care services. The reforms aimed to encourage people to be more active in caring for dependent relatives. Researcher Thijs van den Broek and his colleagues now show that despite the new policies to promote family engagement in care, care ideals in the Netherlands have shifted away from, rather than towards, the family having a prominent caring role.
Third Annual FamiliesAndSocieties Stakeholder Seminar: Intergenerational Linkages in the Family

Third Annual FamiliesAndSocieties Stakeholder Seminar: Intergenerational Linkages in the Family

How policies shape the organisation of caring and financial responsibilities for family members
The main questions discussed at the third FamiliesAndSocieties Stakeholder Seminar in Brussels were how laws and policies shape gendered interdependencies in families, how the so-called “sandwich generation” (those who are simultaneously raising a child and caring for parents, aged 45-69) cares for elderly parents across countries, and how the financial crisis has affected intergenerational patterns of family support across households.
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