Michaela Kreyenfeld – författare

Exploring how family life has radically changed in recent decades, this comprehensive Research Handbook tracks the latest developments and trends in scholarly work on the family. With a particular focus on the European context, it addresses current debates and offers insights into key topics including: the division of housework, family forms and living arrangements, intergenerational relationships, partner choice, divorce and fertility behaviour. Bringing together contributions from leading family sociologists, the Research Handbook examines important questions: have family patterns across different countries become more similar, or have differences between countries and social groups increased over time? How diverse are family forms across different countries? How do conventional theories explain these patterns? And what are the major innovations in theorising and describing family behaviour? In order to resolve these key points, the chapters provide an overview of past and present developments in scholarly work on European families. They also present concise overviews of theories, methods, critical debates, empirical findings and pathways for future research. Its analysis of important areas of research in the field will make this Research Handbook a valuable resource for scholars and students of sociology, demography, and family and gender policy. It will also be beneficial for policy experts in these fields.

This open access book assembles landmark studies on divorce and separation in European countries, and how this affects the life of parents and children. It focuses on four major areas of post-separation lives, namely (1) economic conditions, (2) parent-child relationships, (3) parent and child well-being, and (4) health. Through studies from several European countries, the book showcases how legal regulations and social policies influence parental and child well-being after divorce and separation. It also illustrates how social policies are interwoven with the normative fabric of a country. For example, it is shown that father-child contact after separation is more intense in those countries which have adopted policies that encourage shared parenting. Correspondingly, countries that have adopted these regulations are at the forefront of more egalitarian gender role attitudes. Apart from a strong emphasis on the legal and social policy context, the studies in this volume adopt a longitudinal perspective and situate post-separation behaviour and well-being in the life course. The longitudinal perspective opens up new avenues for research to understand how behaviour and conditions prior or at divorce and separation affect later behaviour and well-being. As such this book is of special appeal to scholars of family research as well as to anyone interested in the role of divorce and separation in Europe in the 21st century.

This open access book assembles landmark studies on divorce and separation in European countries, and how this affects the life of parents and children. It focuses on four major areas of post-separation lives, namely (1) economic conditions, (2) parent-child relationships, (3) parent and child well-being, and (4) health. Through studies from several European countries, the book showcases how legal regulations and social policies influence parental and child well-being after divorce and separation. It also illustrates how social policies are interwoven with the normative fabric of a country. For example, it is shown that father-child contact after separation is more intense in those countries which have adopted policies that encourage shared parenting. Correspondingly, countries that have adopted these regulations are at the forefront of more egalitarian gender role attitudes. Apart from a strong emphasis on the legal and social policy context, the studies in this volume adopt a longitudinal perspective and situate post-separation behaviour and well-being in the life course. The longitudinal perspective opens up new avenues for research to understand how behaviour and conditions prior or at divorce and separation affect later behaviour and well-being. As such this book is of special appeal to scholars of family research as well as to anyone interested in the role of divorce and separation in Europe in the 21st century.

This book is published open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.This open access book provides an overview of childlessness throughout Europe. It offers a collection of papers written by leading demographers and sociologists that examine contexts, causes, and consequences of childlessness in countries throughout the region.The book features data from all over Europe. It specifically highlights patterns of childlessness in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland. An additional chapter on childlessness in the United States puts the European experience in perspective. The book offers readers such insights as the determinants of lifelong childlessness, whether governments can and should counteract increasing childlessness, how the phenomenon differs across social strata and the role economic uncertainties play. In addition, the book also examines life course dynamics and biographical patterns, assisted reproduction as well as the consequences of childlessness. Childlessness has been increasing rapidly in most European countries in recent decades. This book offers readers expert analysis into this issue from leading experts in the field of family behavior. From causes to consequences, it explores the many facets of childlessness throughout Europe to present a comprehensive portrait of this important demographic and sociological trend.

This book is published open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.This open access book provides an overview of childlessness throughout Europe. It offers a collection of papers written by leading demographers and sociologists that examine contexts, causes, and consequences of childlessness in countries throughout the region.The book features data from all over Europe. It specifically highlights patterns of childlessness in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland. An additional chapter on childlessness in the United States puts the European experience in perspective. The book offers readers such insights as the determinants of lifelong childlessness, whether governments can and should counteract increasing childlessness, how the phenomenon differs across social strata and the role economic uncertainties play. In addition, the book also examines life course dynamics and biographical patterns, assisted reproduction as well as the consequences of childlessness. Childlessness has been increasing rapidly in most European countries in recent decades. This book offers readers expert analysis into this issue from leading experts in the field of family behavior. From causes to consequences, it explores the many facets of childlessness throughout Europe to present a comprehensive portrait of this important demographic and sociological trend.

Trotz der offensichtlichen sozialpolitischen Relevanz und großen medialen Aufmerksamkeit des Phänomens Kinderlosigkeit sind das Ausmaß, die Ursachen und die Konsequenzen der Kinderlosigkeit in Deutschland bislang unzureichend untersucht worden, mit der Folge, dass in öffentlichen Debatten häufig unkritische und irreführende Diagnosen über Kinderlosigkeit erstellt werden. Das Ziel des Bandes besteht vor diesem Hintergrund darin, das Phänomen der Kinderlosigkeit in Deutschland analytisch differenziert zu durchdringen und belastbare Daten und Ergebnisse über das Ausmaß und die Struktur, die Ursachen und Folgen von Kinderlosigkeit zu präsentieren. Die vorliegende zweite Auflage ist grundlegend aktualisiert und erweitert worden.

In der aktuellen in den Medien geführten Debatte über den demographischen Wandel in Deutschland spielen geringe Geburtenraten und hohe Kinderlosigkeit eine zentrale Rolle. Insbesondere spektakuläre Zahlen über das Ausmaß der Kinderlosigkeit unter Akademikerinnen haben die unterschiedlichsten K- mentatoren auf den Plan gerufen. In praktisch allen überregionalen Printmedien wurde das Thema behandelt. Der SPIEGEL berichtete aus einem ‚Land ohne Lachen’, die ZEIT vom ‚kinderlosen Land’, FOCUS winkte ‚Bye bye Baby’. Journalisten und Journalistinnen stritten und streiten über den ‚Gebärstreik der Frauen’ und die ‚Zeugungsunwilligkeit der Männer’. Die in diesem Band versammelten Beiträge liefern eine soziologische - standsaufnahme der Kinderlosigkeit, die sich in Inhalt und Duktus von den in der Öffentlichkeit vorherrschenden Problembeschreibungen abhebt. Der Band geht auf einen Workshop zurück, der am 6. und 7. Oktober 2005 unter dem Titel ‚Ein Leben ohne Kinder? Kinderlosigkeit in Deutschland’ am Max-Planck- Institut für demografische Forschung in Rostock stattfand. Wir möchten an d- ser Stelle dem Direktor der Abteilung Fertilität und Familiendynamik im heu- gen Europa des Max-Planck-Instituts für demografische Forschung Rostock, Prof. Dr. Jan Hoem, für die großzügige infrastrukturelle und finanzielle Unt- stützung der Durchführung des Workshops danken. Gedankt sei auch dem R- tocker Zentrum zur Erforschung des demographischen Wandels; insbesondere Kristín von Kistowski, die den Workshop mit durchgeführt hat, und Christine Röpke, die auf der organisatorischen Seite zum Gelingen des Workshops bei- tragen hat. Schließlich möchten wir dem Lektor des VS Verlags, Frank Eng- hardt, für die Unterstützung des Buchprojekts unserenDank aussprechen.

In diesem Band präsentieren die Herausgebenden das Forschungsgebiet der Bevölkerungssoziologie. Mit unterschiedlichen Fragestellungen der Bevölkerungssoziologie befasste Autoren und Autorinnen tragen durch ihre Beiträge dazu bei. Nach einem ausführlichen Überblick über die in der Bevölkerungssoziologie gängigen Themen, Theorien und Daten werden die Bereiche Fertilität, Familie und Lebensformen, Migration und Mobilität sowie Mortalität, Morbidität und Pflege vorgestellt. Abschließend folgt eine Erörterung des gesellschaftlichen Umgangs mit demographischem Wandel. Damit richtet sich das Handbuch Bevölkerungssoziologie an ein breites Publikum, das Studierende, Wissenschaftler und Wissenschaftlerinnen, Politiker und Politikerinnen wie auch die interessierte Öffentlichkeit umfasst.

Das Buch versammelt einschlägige Beiträge im Bereich „Social Demography“, der Schnittstelle von soziologischer und demographischer Forschung. In den Einzelbeiträgen wird die Bedeutung klassischer soziologischer Konzepte, wie des Lebenslaufs, des Generationenzusammenhangs und der sozialen Ungleichheit für demographische Prozesse, vor allem der Fertilität, der Migration und der Mortalität herausgearbeitet. Darüber hinaus beinhaltet der Band aktuelle Studien im Bereich soziobiologischer Forschung wie auch zur gesamtgesellschaftlichen Bedeutung demographischer Entwicklungen für moderne Wohlfahrtsstaaten.