Research project Changing Families and the Reciprocal Exchange of Living Conditions between Generations
In recent decades, European countries have seen substantial changes in family constellations. Using longitudinal data from five European countries, we examine whether the consequences of family constellations are constant for children and adults across European countries.
We focus on reciprocal consequences of intergenerational transmission of living arrangements: how do parents’ living arrangements affect child outcomes, and how do children’s custody arrangements affect parents’ opportunities for repartnering following a union dissolution (i.e., parents’ living arrangements). The increase in shared custody arrangements where children spend close to equal amounts of time with each parent may make the role of both parents’ family constellations more important. For parents, the changing nature of custody arrangements may change the impact of children on parents’ lives. More parents now have an equal division of child(free) time. The equalization affects parents’ opportunities for finding a new partner, in return affecting the family constellations children experience. Our study provides knowledge on how intergenerational exchange between children and parents shapes family constellations and influences children’s outcomes in modern family contexts.
Project members
Project managers
Peter Fallesen
Assistant professor
Members
Michael Gähler
Professor of Sociology
