scholarly journals THE EVOLUTION OF THE STATE FAMILY POLICY IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES: CHANGING PROBLEMS, PRIORITIES AND PRACTICES

Author(s):  
A. V. Noskova

The paper describes some common peculiarities in evolution of the State family politics and policies in Europe since the middle of the XIX century to our days. Неге we define the family policy widely enough as the state activity (ideological, legislative, economic, social) concerning a family. The State family policy has four main dimensions such as demographical, social, gender and existential ones. The analysis of the long-term trends in European family policies made it possible to draw four main periods in its evolution. A set of the main problems, priorities and practices is defined for each period. The article also presents the links between the origin of every new period and the changing families, demographical and social realities. The first period (from the second half of the XIX century till the end of the 1940th) is described as the institutionalization of the European family policy. The main problem of this period is the demographic one. The links between the institutionalization of the European family policy and the changes in family life, demographic and social changes in the boundary of the XIX-XX centuries are shown. The second period (the 1950th) is characterized by the development of the social dimension as a part of the becoming European welfare state. In 1950-s, the main focus in family policies was made on the overcoming of the family poverty. The third period (the 1960th – the end of the 1980th) is characterized by a pluralization of the problems, strategies, measures of family policy under the influence of the differentiation of family structures and styles of family life. The fourth period (from the beginning of the 1990th to the present time) deals with reformatting of the conventional relations of the state and a family in the conditions of a new family, demographic, social and economic European context. The article presents the diversity of the family policy models in the European countries in their connection with the political and ideological factors. Special attention is paid to interdisciplinary scientific family studies which are directed to the practical solution of the modern family problems. It is noted that the European scientific centers for family studies and researches play a significant role in the scientific maintenance of European family policy.

Author(s):  
Suzana Bornarova ◽  
Natasha Bogoevska ◽  
Svetlana Trbojevik

Following 1945, that is the Second World War, Europe faced a huge demographic increase in the number of births, known as baby-boom. Encouraged by the improvement of the living conditions after the devastating war, the return of the optimism, opening of the employment opportunities and the renewal of the idea about the family, this demographic trend entailed the so-called familism tide. In the mid 1960-ies however, demographic indicators in almost all European countries began to change suddenly. Massive development of contraception, increased birth control and family planning, as well as higher employment of women and their integration in the labour market, took place. As a result of these trends, in the 1970-ties European countries faced a considerable drop in fertility rates. This trend reached its peak during 1970-1980-ties when a dramatic drop in fertility rates took place, known as baby-bust. As a consequence, almost everywhere in Europe, the fertility rate dropped below the level needed for simple population reproduction or below 2.1 children per woman. Several related trends also contributed to the change in the demographic picture of Europe, such as: dropping birthrates, shrinking of the population, delay in births (increase in the age of birth of the first child), increase in the number of one-child families, as well as growth in the number of couples without children (universality of births is no longer present – at least 1 child per family). Similar trends are evidenced in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CIE), with one considerable difference – they took place around a decade later compared to the developed European countries. One common characteristic which shaped the demographic changes in CIE countries was the fact that they occurred simultaneously with the radical changes of the societal system from socialism towards democracy in the 1990-ties. Due to this, demographic changes in CIE countries gain in weight, are furthermore under the influence of the transitional processes and thus differ considerably compared to those in the developed countries. The differences are heavily attributable to two sets of factors: a) different institutional settings, especially in the family policies related to employment of women and child raising; and b) different effects of these family policies upon fertility rates and participation of women in the labour market. Given the above demographic trends, welfare states in Europe, adjust accordingly, predominantly through the policies and measures of family policy as one of the social policy domains. Following a detailed statistical analysis of demographic indicators in Europe, this paper will produce an analysis of the family policy responses to demographic trends based on the Esping-Andersens’ classification of welfare states: universal welfare states (Nordic countries); conservative welfare states (Continental European countries); liberal social states (Anglo-Saxon countries) and South-European social states (Mediterranean countries). A specific focus in the paper will be also given to the demographic trends and corresponding family policy developments in the Republic of Macedonia, as a country of South Europe. Cross-cutting issues in the analysis of the family policy models will be: the extent to which family policies are gender-neutral or gender-specific (are they women-friendly and do they promote active fatherhood?), measures for harmonization of work and family life (are women appropriately supported in performing their roles of mothers and active participants in the labour market at the same time) and the scope in which family policy is being designed to serve the purposes of population policy (how the concern and the interest of the state to increase fertility rates shapes family policy?).


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 320-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Van Winkle

The family policy landscape changed dramatically across and within European societies during the 20th century. At the same time, family life courses have become more complex, unstable and unpredictable. However, there are no empirical studies that attempt to link changes in family policies with increasing family life course complexity. In this study, I address two research questions: (1) What is the association between family policies and family life course complexity? and (2) Do these associations vary by the life course stage at which individuals experience family policies? Retrospective data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe are used to construct the family life courses of individuals from the age of 15 to 50, born between 1924 and 1956, from 15 European countries. I use metrics developed in sequence analysis that incorporate life course transitions and unpredictability to measure the complexity of family formation. Annual policy information from 1924 to 2008 for each country are combined to generate cohort indices for three policy dimensions: familization, individualization and liberalization. These cohort metrics express the policy experiences of individuals over the course of their lives, rather than at a specific historical time point. I find that while familization is associated with less complex life courses, individualization is related to higher levels of complexity. Furthermore, my results indicate that the levels individualization experienced early and later in the life course are linked most strongly with complexity. I conclude that family policy reforms may partially account for increasing life course instability and unpredictability across Europe.


Author(s):  
A. V. Noskova

The paper describes some peculiarities in evolution of the State family politics and policies in Russia since the beginning of the XX century to present time. The aim of the paper is to shed light on the family state policy in Russia during the different periods of time. We define here the family state policy widely enough as the various state activity (ideological, legislative, economic, social) concerning institute of family. The analysis of the state measures concerning the family in different social and political contexts allowed us to allocate the five main stages and models of the family state policy in Russia. They are: the post-revolutionary model (1917-1926), the «Stalin» model (1927-1953), the "welfare" Soviet model (1954-1991), the yearly post- Soviet model (1991-2005), the modern model (since 2006). The paper is based on the some demographic and sociological surveys data and devoted to an analysis of the family changes in these various periods. On the one hand, the family policies were a reaction to new social requirements and demographic changes (decline of fertility, for example). On the other hand, the state activity concerning a family itself caused transitions in the family institute. We show how various measures of soviet and post-soviet family policies and public interventions in family life have influenced on the family relations.


Hypatia ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Minow ◽  
Mary Lyndon Shanley

This article discusses three main orientations in recent works of legal and political theory about the family—contract-based, community-based, and rights-based—and argues that none of these takes adequate account of two paradoxical features of family life and of the family's relationship to the state. A coherent political and legal theory of the family in the contemporary United States requires recognition of the relational rights and responsibilities intrinsic to family life.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (XIX) ◽  
pp. 151-167
Author(s):  
Maciej Borski

Naturally, it is the family who is predestined to take care of people with disabilities. However, they cannot be left alone with all their problems. What turns out to be necessary is the support from the state. It seems that nowadays public authorities recognize the necessity, however, they are trying to achieve the goal with the least possible financial involvement. What might constitute a very good example confirming the thesis is the long-term negligence of the state in the area of assistance to carers of persons with disabilities in the form of the so-called respite care. The author’s objective was to set this institution in a broader context of support for carers of persons with disabilities. For this purpose, what will be elaborated on is not only the origins and current legal measures functioning in Poland, but also those in selected European countries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 121 ◽  
pp. 03013
Author(s):  
Nadezhda Anatolievna Shaidenko ◽  
Elena Yakovlevna Orekhova ◽  
Alexander Nikolaevich Sergeev ◽  
Svetlana Nikolaevna Kipurova

State family policy and its important direction, which is the improvement of the living conditions of orphans and children left without parental care, require constant updating due to socio-economic and political circumstances. Changes should concern both the state level and the level of specific regions. The improvement of the forms and methods of relations between the state, family and children in a particular country is possible with the consideration of the advanced achievements and miscalculations of other states in this policy. Therefore, it is highly important for the theory and practice of the development of Russian family state and regional policy to study the experience of France. The study made it possible to draw conclusions about the specifics of state policy in the formation of family and childhood in France. In this period, family policy in France has gone from exclusion from the family by the school to a discourse of cooperation. Particular attention is paid to the French School Orientation and Reform Act of June 8, 2013, of particular interest. It recognizes the importance of establishing partnerships between the school and the family and proposes measures of cooperation between school and family, some of which are interesting for contemporary Russian reality. The article shows the advantage of modern Russian family state policy by characterizing its goals, principles and objectives defined in the main regulatory documents of the last decade. The materials of the article are of practical value for legislators and heads of social services of different levels, specialists of educational authorities, social protection, guardianship and trusteeship. The article is of interest to teachers and students of pedagogical universities.


2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-84
Author(s):  
Ulrike Zartler

Against the backdrop of high divorce rates and changing concepts in the social sciences, the issue is addressed as to how children and families construct divorce and patterns of family life prior and subsequent to divorce. Based on an Austrian qualitative survey of 50 ten-year old children and their respective parents (n=71), it can be shown that divorce is predominantly constructed as a disintegration of the family. Based upon the dimensions of normalcy, complementarity and stability, nuclear families are being perceived as the most advantageous form of living together as a family. Whereas single-parent families are constructed as being both deficient and disadvantaged, stepfamilies are seen in a more positive light which, in turn, is due to the everyday presence of two parents in those families. These findings indicate that the interviewees orientate themselves along the lines of the model of disorganization, hierarchized ways of family life, and family concepts that are household-centered and focus primarily on family structures. Finally, the implications and repercussions of these findings for family policies and family research are being discussed. Zusammenfassung Vor dem Hintergrund hoher Scheidungsraten und veränderter sozialwissenschaftlicher Konzepte wird die Frage gestellt, wie Kinder und Eltern Scheidungen sowie familiale Lebensformen vor und nach einer Scheidung konstruieren. Basierend auf einer österreichischen qualitativen Befragung von 50 zehnjährigen Kindern und ihren Eltern (n= 71) zeigt sich, dass Scheidung überwiegend als Auflösung der Familie konstruiert wird. Kernfamilien werden, basierend auf den Aspekten Normalität, Komplementarität und Stabilität, als vorteilhafteste Lebensform wahrgenommen. Ein-Eltern-Familien werden als defizitär und benachteiligt konstruiert, während Stieffamilien aufgrund der alltäglichen Präsenz von zwei Elternpersonen positiver betrachtet werden. Die Ergebnisse verweisen auf eine Orientierung am Desorganisationsmodell, eine Hierarchisierung von Lebensformen sowie haushaltszentrierte und familienstrukturell fokussierte Konzeptionen. Auswirkungen und Implikationen dieser Ergebnisse für Sozialpolitik und Familienforschung werden diskutiert.


Author(s):  
Francois de Singly

Emile Durkheim’s first specialized course in Bordeaux (in 1888) was on the sociology of the family. Although his work on the topic is not his best known, and is often rather misunderstood, it is still quite interesting. Durkheim was able to perceive the two leading characteristics of the European family under the first modernity (from the 1850s through the 1960s): the personalization of ties and the increasing intervention of the state in family affairs. Understanding this change did not lead Durkheim to approve of it, however, and he worried about the weakening of rules and discipline within the family.


2020 ◽  
pp. 40-45
Author(s):  
U. N. Raimjanova

In modern conditions, a special role in strengthening family relations can be played by the state, interested in preserving and strengthening the institution of the family. In different countries, the state policy towards the family depends on the traditions, the legislative framework, the level of economic development and the problems that characterize the course of family life in a given state.


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