Family change, intergenerational relations and policy implications

Since the 1990s, international social science research has made a major contribution to the evidence base on changing family forms and household structures by collecting and processing data about family composition, dissolution and reconstitution, as well as household living, working and caring arrangements. Social scientists have exploited the available data to analyse the social, economic and financial impacts of family change on relations between the generations and their implications for policy. This article explores the varied conceptual understandings of family, household and generation. It reviews international socio-demographic data that track trends in family relations and identifies the contributions of different disciplinary perspectives to the evidence base. The authors consider intergenerational relations both within families and in wider society, covering property, finances, care and value systems, in addition to public policies determining the provision of benefits, goods and services supporting family life. They highlight the challenges facing social scientists in collecting and evaluating evidence about changing intergenerational relations and in assessing policy responses. Acknowledging that many factors contribute to policy development and implementation, they conclude by recognising the extent to which governments in different societal contexts vary in their responses to apparently similar challenges.