Gendered families: states and societies in transition

Abstract

Family life has changed significantly in recent decades for both women and men. Fertility rates have dropped, numbers divorcing have increased, and the proportion of children born outside marriage has grown. At the same time, we have seen significant changes in state forms and institutions, with marketization becoming embedded in centrally planned economies as well as welfare states. Women increasingly participate in labour markets and higher education, as expectations of equal opportunity have expanded. Despite obvious improvements in female employment and educational attainment, however, gender inequalities persist, not least in law, policy, labour markets, and family roles. Women continue to provide the bulk of informal multigenerational care. Work and family policies vary across the globe, yet policy analysis from a gender perspective is scarce. This editorial considers research from around the world, including Europe, the former Soviet bloc, Japan, and China, to develop an understanding of the tensions and shifts in the gendered organisation of family lives. Changes and continuities in gendered inequalities shaping family life are examined, with a focus on the intersection of state, labour market, and family, as they reproduce and reshape gender norms and inequalities.