Families and personal networks: an international comparative perspective

1. Introduction; Eric D. Widmer, JacquesAntoine Gauthier, Karin Wall, Vida esnuitytand Rita Gouveia -- 2. Contextualising Personal Networks Across Birth Cohorts and Countries; Vasco Ramos, Vida esnuityt, Karin Wall, and Dominique Joye -- 3. A First Portrait of Personal Networks in a Comparative Perspective; Rita Gouveia, Gae Aeby, and Vida esnuityt -- 4. Changing Meanings of Family in Personal Relationships: a Comparative Perspective; Karin Wall, Rita Gouveia, Gae Aeby, and Vida esnuityt -- 5. Mapping the Plurality of Personal Configurations; Gae Aeby, Eric D. Widmer, Vida esnuityt, and Rita Gouveia -- 6. Understanding Personal Networks as Social Capital; Eric D. Widmer, Rita Gouveia, Gae Aeby, and Vida esnuityt -- 7. Linking Family Trajectories and Personal Networks; JacquesAntoine Gauthier, Gae Aeby, Vasco Ramos, and Vida esnuityt -- 8. Conclusions; Karin Wall, Vida esnuityt, Eric D. Widmer, and JacquesAntoine Gauthier.;Intro; Contents; Notes on Contributors; List of Figures; List of Tables; 1: Introduction; Setting the Scene: Portugal, Lithuania, and Switzerland; Personal Networks; Personal Networks in a Life Course Perspective; Research Design and Sample; Final Remarks; References; 2: Contextualising Personal Networks Across Birth Cohorts and Countries; Introduction; Social and Historical Background; Portugal; Switzerland; Lithuania; Overview of Social Development in the Three Countries; Main Characteristics of the post-WWII Cohorts; Normative Frameworks; Education and Occupations;This book critically assesses the main features of the modernization of family life and personal relationships by examining and comparing three European countries with different social and political pathways: Portugal, Switzerland and Lithuania. Drawing on national surveys of family trajectories and social networks, the contributors highlight personal and family relationships through the lens of network and life course perspectives as well as gender and generational perspectives. Providing innovative, comparative findings on families and personal networks through the use of diverse methodologies, this edited collection will be of interest to scholars, students and policymakers across a range of social science disciplines.