Contemporary Issues in Family Studies

Angela Abela is Associate Professor andHead of the Department of Family Studies at the University of Malta, as well as a clinical psychologist, family therapist, and supervisor. She is a consultant for the Maltese government and the Standing Committee for Family Affairs in the Maltese Parliament, and is frequently engaged as an expert for the Council of Europe. She has published on a wide range of areas, including children in out-of-home care, the relationship between adolescents and their parents, families living in poverty, marital conflict, and supervision practice. She is an associate editor ofClinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry and an international advisory editor of Contemporary Family Therapy.

This volume tackles key issues in the changing nature of family life from a global perspective, and is essential reading for those studying and working with families.* Covers changes in couple relationships and the challenges these pose; parenting practices and their implications for child development; key contemporary global issues, such as migration, poverty, and the internet, and their impact on the family; and the role of the state in supporting family relationships* Includes a stellar cast of international contributors such as Paul Amato and John Coleman, and contributions from leading experts based in North Africa, Japan, Australia and New Zealand* Discusses topics such as cohabitation, divorce, single-parent households, same-sex partnerships, fertility, and domestic violence* Links research and practice and provides policy recommendations at the end of each chapter

List of Figures xivList of Tables xvPreface xviThe Contributors xviAbout the Book xviiAcknowledgements xviiiContributors' Biographies xxPart I Changing Couple and Family Relationships 11 Global Changes in Marriage, Parenting and Family Life: An Overview 5Angela Abela and Janet Walker2 Cohabitation or Marriage? Contemporary Living Arrangements in the West 16Turid Noack, Eva Bernhardt and Kenneth Aarskaug Wiik3 'Alone Together' Marriages and 'Living Apart Together' Relationships 31Paul R. Amato and Lydia N. Hayes4 Marriage and Divorce in the Western World 46Jan Pryor5 Divorce in the Arab Gulf Countries: A Major Challenge to Family and Society 59Layachi Anser6 Couple and Family Dynamics and Escalations in Violence 74Justine van Lawick7 Loving Diversity: Living in Intercultural Couple Relationships 87Danika N. Hiew, W. Kim Halford and Shuang Liu8 Growing Older in a Changing World: Opportunities and Challenges for Family Life and Social Support 100John BondPart II Parenthood, Parenting and Family Life 1159 The Transition to Parenthood: Choices and Responsibilities 119Janet Walker10 Why Fewer Babies? Understanding and Responding to Low Fertility in Europe 136Maria Letizia Tanturri11 Mothers, Fathers, Families and Child Development 151Gabriela Misca and Jo Smith12 Raising Children in Single-Parent Families 166Jan M. Nicholson, Fabrizio D'Esposito, Nina Lucas and Elizabeth M. Westrupp13 Sexual Orientation, Marriage and Parenthood: A Global Perspective 189Charlotte J. Patterson, Rachel G. Riskind and Samantha L. Tornello14 Parenting Teenagers 203John Coleman15 Working Families: Who Cares? 215Simon B. Burnett, Jonathan Swan and Cary Cooper16 Children and Divorce in World Perspective 227Paul R. Amato and Lisa M. BoydPart III Global Impacts on Family Life 24517 Globalisation and Family Life 249Melinda Mills18 The Internet and Its Implications for Children, Parents and Family Relationships 262Monica T. Whitty19 Immigrant Families Coming to the West 275Ubaldo Martínez Veiga20 The 'Quiet Migration': Challenges for Families with Children Adopted Internationally 288Gabriela Misca21 Families Living on the Margin in Affluent Societies 302Angela Abela and Marie-Cécile Renoux22 Mate Selection and Marriage Stability in the Maghreb 317Sabah Ayachi23 Demographic Change and Its Impact on Relationships in Japan and East Asia 328James M. Raymo24 I Say a Little Prayer for You: Do Prayers Matter in Marriage and Family Life? 341Frank D. FinchamPart IV Looking to the Future: The Role of States in Supporting Families 35525 Why Should States Have an Interest in Making Families Stronger? 357Ruth Farrugia26 Making a Global Case for Family Policy: How Families Support Society and How Policies Support Families 369Karen Bogenschneider27 Partnership, Parenting and Protecting Children's Best Interests: Implications for Policy and Practice 382Janet Walker and Angela AbelaIndex 393