Diversity in Family Life: Gender, Relationships and Social Change

Description

As new forms of family and 'non-traditional' families grow in number, there is a need to understand these 'new' arrangements and models of parenthood. This ground-breaking book discusses, using a comparative and a sociological perspective, examples of the relationship between changing gender identities and processes of family formation in the Western experience. It aims to show that, in the 21st century, it is possible to form a family without sex, without children, without a shared home, without a partner, without a working husband, without a heterosexual orientation or without a biological' sexual body. 'Diversity in family life' will help readers discover and understand the characteristics, advantages and drawbacks of these new models of parenthood, and their political implications in terms of social movements, characteristics and demands.

Elisabetta Ruspini is Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy. She is the director of the Centre for Media Research "In Chiaro" (University of Milano-Bicocca). She has extensive teaching and research experience, and has published widely on gender issues. She is the main editor of the book series "Generi, culture, sessualita - Gender, Cultures, Sexualities", published by FrancoAngeli, Milano

"This is an interesting and innovative text which provides very useful coverage of the main dimensions of change in intimacies and family relations." Professor Kath Woodward, Open University. "An interesting and innovative book...has something to offer a wide range of students, reseacrhers and academics and family policy makers." LSE Review of Books