Connecting generations in society and families: the interplay of societal change and family adaptation

Intergenerational relations have gained a prominent place in the public discourse and in social science research in the last years. This is, at least partly, due to the drastic socio-demographic changes related to falling fertility rates and higher life expectancies in many countries all over the world (UNFPA, 2011), which have had significant consequences for relations between generations in society and families. The most obvious impact of these developments on families is probably that it is now more likely that family members of different generations will live contemporaneously and spend an increased amount of life time together (see, for example, Lauterbach, 1995), meaning, for instance, that grandparents (or even great-grandparents) are more likely to see their grandchildren grow up. At the same time generations are becoming smaller in size, with the result that individuals have fewer siblings or cousins than in the past, a phenomenon that has been depicted as the ‘beanpole’ family by Bengtson et al (2003; see also Uhlenberg and Kirby, 1998; Chapter Nine). Apart from increasing the importance of intergenerational relations within families, the increased proportion of older compared to younger members of society also has effects on many (financial and practical) facets of the social security system, including health care, elder care and labour policy (see also Chapter One). These developments, which are particularly highly pronounced in Europe, confront societies with unprecedented challenges such as increasing costs in the public sector along with a growing demand for support services for the elder population in need (Ferring, 2010). General unanimity prevails regarding the key role of intergenerational family solidarity in dealing with the various challenges of socio-demographic change which are seen on the societal level (see also Daatland et al, 2009, for an overview). This is in spite of the claim of a decline of the family, that was put forward by several researchers during the last century. The expectation of such a decline was linked to a decrease in traditional family patterns due to growing divorce and separation rates, lower marriage rates, greater geographic distances between adult family generations and higher labour market participation of women.