With a focus on nine different national contexts, this book explores contemporary family diversity. With attention to the different welfare states and cultures of care in each setting, it problematizes the pre-eminence of research and policy centered on heteronormative families, showing the extent to which family diversity exists cross-nationally in relation to different gendered and "family-friendly" policies. Considering variations in family forms, including differences in the number and marital status of parents, their gender, sexual orientation and biological relationship to the children (adoption), multicultural families, and families created by technological assistance or surrogacy, it presents demographic information, alongside quantitative and qualitative research, across a number of advanced countries. A contribution to our understanding of the diversity of family forms, how diversity is lived in families, and what family diversity means in various international policy contexts. The Changing Faces of Families will appeal to scholars with interests in the sociology of the family. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

With a focus on nine different national contexts, this book explores contemporary family diversity, considering the extent to which family diversity exists cross-nationally in relation to different gendered and 'family-friendly' policies, and shedding light on the ways in which diversity is lived within families in different settings.

In contrast to most migration studies that focus on specific “foreigner” groups in Germany, this study simultaneously compares and contrasts the legal, political, social, and economic opportunity structures facing diverse categories of the ethnic minorities who have settled in the country since the 1950s. It reveals the contradictory, and usually self-defeating, nature of German policies intended to keep “migrants” out—allegedly in order to preserve a German Leitkultur (with which very few of its own citizens still identify). The main barriers to effective integration—and socioeconomic revitalization in general—sooner lie in the country’s obsolete labor market regulations and bureaucratic procedures. Drawing on local case studies, personal interviews, and national surveys, the author describes “the human faces” behind official citizenship and integration practices in Germany, and in doing so demonstrates that average citizens are much more multi-cultural than they realize.

“Juicy saga of sister-friendship with all its twists and turns”—Essence Meet Whitney, Taylor, and Charisse—best friends who have been there for each other for years, through thick and thin. But these girlfriends are about to discover that sometimes exhaling isn’t enough. . . Whitney is a plus-sized woman who just can’t find a man who’ll stick around. Taylor is in a long-term relationship with a boyfriend who is allergic to commitment. Charisse is married with two adorable children, but somehow doesn’t have what she really wants—or needs. The trio has always been balanced, until Charisse suddenly spins out of control. Desperate, she decides that only a very risky scheme will save her. But this time, how far can friendship go?

Before the economic boom of the 1990s, Ireland was known as a nation of emigrants. The past fifteen years, however, have seen the transformation of Ireland from a country of net emigration to one of net immigration, on a scale and at a pace unprecedented in comparative context. As a result, Irish society has become more diverse in terms of nationality, language, ethnicity and religious affiliation; and these changes are now clearly reflected in the composition of both primary and secondary schools, presenting these with challenges as well as opportunities. Despite the increased number of ethnically-diverse immigrant children and young people in the Ireland, currently there is a paucity of information about aspects of their lives in Ireland. This book is aimed at contributing to this gap in knowledge. This edited collection will be of interest to researchers in the fields of migration studies, childhood studies, education studies, human geography, sociology, applied social studies, social work, health studies and psychology. It will also be a useful resource to educators, social workers, youth workers and community members working with (or preparing to work with) children with immigrant and ethnic minority backgrounds in Ireland.

This book traces the development of British answers to the problem of childhood cancer. The establishment of the NHS and better training for paediatricians, meant children were given access to experimental chemotherapy, sending cure rates soaring. Children with cancer were thrust into the spotlight as individuals' stories of hope hit the headlines.