Fertility rates vary considerably across and within societies, and over time. Over the last three decades, social demographers have made remarkable progress in documenting these axes of variation, but theoretical models to explain family change and variation have lagged behind. At the same time, our sister disciplines—from cultural anthropology to social psychology to cognitive science and beyond—have made dramatic strides in understanding how social action works, and how bodies, brains, cultural contexts, and structural conditions are coordinated in that process. Understanding Family Change and Variation: Toward a Theory of Conjunctural Action argues that social demography must be reintegrated into the core of theory and research about the processes and mechanisms of social action, and proposes a framework through which that reintegration can occur. This framework posits that material and schematic structures profoundly shape the occurrence, frequency, and context of the vital events that constitute the object of social demography. Fertility and family behaviors are best understood as a function not just of individual traits, but of the structured contexts in which behavior occurs. This approach upends many assumptions in social demography, encouraging demographers to embrace the endogeneity of social life and to move beyond fruitless debates of structure versus culture, of agency versus structure, or of biology versus society.

"The list of authors is impressive. Several are widely published and well known over time in the interdisciplinary field of family studies. They represent many of the disciplines whose work comes together in this field." —Barbara B. Germino, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill "First, there is a need for a book like this, one that pulls together recent work on families and health. Second, the chapters are written by some of the best people in the field. . . the coverage is comprehensive and should appeal to a number of different audiences. . . Russ Crane is experienced in this area and a reliable and established scholar. . . . In sum, it is a fine contribution." —William Doherty, University of Minnesota, Past-President National Council on Family Relations Handbook of Families and Health: Interdisciplinary Perspectives presents state-of-the-art summaries of research related to couple, marital, and family influences on health. Editors D. Russell Crane and Elaine S. Marshall, along with a distinguished group of contributors across various disciplines, bring complementary perspectives to a wide range of families and health issues. A major goal of this Handbook is to highlight common issues, concerns, and goals across diverse fields and the benefits of bringing multiple perspectives to these issues. A significant portion of the book is devoted to interventions to improve family health. Key Features: - Includes contributions from authors that are respected experts from a broad range of disciplines including family studies, marriage and family therapy, nursing and family medicine, gerontology, health psychology and behavioral medicine, social work, and public policy to provide readers with multiple perspectives - Covers a number of important health issues, including cancer, eating disorders, mental illness, the influence of close relationships on health, and how families cope with chronic illness, caregiving, and end-of-life care and bereavement to address the most significant health issues affecting families - Devotes special attention to Latino and African American health, childhood poverty, genetically transmitted diseases, infertility, and parental HIV/AIDS to offer insight on how these issues are particularly vital in today′s world - Presents a discussion on "agent-based modeling" to provide readers with a dynamic methodology that will become a significant model in the study of families and close relationships The Handbook is designed for scholars, graduate students, and practitioners in the field of families and health. It is a cross-disciplinary resource for a variety of programs and departments, including Family Studies, Nursing, Health Psychology, and Public Policy.

In today’s culturally diverse classrooms, students possess and use many culturally, ethnically, and regionally diverse English language varieties that may differ from standardized English. This book helps classroom teachers become attuned to these differences and offers practical strategies to support student achievement while fostering positive language attitudes in classrooms and beyond. The text contrasts standardized varieties of English with Southern, Appalachian, and African American English varieties, focusing on issues that are of everyday concern to those who are assessing the linguistic competence of students. Featuring a narrative style with teaching strategies and discussion questions, this practical resource: Provides a clear, introductory explanation of what is meant by non-standard English, from both linguistic and educational viewpoints. Emphasizes what educators needs to know about language variation in and outside of the classroom. Addresses the social factors accompanying English language variation and how those factors interact in real classrooms. “A landmark book. . . . It guides linguists and educators as we all work to apply our knowledge on behalf of those for whom it matters most: students.” —From the Afterword by Walt Wolfram, North Carolina State University “In the ongoing debate about language we typically hear arguments about what students say and/or how they say it. Finally, a volume that takes on the ‘elephant in the parlor’—WHO is saying it. By laying bare the complicated issues of race, culture, region, and ethnicity, Charity Hudley and Mallinson provide a scholarly significant and practically relevant text for scholars and practitioners alike. This is bound to be an important contribution to the literature.” —Gloria Ladson-Billings, University of Wisconsin–Madison “An invaluable guide for teachers, graduate students, and all lovers of language. The authors provide a comprehensive and fascinating account of Southern and African American English, showing how it differs from standardized English, how those differences affect children in the classroom, and how teachers can use these insights to better serve their students.” —Deborah Tannen, University Professor and professor of linguistics, Georgetown University

This volume examines two distinct low fertility scenarios that have emerged in economically advanced countries since the turn of the 20th century: one in which fertility is at or near replacement-level and the other where fertility is well below replacement. It explores the way various institutions, histories and cultures influence fertility in a diverse range of countries in Asia, Europe, North America and Australia. The book features invited papers from the Conference on Low Fertility, Population Aging and Population Policy, held December 2013 and co-sponsored by the East-West Center and the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA). It first presents an overview of the demographic and policy implications of the two low fertility scenarios. Next, the book explores five countries currently experiencing low fertility rates: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. It then examines three countries that have close to replacement-level fertility: Australia, the Netherlands and the United States. Each country is featured in a separate chapter written by a demographer with expert knowledge in the area. Very low fertility is linked to a number of conditions countries face, including a declining population size. At the same time, low fertility and its effect on the age structure, threatens social welfare policies. This book goes beyond the technical to examine the core institutional, policy and cultural factors behind this increasingly important issue. It helps readers to make cross-country comparisons and gain insight into how diverse institutions, policies and culture shape fertility levels and patterns.

First Published in 2007. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

[The book] will make you aware of differences in marriages and families; alert you to diversity in the family; stress that different does not necessarily mean better or worse; and place the family in sociological, historical, and cross-cultural perspective. The book focuses, too, on current and emerging social trends and on public policy affecting American families.... [The book] was written with the assumption that many readers will have no other sociology, or perhaps social science, courses.... This book is not a "how-to" cookbook on marriage and family issues but represents an approach evolving from theoretical frameworks and empirical research. [The book] is designed primarily for undergraduate students. -Pref.