Full 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.
Contents
Introduction: Gender, family and social change: from modernity to the Millennial generation;
Family, family change, modernity;
Family, family change, contemporary modernities;
The book;
Section One: Gender change and challenges to intimacy and sexual relations
Asexual women and men: living without sex;
Asexuality: a complex concept;
Research on asexuality;
Asexuality, couples, children;
The asexual movement;
Childfree women and men: living without children;
The term 'childfree';
Research on childfree women and men;
Reasons to be childfree;
The childfree movement;
Couples together yet apart:'I love you but do not want to live with you';
The term 'living apart together';
Research on living apart together couples;
Reasons for living apart;
Invisible living apart together people?;
Section Two: Gender change and challenges to traditional forms of parenthood
Stay-at-home husbands and fathers;
Stay-at-home men;
Research on stay-at-home husbands and fathers;
Male carers, couples and children;
The househusbands'/stay-at-home fathers' movement;
Lone mothers and lone fathers;
Lone mothers and lone fathers through history;
Research on lone parenting;
Lone parenting and children;
The lone parenthood movement: from marginalisation to empowerment
Homosexual and trans parents;
Homosexual and transgender parenting;
Research on homosexual parenting;
Research on transgender parenting;
The homosexual and trans parents rights movement;
Conclusions: what can we learn?;
Glossary of key concepts;
Index
