Social Inequality and Diversity of Families

Existential Field 7: Social Inequality and Diversity of Families

The report on Social Inequality and Diversity of Families has been written by Karin Wall, Mafalda Leitão & Vasco Ramos at the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon in Portugal.

Keywords: social inequality, poverty, migration, family violence, reproduction of inequality, family diversity.

Abstract: The aim of this report is to examine the state of art in the field of Social Inequality and Diversity of Families. In spite of significant social and economic inequalities within European societies, research on social inequality and family life has not been high on the research agenda. The report is structured around five main topics. We begin by analysing recent trends in social inequality across and within European societies and go on to review existing research on immigration, poverty and family violence. In the last section, we examine the impact of social inequality on family forms and dynamics as well as the reproduction of social inequalities within families. Social inequality shapes family life, but families and their members must also be seen as actors in the system of inequality (transmitting inequalities to subsequent generations, reproducing them within the home and through their networks, and resisting the effects of inequality). A review of existing research reveals major findings and trends as well as some major gaps in recent research:

Social inequalities: two interrelated trends in the linkages between social inequalities and family life in contemporary European societies were identified. On the one hand, families reflect social inequalities, since the unequal distribution of various resources (economic, educational, social, cultural) may be found to affect or constrain family life (including families’ division of paid and unpaid labour, family interactions and life-styles, parental education, and opportunities for economic and social well-being). Secondly, family relationships continue to play a major role in reproducing social inequalities and in the transmission of social advantage and disadvantage. As a result, polarisation in contemporary European families is significant, in particular between: low/highly qualified couples; male breadwinner/dual earner couples; low/high income families; EU/non-EU migrant families.

Immigration: in a context of continued and significant migration flows towards Europe and increasing feminisation of migration, another major trend is the extreme vulnerability of migrant families and their children, particularly of non-EU immigrant families in comparison with other families and EU migrant families.

Poverty: another major trend is the persistence of poverty in some groups and types of households which continue to show a higher risk of exposure to poverty (above EU 27 median - 17%): unemployed people (43%), immigrants from outside EU (30-45%), children in single parent households (34%), persons with low educational levels (23%), elderly women (22%), young adults 16-24 years old (20%), children (20%), single parent families (34%), large families (25%), and single person households (25%).

Family violence: is still largely gender based violence and there are specific groups at risk, such as: low income and low educational households, children in large families and in families with alcohol problems, unemployed women with employed partner, women in process of separation, pregnant women, immigrant women with precarious legal status, young women seeking abortion. Legislation and policies are still recent in many countries, but family violence is being considered as a “public crime” in several national legislations in order to be on a par with other criminal offences.

Major Research Gaps relate to:

• the lack of comparative datasets and research at cross-national level, also pointing to a need for more rigorous definition and harmonisation of concepts and indicators.
• the lack of in-depth studies on: immigrant families; families living in poverty/illegality; the experience of family violence and the types of families and social conditions associated with violence; social inequalities and how they influence and constrain family life; the role of families in the reproduction of material and cultural inequalities; the redistributive effects of family policies.
• the need to go beyond the economic perspective (centred on the notion of “poor people”) toward a broader perspective centred on inequality between social categories/classes. From the perspective of both research and policy-making, it is important to have indicators of social inequality as well as indicators of income inequality and poverty.

Download and Comment

Please find available to download the summary and the full working reports (to the left of this text). The Summary highlights key points and findings of the work, whilst the Full Report should be read by those wanting a more in-depth knowledge of the subject area.

Stakeholders are invited to comment on the report, making reference to their own findings and policies as appropriate; these critical comments will be analysed and processed as part of the Critical Review of the Existing Research on Families. Please note that only registered stakeholders are able to comment and download the full reports. To register, click here.