Understanding an important aspect of current-day family dynamics: the institution of repartnering in Australia. Families are at the core of Australia's social fabric. Understanding their dynamics assists in developing good policies and mechanisms to support them. Repartnering is an important aspect of current-day family dynamics. Yet we know relatively little about how these partnerships operate. This project will illuminate the patterns and issues central to repartnering and provide a significa ....Understanding an important aspect of current-day family dynamics: the institution of repartnering in Australia. Families are at the core of Australia's social fabric. Understanding their dynamics assists in developing good policies and mechanisms to support them. Repartnering is an important aspect of current-day family dynamics. Yet we know relatively little about how these partnerships operate. This project will illuminate the patterns and issues central to repartnering and provide a significant contribution to social research. Results from this study will equip policy makers with appropriate knowledge to develop policies aimed at assisting families. The findings will contribute to growing international knowledge on family dynamics in repartnered relationships, as well as strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric through stronger families.Read moreRead less
Do Australian parents want both a son and a daughter? From the late 1990s, policy makers became more aware of the importance of fertility in influencing population age structure and growth rates in Australia. The proposed project will augment our understanding of fertility dynamics both current, and over high and low fertility regimes. It will also highlight an important factor in fertility decision-making. There is considerable speculation on the impact of shifting gender-role attitudes on sex ....Do Australian parents want both a son and a daughter? From the late 1990s, policy makers became more aware of the importance of fertility in influencing population age structure and growth rates in Australia. The proposed project will augment our understanding of fertility dynamics both current, and over high and low fertility regimes. It will also highlight an important factor in fertility decision-making. There is considerable speculation on the impact of shifting gender-role attitudes on sex preference, but evidence supporting this is mixed. By developing a deeper understanding of the factors influencing progression to having more children we will be better able to predict fertility trends and provide support to Australian parents. Read moreRead less
A study of the prevalence, experience and nature of child-to-mother violence in a high risk geographical area. Child-to-mother violence is an under acknowledged but serious problem in the Australian and international contexts. This four phased study will measure the extent, scope and nature of child-to-mother violence in a high risk geographic area of Sydney. It will provide insights into the perspectives of mothers, health and welfare workers. Data will be generated from population survey and ....A study of the prevalence, experience and nature of child-to-mother violence in a high risk geographical area. Child-to-mother violence is an under acknowledged but serious problem in the Australian and international contexts. This four phased study will measure the extent, scope and nature of child-to-mother violence in a high risk geographic area of Sydney. It will provide insights into the perspectives of mothers, health and welfare workers. Data will be generated from population survey and in-depth interviews. Synthesised data will provide a framework for sustainable and supportive interventions for affected families. The findings can be utilised by policy makers and the community to expose and address this complex problem of family violence.Read moreRead less
Work, Love and Play: Understanding resilience in same-sex parented families. This research will provide information about the experiences of same-sex parented families in accessing health and community services in Australia and New Zealand. This will inform policy development aimed at improving access to services and reducing discrimination for same-sex attracted people and other minority groups. Additionally the research will increase knowledge about the impact of limited social or community su ....Work, Love and Play: Understanding resilience in same-sex parented families. This research will provide information about the experiences of same-sex parented families in accessing health and community services in Australia and New Zealand. This will inform policy development aimed at improving access to services and reducing discrimination for same-sex attracted people and other minority groups. Additionally the research will increase knowledge about the impact of limited social or community support on the health and wellbeing of families. Families are a key unit in society, and supporting strong and healthy families - in all their forms - is an important part of supporting the overall economic and social and physical wellbeing of society (National Research Priority 2: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health).Read moreRead less
Family Formation and Fertility Decline in Nineteenth-Century Tasmania. The fertility decline which began across the industrialised world in the late nineteenth century greatly impacted the demographic, economic and social milieux of the twentieth century and beyond. Using family reconstitution techniques and a wide range of data, this project will explore the mechanisms by which fertility decline was achieved in nineteenth-century Tasmania and the broader societal influences that brought these m ....Family Formation and Fertility Decline in Nineteenth-Century Tasmania. The fertility decline which began across the industrialised world in the late nineteenth century greatly impacted the demographic, economic and social milieux of the twentieth century and beyond. Using family reconstitution techniques and a wide range of data, this project will explore the mechanisms by which fertility decline was achieved in nineteenth-century Tasmania and the broader societal influences that brought these mechanisms into play. The results will advance our understanding of Australia's evolution over the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. The research will result in three journal articles, a single-authored monograph and wide public dissemination.Read moreRead less
For Better or For Worse? Understanding the Revolution in Married Life in Australia. Marriage has traditionally been viewed as the bedrock institution of society. But recent evidence suggests that marriage patterns have been transformed. People are marrying less, and those who do are marrying later, separating more, and often marrying after cohabiting and having children. What are the consequences of these changes for people's experience of these relationships and for other outcomes, such as rel ....For Better or For Worse? Understanding the Revolution in Married Life in Australia. Marriage has traditionally been viewed as the bedrock institution of society. But recent evidence suggests that marriage patterns have been transformed. People are marrying less, and those who do are marrying later, separating more, and often marrying after cohabiting and having children. What are the consequences of these changes for people's experience of these relationships and for other outcomes, such as relationship quality, life satisfaction and views about marriage? This project will provide important information that will enable greater understanding of changing family patterns and provide critical data for policy-makers concerned with the social welfare of individuals and the changing role of the family in Australia today.Read moreRead less
Negotiating the Lifecourse: Changing and Maintaining Household and Labour Market Links. This study builds upon and extends a unique longitudinal Australian project concerned with the way in which men and women negotiate employment and domestic responsibilities over the lifecourse. We are seeking funds to collect a third wave of data from our sample and to extend the project in three key areas concerning the domestic division of labour, women's employment and marital stability, and family formati ....Negotiating the Lifecourse: Changing and Maintaining Household and Labour Market Links. This study builds upon and extends a unique longitudinal Australian project concerned with the way in which men and women negotiate employment and domestic responsibilities over the lifecourse. We are seeking funds to collect a third wave of data from our sample and to extend the project in three key areas concerning the domestic division of labour, women's employment and marital stability, and family formation. The significance of the project lies in its longitudinal design enabling us to address key social questions that have not been examined in Australia in the past. The project will deliver important information to policy-makers as well as providing a unique database for social researchers.Read moreRead less
The time of our lives: Time equity and the balancing of market and non-market production in the modern Australian population. This project will yield new information relevant to the national social inclusion agenda and the research priority goal of understanding and strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric to help families and individuals live healthy, productive, fulfilling lives. Through a multilayered analysis of gender, class, life course stage, time allocation and the connection ....The time of our lives: Time equity and the balancing of market and non-market production in the modern Australian population. This project will yield new information relevant to the national social inclusion agenda and the research priority goal of understanding and strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric to help families and individuals live healthy, productive, fulfilling lives. Through a multilayered analysis of gender, class, life course stage, time allocation and the connections between them, it will demonstrate links between various forms of social and economic participation and identify how they could be distributed more evenly. This knowledge is important to inform policy to better enable young people to become independent, families to both earn a living and care well for their children, and older people to be productive and socially engaged.Read moreRead less
Cohabitation in Australia: Trends and Implications for Family Outcomes. The project will contribute to improvements in the economic and social well-being of Australian families and communities by increasing our understanding of changing pathways into relationships and the implications of these choices for later family outcomes. The national benefit from this will be realised in terms of more effective policies that promote relationship quality and stability. This will help reduce the social and ....Cohabitation in Australia: Trends and Implications for Family Outcomes. The project will contribute to improvements in the economic and social well-being of Australian families and communities by increasing our understanding of changing pathways into relationships and the implications of these choices for later family outcomes. The national benefit from this will be realised in terms of more effective policies that promote relationship quality and stability. This will help reduce the social and economic costs to the government and the community from poor relationship quality and relationship breakdown.Read moreRead less
The causes and consequences of marital separation and divorce in Australia. This project will use longitudinal Australian data to investigate the causes and consequences of marriage breakdown. Most previous Australian divorce research has concentrated on describing overall trends, or has used samples of separated and divorced populations only. This study will use data from representative population samples to first develop a conceptual framework for understanding the structural and demographic ....The causes and consequences of marital separation and divorce in Australia. This project will use longitudinal Australian data to investigate the causes and consequences of marriage breakdown. Most previous Australian divorce research has concentrated on describing overall trends, or has used samples of separated and divorced populations only. This study will use data from representative population samples to first develop a conceptual framework for understanding the structural and demographic determinants of marriage breakdown in Australia, second gain a greater understanding of the financial and health implications of separation and divorce over time, and third identify issues that arise from the research that are relevant for informing social policy relating to marital breakdown. The main outcomes will be a significant advance in our understanding of the factors contributing to divorce and the consequences of divorce in Australia and the provision of essential knowledge to better inform policies relating to marital separation and divorce.Read moreRead less