Non-kin Ties as a Source of Support in Europe: On the role of context

The process of modernisation brought about new contexts, such as ageing, individualism, and migration – to just name a few – posing questions about the organisation of support and the role of different providers in individuals’ support networks. A key premise across Europe has been the idea that kin and non-kin ties should take more responsibility in the future, but little is known about the circumstances under which they are willing and able to do so. This holds particularly true for non-kin ties – ties which are not related by blood or legal arrangements, e.g. friends, neighbours and colleagues. Non-kin ties have been largely neglected in European research on support. A link between generous social spending and non-kin support has been established, but questions such as how do non-relatives situate in individuals’ support networks remain open. Our knowledge remains equally scarce when it comes to the mechanics underlying non-kin help. This dissertation addresses this knowledge lacuna and poses two key questions: (1) To what extent do non-kin ties form part of individuals’ support networks across Europe? and (2) How are contemporary cultural, social, and demographic contexts, at both the individual and the country level, linked with potential and actual non-kin support in Europe

Fathers in Context: Comparative Analysis of Father Involvement in Bulgaria and the Netherlands

This report compares father involvement with their children in Bulgaria and the Netherlands by examining country differences in family formation patterns, policy context, and cultural prescriptions regarding family life. In studying the time fathers spend with their children, it is important to distinguish between time-structuring and time-flexible tasks because these tasks tend to be divided along gendered lines. Time-structuring tasks are those tasks that take a longer time to complete or have to be performed at a certain time of the day, such as bathing or feeding the child, and often fall to mothers to perform. Time-flexible tasks, on the other hand, are commonly performed by fathers. These are the tasks that can be performed at any time of the day and include reading to and playing with the child. Major conclusions are as follows: With regard to family formation patterns, the two-child family model is persistent in both Bulgaria and the Netherlands, despite the Netherlands being farther along the individualisation process than Bulgaria. The policy context in Bulgaria can be characterised by continuity with the country’s socialist past. Maternity, paternity, and parental leave remain long by international standards, and both mothers and fathers are expected to participate full-time in the labour market. Policy recommendations include: - Fathers in Bulgaria may benefit from more flexible work arrangements that allow them to combine work and childcare, - whilst mothers may benefit from shorter maternity leave which helps prevent discrimination on the labour market. - High quality childcare services for all children would benefit both mothers and fathers - as would policy supporting grandparental care

Non-kin ties as a source of support in Europe: Understanding the role of cultural and institutional contexts

This study scrutinises the role of cultural and institutional contexts in shaping Europeans’ choices for a source of support. We draw attention to an often overlooked source of support: non-kin. Taking an interdisciplinary theoretical approach, we formulate a number of hypotheses on the impact of individualistic values, familialistic norms, generalised trust, and social protection expenditure. We test these contextual hypotheses by means of multilevel multinomia

Non-kin ties as a source of support amongst older adults ‘left behind’ in Poland

In the transition to democracy and a market economy, the Central and Eastern European countries experienced rapid and fundamental changes. Large-scale emigration flows and pronounced reductions in previously universal welfare systems increased the phenomenon of ‘left behind’ older adults. We examine this phenomenon in the case of Poland, a rather family-oriented society which in recent years sent most emigrants to Western Europe in absolute terms. Employing a support system framework and representative survey data, we enquire into older adults’ support patterns. Our results suggest that older adults in Poland rely predominantly on family support, although this varies greatly across living arrangements. We also find a positive association between distance separating parents and their closest child, and support from at least one non-kin. Yet, our findings reveal differences between practical and emotional support, with the latter being more likely to be provided by non-kin, but with distance mattering to a lesser degree. Parents with very distant child(ren) are few and differ only from parents with very proximate child(ren), a finding prompting the question as to what is the difference between being ‘left behind’ by international and by internal migration. We conclude that the phenomenon of ‘left behind’ in Poland, at least in terms of support, is less a matter of children's migration and more an issue of household and regional context

Codebook of the families of Poles in the Netherlands (FPN) survey

Background of the survey The release of formal restrictions on the free movement of Central and Eastern Europeans that started with the end of the Cold War and the eastward enlargement of the European Union in the 2000s have led to new migration flows in Europe. Not surprisingly, the number of surveys carried out among migrants from former communist countries has increased significantly in recent years. These surveys, however, tend to focus on topics such as migration and job history, structural and socio-cultural integration in the host country, bonds with the country of origin or family formation and intermarriage. Insofar exchanges with family members are addressed, they tend to be about remittances to and frequency of contact with “the” family in the country that stayed behind. Information about migrants from Central and Eastern Europe regarding exchanges of money, practical support, emotional support with individual family members, background information on the family of origin, espoused family obligations, and marital and parenthood histories and well-being is scarce. The FPN survey was carried out to fill that void. In absolute terms, Poles are the largest group amongst emigrants from the Central and Eastern European countries which accessed the European Union in 2004. Estimates suggest that between 2004 and 2007, at least one million people emigrated from Poland. Among the top destination countries of Poles in Europe are Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, the annual number of Polish migrants currently entering the country is greater than the number of traditional migrant groups (Turks, Moroccans, Antilleans and Surinamese) taken together. There are more than 160,000 Poles in the Netherlands according to Statistics Netherlands