In this state‐of‐art report we focus on some of the more relevant issues from the
perspective of social inequality and families within and across European societies. We
begin by addressing the three main topics included in this existential field by the Family
Platform Project: migration, poverty, family violence. Additionally, we will look at two
key issues which are important in contextualizing and discussing the above‐mentioned
topics. First, we will summarize recent trends in social inequality in European societies.
Secondly, we will review some of existing research on the relationship between social
inequalities and families, by examining the impact of social inequality on family forms
and dynamics as well as the transmission and reproduction of 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).
Research review in this existential field was carried out separately on each of the abovementioned
topics. Migration, poverty and family violence are large and autonomous
fields of research which do not have common theoretical and methodological
underpinnings or empirical data sets. For this report it was therefore important to grasp
the major trends and findings within each research topic before moving on to broader
conclusions on research into social inequalities and diversity of families in Europe.FAMILYPLATFORM (SSH‐2009‐3.2.2 Social platform on research for families and
family policies): funded by the European Union’s 7th Framework Programme
for 18 months (October 2009 – March 2011)
