Family Trends: British Families Since the 1950s

With the recent publication of the government's green paper Support for All and the Conservative Party's draft manifesto on the family, it is becoming increasingly clear that both political parties are recognising what families themselves have long been saying and research evidence confirms: that it is the quality of relationships that is at the heart of stable family life.

Published with the intention of informing public debate, this book provides an illustration of 21st-century family life through an overview of changes in family composition.

The facts and figures reveal the many issues that family policy-makers must engage with when identifying risks and opportunities for intervention. The chapters on mothers and fathers reaffirm the importance of the quality of the couple relationship, whether parents are together or not. In particular, a father's level of involvement with his children reflects how good his relationship is with the mother.