Bøker i Sociology of Children and Families-serien

Using Sweden as a case study, this book combines theories of family practices, care and childhood studies with the personal perspectives of nannies, au pairs, parents and children to provide new understandings of what constitutes care in nanny families.

From the vantage point of forty years in social research and the study of families, Julia Brannen offers an invaluable account of how research is conducted and 'matters' at particular times. This fascinating work covers key developments in the field that remain of vital concern to society and demonstrates how social research is an art as well as a science - a process that involves craft and creativity.

This rigorous review of four decades of data provides the clearest insights yet into the way children use their time. With analysis of changes in the time spent on family, education, culture and technology, as well as children's own views on their habits, it presents a fascinating perspective on behaviour, wellbeing, social change and more.

This compelling book examines parental leave policies in Nordic countries, looking at how these laws encourage men towards life courses with greater care responsibilities. It considers the impact that these policies have had on gender equality and how they have led to a re-gendering of men by promoting 'caring masculinities'.

This timely study explores the experiences of fathers who take on equal or primary care responsibilities for young children. Offering academic insight and practical recommendations, this will be key reading for researchers, policymakers, practitioners and students interested in contemporary families.

In the absence of public provision, many governments rely on the market to meet childcare demand. But who are the actors shaping this market? What work do they do to marketize care? And what does it mean for how childcare is provided? Based on an innovative theoretical framework and an in-depth study of the New Zealand childcare market, Gallagher examines the problematic growth of private, for-profit childcare. Opening the 'black box' of childcare markets to closer scrutiny, this book brings to light the complex political, social and economic dynamics behind childcare provisioning.

School-age children's everyday lives are changing as they are immersed in digital leisure and organised activities. However, our current understandings of these transitions are race-blind.

This collection explores leading values and concepts in global child-based research through the lens of reflexivity. The book considers issues such as the identities and roles of researchers, as well as the burdens, boundaries, and ethical frameworks which govern their activities. Using empirical examples from Israel, India, Thailand, and England, expert contributors discuss a range of topics including online safety, disabilities, gang membership, safeguarding, sexting, and child prostitution. This book guides childhood research towards a more reflexive debate that critically challenges conventions, and highlights plurality of voice.

Drawing from longitudinal research, this book shows how the perspectives of people who have been in care can help us redefine the concept of family. Through a narrative analysis of the complexity of family lives, the author challenges the idea that some families are 'ordinary', while others are troubled, problematic and 'other'.