Particularly concerned with the impact that domestic roles have both inside and outside the home, Family Life examines how their organization is structured by the broader social and economic contexts within which families operate. A major part of this involves uncovering the way in which the division of tasks and responsibilities between the genders within the home is both shaped by and shapes the divisions and inequalities that occur outside it.

How far do the routine domestic demands upon women limit the opportunities open to them in work and leisure, and how do such demands affect marriage and divorce? What is the real influence of unemployment on the domestic roles? What effect does caring for the elderly have on the carer? In addressing such questions, the book relates the organization of family life to the broader economic and social contexts to provide a novel yet integrated approach.

"Useful for its coverage of the crucial social and demographic trends which have transformed family patterns for a substantial proportion of the population in the United Kingdom... A wide-ranging discussion of marriage, housework, child care, leisure and home centredness..." British Journal of Social Work

Graham Allan is Lecturer in Sociology at the Universty of Southampton, and author of A Sociology of Friendship and Kinship.