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Social Change has transformed societies globally through the spread of education, the evolution of formal labor markets and the new roles individuals now play in the development of their societies. Just as economic institutions have been affected so have social institutions like the family, been transformed. Urbanization has led to the disintegration of the joint family to the independent, small, nuclear family. With residential autonomy and lack of control from the joint family elders, divorce rates have been rising universally. This paper studies the trend of Divorce in Kuwaiti Society. Kuwait is an oil rich Gulf state where rapid economic development has been witnessed for over four decades. Urbanization and the Governments' Welfare policies have helped young married couples to move to new areas and establish their homes. While social allowances for wife, children, etc were intended to help the Kuwaiti family, cope with the rising cost of living, divorce rates did not decline. Through Vital Statistics, data from the court of Justice and past research, the paper tries to examine the characteristics of those getting divorced. What factors have had an effect on this trend -- education, age at marriage, women's labor force participation? How has the State attempted to help divorced women to readjust? Modernization has led to contradictions and challenges -- weakening of the family support systems, legal reforms and a new awareness of rights and duties among the two sexes. How can these changes shed light on the problem of divorce? This study attempts to explain why divorce is a problem in Kuwait and some possible solutions to reduce the negative impact of divorce on future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the change of generational relations in Germany based on demographic development. It is said that demographic index numbers have significant meanings for explaining structure and development of generational relations in families. Birth, marriage, separation and divorce are factors which substantially determine family and partnership structures. During the second half of the twentieth century, the change of timing of childbirth in the life-course, the lengthened life expectancy, and the increased numbers of separations and divorces are three important factors affecting intergenerational family structure significantly. In this paper, it is shown that these demographic factors changed the structure of generations. Specifically, the changing role of grandparents in the family as well as the changing nature of contact between generations are delineated.

This paper examines the departure from parental home in two European countries: Italy and West Germany. A common trend toward longer education and marriage delay has had, in the two societies, different residential outcomes. Cohort comparisons indicate that two different pathways out of the parental home emerged: Italians wait for marriage, while Germans increasingly depart for premarital independence. In this paper, the author argues that the timing of and the reasons for leaving home differ according to the resources available, but relate also to the existing cultural values and institutional contexts. Moreover, this paper also points out some important within-country differences, above all gender and regional variation.

This paper examines intergenerational value transmission between Taiwanese parents and their teenage children. Child rearing values, revised from Kohn's scale with cultural concerns considered, are used to test the expected relationship. An attempt is also made to test the Western work socialization hypothesis in shaping parental child rearing values in Taiwan. It is argued in this paper that besides the manifest effect of parent's occupation, the social norms imbedded may serve a more powerful explanation and should be taken into account. The paper further intends to delineate an indigenous classification of social class in a society like Taiwan, to incorporate cultural elements such as traditional social values and sex-role attitudes in the analysis, and to present comparative research results in line with previous efforts on the value transmission in the family.

This article discusses the theme of the research papers presented in the Autumn 2004 issue of the "Journal of Comparative Family Studies." The journal issue comprises seven papers which discuss the intergenerational relations between youth and their families. The papers present issues such as intergenerational transmission, conflict and interaction patterns between generations, and structural and cultural variations of youth decisions. All papers are based on empirical data of large sample sizes, and quantitative analysis is the common method used to delineate the intergenerational interaction pattern among youth families. Policy implications are also discussed, with relevant research findings to substantiate the stated proposals.

Drawing on original empirical research, this paper presents a comparative and comprehensive portrait of household composition, size and structure in Southeast Asia, using data from various rounds of Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS). Countries included in the analyses are Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. Findings point to similarities across countries in the region on some aspects of household such as household structure. However there are important differences in other aspects such as household headship. Overall, the findings show both the diversity and similarities in households in Southeast Asia. The findings are interpreted by situating them within the broader historical, cultural, social and demographic frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses findings from a small-scale qualitative pilot study exploring the family structure of Emirati families in the United Arab Emirates. Here four Emirati families participating in the study discuss the effects of rapid social change across the generations and the perceived influence of these upon the roles and responsibilities of men and women in contemporary society in relation to child-rearing practices. Parental expectations for adult children in relation to marriage and careers are explored, focusing finally on the attitudes and perceptions towards ageing. Topics were considered in relation to how cultural, religious and social precepts govern and shape gender norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of investigation in this paper is the status of family and marriage among the Mannans--a tribal community of Kerala, which is one of the thirty five Scheduled Tribes of the state of Kerala, India. The Scheduled Tribes are those tribes included in the schedule of the Constitution of India for special protection. The family as the standard social unit has been found in one form or another at almost all levels of cultural development. The form and basis of familial groupings have varied from time to time and from place to place. Different types of families have been observed in various societies and at different points of time and space. But as a basic social group, the family existed in all societies at all times. For the present study 100 conjugal families were taken from four different hamlets. Twenty five families each were taken from the four hamlets by simple random sampling. A household survey was conducted to elucidate information on like, family size, education, age, sex, authority pattern in the family, type of residence, and impact of government programmes on the family.

This article presents summary of articles, related to family studies. As international contacts increase, more and more people find themselves living temporarily or even permanently outside their own societies. Taking two samples of foreign women married to Nigerian and Japanese men who have returned to live in their husband's countries, this paper explores several propositions on marginality and its reduction. This article presents an intervention for couples who come from two different cultural backgrounds. The approach emphasizes that the therapist have knowledge of culture-specific strategies, general knowledge of the cultures involved. This article seeks to improve the understanding of the relationship between intermarriage and religio/ethnic identity by examining the differences between competing sets of sociological theories of intermarriage. One set of theories equates intermarriage with assimilation, a case of homogenization versus pluralism. The second set of theories sees intermarriage as a function of tolerances for pluralism and heterogeneity. Mixed married couples whose children were enrolled in an unique Jewish religious school were surveyed in the light of the competing sets of theories.