Family

Leslie E. Roos, University of Manitoba and Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen, University of Calgary

Parents of young children are reporting alarming increases in anxiety and depression during COVID-19. This is not only a risk to parents' mental health, but also to children’s long-term well-being.

May 8, 2020

How to build children’s resilience, and your own, amid coronavirus unknowns

Carolyn FitzGerald, Wilfrid Laurier University

We've got this: parents can build kids' resiliency in by focussing on what's going well, maintaining some predictability and order, modelling belief in their own abilities and caring for themselves.

May 4, 2020

How using music to parent can liven up everyday tasks, build family bonds

Lisa Huisman Koops, Case Western Reserve University

From livening up household chores to connecting kids with relatives who are far away, music can a play a vital role.

April 2, 2020

Managing postpartum depression: New moms isolated by coronavirus pandemic

Ryan Van Lieshout, McMaster University

For new mothers with postpartum depression, social distancing limits some of the best ways to improve their mental health.

March 19, 2020

Why working families need parks and playgrounds more than ever

Tracy Sherwood Washington, Queensland University of Technology; Debra Flanders Cushing, Queensland University of Technology; Janelle MacKenzie, Queensland University of Technology; Laurie Buys, The University of Queensland, and Stewart Trost, Queensland University of Technology

Working long hours and want to make the most of time with your children? Your local park is an ideal place for sharing experiences that benefit the whole family.

January 24, 2020

‘I need nature, I need space’: high-rise families rely on child-friendly neighbourhoods

Elyse Warner, Deakin University and Fiona Andrews, Deakin University

Nearly half of apartment residents are now families with children whose quality of life suffers if their neighbourhoods don't provide the spaces and activities they need to thrive.

October 3, 2019

Britain is a nation of pet lovers – and it has the Victorians to thank

Jane Hamlett, Royal Holloway

A dive into the archives shows that pets developed a special place in Victorians' hearts.

March 12, 2019

Alone together: how mobile devices have changed family time

Stella Chatzitheochari, University of Warwick and Killian Mullan, Aston University

Children now spend more time at home and alone with their parents – new research.

January 17, 2019

Boost kids’ skills and memories with weekly game night

Hetty Roessingh, University of Calgary and Michelle Bence, University of Calgary

A regular family ritual like a dinner and games night contributes to the rhythm and predictability of life and becomes part of a family's unique DNA.

December 19, 2019

How to survive annoying relatives this holiday season

Jamie Gruman, University of Guelph

All of us have allergies to people whose seemingly inconsequential behaviour repulses us. Here's how to deal with it this holiday season.

November 7, 2018

What’s behind the dramatic rise in 3-generation households?

Natasha Pilkauskas, University of Michigan

Over the past 20 years, the number of American households that have grandparents, their kids and their grandkids living under the same roof has nearly doubled.

October 2, 2018

‘Wifehood’ is not old-fashioned – here’s why it matters

Shani Orgad, London School of Economics and Political Science

The Wife: my research shows that this self-sacrificing form of wifehood is hardly history.

August 14, 2018

How far have we come since the ’80s vision of the ‘non-sexist city’?

Justine Lloyd, Macquarie University

In the 1970s, a young urban planning professor, Dolores Hayden, believed that city design was the key to unlocking patriarchal structures that trapped women in the home. How much has the city changed?

January 9, 2018

With apartment living on the rise, how do families and their noisy children fit in?

Sophie-May Kerr, University of Wollongong

In Sydney, families with children now account for one in four households living in apartments. The expectations and design of apartments have not kept up with this rapid demographic change.

December 18, 2017

Skip fights about digital devices over the holidays – instead, let them bring your family together

Shelia R. Cotten, Michigan State University

Older relatives often object to younger people using their smartphones and tablets during family gatherings. But digital devices can connect distant relatives year-round.

November 8, 2017

How women use food to negotiate power in Pakistani and Indian households

Punita Chowbey, Sheffield Hallam University

A new study provides a more nuanced understanding of the role food plays in healthy eating and family life.

August 2, 2017

Men still prefer mothers to stay at home: 12 charts on attitudes to work and family

Emil Jeyaratnam, The Conversation and Jenni Henderson, The Conversation

A snapshot of what HILDA survey results have to say about families, working mums and childcare.

June 6, 2017

Why prisons should make more time for inmates’ families

Anna Kotova, University of Exeter

Access to loved ones helps reduce reoffending.

June 1, 2017

Family break-up raises homelessness risk, and critical period is longer for boys

Julie Moschion, University of Melbourne

Parental separation substantially raises the risk of homelessness by the age of 30 for girls and boys, but only boys are affected by a break-up after the age of 12.

May 11, 2017

Why dads can’t be the dads they want to be

Kevin Shafer, Brigham Young University

Why is it all about mom? Fathers want to be more involved in their children's lives, but are limited by public policy and social institutions. This is a bad deal for dads, kids and moms alike.