This paper develops a multidimensional scale to measure intergenerational solidarity (IS) to assess its psychometric properties and to examine the invariance of the instrument across genders. Using the theoretical framework of Bengtson and his colleagues (Bengtson and Roberts 1991; Mangen, Bengtson, and Landry 1988), we measure five out of six conceptual dimensions of intergenerational solidarity with a new dimension that we developed that is called systematic solidarity.

By using a sample of 201 valid questionnaires, different analyses were conducted to validate the new scale. The definitive scale that was proposed to measure IS is comprised of four dimensions, namely, normative solidarity and the three affective solidarities (which relate to parents, partner and children). Finally, we provide evidence of the consistency of this scale across gender differences.

The finding that gender role beliefs have become more egalitarian in western industrialized countries over the last decades is quite uncontested. In quantitative studies, this conclusion is drawn from the percentage of “egalitarian” answers to single items or scores on unidimensional indices. Considering the complexity of gender role attitudes, for example when women’s public and private roles are evaluated differently, we propose to identify different attitudinal patterns by the application of latent class analysis. This approach also facilitates statistical testing of measurement invariance, which means that it can be verified whether the structure of the concept “gender egalitarianism” and respondents’ understanding of the items remain stable over time.

Using representative data from the German General Social Survey (ALLBUS) in 1991 (n=3049) and 2012 (n=1726), we demonstrate that at both time points, five classes can be distinguished which differ quantitatively by the extent of egalitarianism as well as qualitatively by the combination of positions towards women’s roles in the public and private sphere. Our analysis reveals that the structure of class profiles remains remarkably stable over time. While there is a strong increase in the proportion of egalitarian classes, the number of “ambivalent egalitarians” who support gender equity in paid labour while fearing negative consequences for children decreases. Further, we investigate the influence of socio-demographic covariates such as age, gender or region on class membership. We conclude with a discussion of the substantial and methodological implications of our approach.

There is an extensive literature on the domestic division of labor in social sciences. Usually, analyses are restricted to the division of household labor by applying regression models where the dependent variable is constructed as the absolute or relative amount of housework separately for men and women.

However, this paper argues that focusing only on the domestic sphere ignores the multidimensional character of interactions between couples. Frequently applied resource, gender role and time availability approaches as well as Becker’s theory on the family do not solely focus on the domestic side of the division of labor in theoretical terms. It is Becker’s main argument that marital exchange is based on the allocation of time on the household and market sector (Becker 1991, p. 32).

Further, empirical approaches ignore the genuinely dyadic nature of the division of labor. Traditional survey data does not comprise information of two agents such as husband and wife. Hence, the application of individualistic models seemed appropriate. In this contribution, we support the utilization of dyadic data for the application of theories on marital exchange We propose a classification technique drawing on finite mixture models (Schmitz 2009) as generalizations of traditional multivariate techniques making use of the statistical dependence between both actors and the complex structure of division of labor.

By using data from the German Family Panel (pairfam), the first purpose is to identify typical dyadic patterns within the interactions of heterosexual couples and further interpret these patterns against the background of the theories mentioned above.

The main aim of my presentation is to discuss the methodological assumptions of the research project „Family and parenting practices in traditional and postmodern families - reconstruction of daily routines” which I'm presently realizing.

The theoretical basis for my project has been given by David H. G. Morgan. In his view, researchers should focus not on socio-demographical characteristics of the family, but on how the family is ’being done’. Family is defined rather as a combination of practices, then a social institution. In this context one can say that family is ’being done’ by daily actions of its members. Looking for tools for research on family practices, it is valuable to refer to Jean Claude Kaufmann’s view and his definition of habit.

Using as inspiration the of Morgan’s and Kaufmmana’s theories I intend to analyse the ’obvious part’ of daily life, family routines as well as family and parenting practices in two groups of Polish families: ’traditional’ and ’postmodern’.

The main hypothesis of this project is as follows: polarisation of the family life paradigms in contemporary Poland is growing, and therefore the gap between ’traditional’ and ’postmodern’ family models is widening. With a view to verifying this research hypothesis I’d going (among others) to analyse the day-to-day routines and family and parenting practices.