Family Matters articles from March 2005

Family Matters archives from March 2005

Director's report.(Australian Institute of Family Studies)
March 22, 2005... It is a privilege to provide my first report to the many readers of Family Matters. On Friday 30 July 2004, the Minister for Family And Community Services announced my appointment as the Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies...

Having children Or not. Australia's fertility rate is now at an all-time low and is well below replacement level. Ruth Weston summarises some of the arguments that have been put forward to explain what might shape people's hopes, expectations and family decisions.(Overview)
March 22, 2005... Why are we not reproducing ourselves? This question is being pondered in many countries throughout the world and formed a central issue tackled at the Regional Family Policy Forum in Singapore in November 2004 (see p. 83 in this edition of...

Dashed hopes? Fertility aspirations and expectations compared: Australia's total fertility rate is now below replacement level. In other words, women are having fewer than two children on average. But does this trend reflect what people really want?(Fertility Decision Making Project)
March 22, 2005... The very name of the Australian Institute of Family Studies 2004 Fertility Decision Making Project may suggest an underlying assumption that childbearing today is a matter of choice rather than circumstance. Such an assumption is consistent...

Family size: men's and women's aspirations over the years: while most people across all ages want two or three children, little is known about how entrenched these preferences are. Do people modify their views about their, ideal family size?(Fertility Decision Making Project)
March 22, 2005... The Fertility Decision Making Project conducted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies in 2004 suggests that, whether in their early twenties, late thirties or somewhere in between, Australians want much the same number of children, with...

Factors influencing men's and women's decisions about having children: the fertility literature is replete with reasons for delayed child bearing and the decline in large families. But what shapes men's and women's thinking about whether or not to have children?
March 22, 2005... Fertility behaviour is likely to be an outcome of various psychological, social and life course forces that influence individuals' perceptions of the choices available to them and the resources they have (or may have at some point in the...

Parent-child contact schedules after divorce.
March 22, 2005... There seems to be a widespread belief in Australia that where parents separate, children usually see their father every-other-weekend. But is this the case? In this article, Bruce Smyth provides a "big picture" snapshot of contact schedules in...

Mothers' reflections about work and family life: drawing on new Institute research, Kelly Hand and Jody Hughes report that mothers have diverse views about combining paid work with raising children. Further, many mothers acknowledge that the decisions of other mothers may be different from their own and made in response to individual circumstances and desires.
March 22, 2005... Understandings of motherhood are embedded in social and cultural circumstances--and hence mothering is practised in diverse ways. Women "do mothering" in different ways according to "material and cultural resources and constraints... within...

Differentiating between child maltreatment experiences.
March 22, 2005... Is differentiating between maltreatment sub-types helpful in explaining outcomes for victim/survivors of child maltreatment? Results from an analysis of parent-report and adult self-report data suggest that the degree (frequency and severity)...

Multiple child care arrangements in Australia: the majority of Australian children will use some form of non-parental child care before entering school, yet very little attention has focused on the combinations of care types that children use across early childhood, and the reasons why parents make these child care decisions.(Family Trends)
March 22, 2005... Over recent decades, the workforce participation of mothers with young children has been steadily increasing. The employment rate of mothers with a child aged four years or younger, for example, rose from 29 per cent in 1984 to 45 per cent in...

Shared parenting and family law reform: the next instalment.(Family Law)
March 22, 2005... A discussion paper issued by the Australian Government in November 2004 outlines a reform strategy aimed at promoting the continued involvement of both parents in their children's lives following separation, diverting families away from the...

Family Relationship Centres in Australia: reflections based on research and practice: the establishment of a new network of Family Relationship Centres forms the centrepiece of the latest round of family law reforms in Australia. This article draws on insights from practice and research in an attempt to anticipate some of the challenges that the Centres might face.(Opinion)
March 22, 2005... With around one in three marriages expected to end in divorce in Australia (ABS 2004), and relatively high rates of relationship breakdown among never-married and previously-married parents, the search continues for processes, services and...

Minister launches major Institute book.(AIFS Activities)(Australian Institute of Family Studies)
March 22, 2005... The Institute Director, Professor Alan Hayes, and the staff of the Institute were delighted to welcome Senator the Hon Kay Patterson, Minister for Family and Community Services, to the Institute on 23 November 2004 to launch the Institute's...

Times of change at the family court.(AIFS Activities)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2005... As noted in the Acting Director's report in the last edition of Family Matters (no. 68, Winter 2004: 2), the Institute welcomes the appointment, on 11 May 2004, of Diana Bryant as Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia. Having played a...

Institute farewells AIFS researcher.(AIFS Activities)(Australian Institute of Family Studies)
March 22, 2005... On Thursday 17 October 2004 staff gathered to farewell their colleague, AIFS Research Fellow Christine Millward who, after 17 years at the Institute, decided to undertake her PhD in Sociology full-time at La Trobe University. During her...

Singapore researcher visits the Institute.(AIFS Activities)(Australian Institute of Family Studies)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2005... Pictured at the Australian Institute of Family Studies with Institute researcher Ruth Weston is Paulin Tay Straughan (left), Associate Professor and Deputy Head of Department of Sociology, and Assistant Dean of Faculty of Arts and Social...

Two new Institute reports released.(AIFS Activities)(Australian Institute of Family Studies)
March 22, 2005... The Australian Institute of family Studies published two substantial Research Reports in December 2004. Research Report No. 10, Parenting influences on adolescent alcohol use, provides invaluable new insights into the influences that parents...

Institute hosts delegation from Vietnam.(AIFS Activities)(Australian Institute of Family Studies)
March 22, 2005... As another step in strengthening the Institute's collaborative ties with neighbouring countries, the Institute was pleased to host a visiting delegation from the Vietnam Commission for Population, Family and Children, on 29 September 2004. The...

Institute Conference 2005.(AIFS Activities)(Australian Institute of Family Studies)(Calendar)
March 22, 2005... The Australian Institute of Family Studies is hosting its Ninth Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference, to be held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre on Southbank from Wednesday 9 February to Friday 11 February 2005. The Conference...

Institute hosts visit from UK Government Committee on child support.(AIFS Activities)(Australian Institute of Family Studies)
March 22, 2005... On 16 September 2004, the Institute hosted a consultative meeting between the visiting United Kingdom House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee and a panel consisting of a range of people with past or current involvement in the field of...

AIFS abroad--Brussels.(AIFS Activities)(Australian Institute of Family Studies)
March 22, 2005... Principal Research Fellow, Michael Alexander, represented the Australian Institute of Family Studies at an international seminar on parental leave in Brussels, in October 2004. The seminar was jointly hosted by the Thomas Corum Research Unit...

Launch of Family & Society Plus.(AIFS Activities)(Australian Institute of Family Studies)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2005... In response to the growing demand for instant online delivery of full text articles and reports, the Australian Institute of Family Studies, in partnership with RMIT Publishing, has produced a new database, Family & Society Plus. Family &...

New SFLEX report launched.(AIFS Activities)(Stronger Families Learning Exchange)
March 22, 2005... After just two years, a new charitable foundation is demonstrating how it is living up to its commitment to making a real difference in the lives of children and young people. The Early Learnings report was launched by Telstra Foundation...

AIFS seminars 2004-2005.(Australian Institute of Family Studies)
March 22, 2005... In 2004 the Australian Institute of Family Studies continued its series of public seminars presenting contemporary research on national and international issues related to family. Listening for justice: Stories of poverty in Australian...

Asia Pacific Family Dialogue.(Conference Report)
March 22, 2005... The Australian Institute of family Studies was pleased to be invited to participate in the Asia Pacific Family Dialogue hosted by the Government of Malaysia, and to chair a session and facilitate a roundtable discussion. This article presents...

Celebrating families in Singapore: the Australian Institute of Family Studies was invited to participate in the Family Conference, held in Singapore to mark the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family. Ruth Weston and Alan Hayes discuss the issues raised in the Regional Family Policy Forum, on the first day of the conference.(Conference Report)
March 22, 2005... "Have you brought joy to your family today?" This question was devised as the theme for year-long activities in Singapore to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family (IYF) in 2004. Behind the question is the...

Beyond binaries in motherhood research.
March 22, 2005... Much research into motherhood and the family uses qualitative techniques such as focus groups and interviews. However, these methods can serve to reinforce the dominant discourse that focuses on the contradictory demands experienced by mothers...

A review of new Australian Government initiatives for families with children.(Commentary)
March 22, 2005... The 2004 Federal Budget was described as a families budget, with substantial new spending to help families with children. Post-Budget election commitments were also significant for families with children. Alison Morehead summarises the new...

Back off bully: a crash course in stopping bullies.(Book )(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... Back off bully: A crash course in stopping bullies, by Mark Dobson, Doubleday, Milson's Point, 2003. This small book is packed with practical information on bullying and how to stop it. It begins with a discussion of what behaviours...

NoNo the little seal.(Book Notes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... NoNo the little seal, by Sherri Patterson and Judith Feldman, Illustrated by Ray Bowler, St Luke's Innovative Resources, Bendigo, 2004. Price: $39.60. Subtitled "The gentle story of a little seal who learns to stay safe, say 'No', and...

Rethinking attachment for early childhood practice: Promoting security, autonomy and resilience in young children.(Book Notes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... Rethinking attachment for early childhood practice: Promoting security, autonomy and resilience in young children, by Shame Rolfe, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, 2004. Price: $39.95. This book explores the interpersonal dynamics of early...

A Companion to Gender Studies.(Book Notes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... A companion to gender studies, Edited by Philomena Essed, David Theo Goldberg and Audrey Kobayashi, Blackwell Publishing, Malden, 2005. This substantial collection of papers aims "to offer a comprehensive, critical and engaged overview of...

Good to talk? Conversations with children after divorce.(Book Notes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... Good to talk? Conversations with children after divorce, by Bren Neale and Carol Smart, Young Voice, London, 2001. Price: UK12.00. This report presents findings from a UK study of children's perspectives on post-divorce family life. It...

Late babies: Having a baby after 35.(Book Notes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... Late babies: Having a baby after 35, by Sandra McLean, Bantam Australia, Melbourne, 2004. Price: $32.95. This collection of stories examines the growing trend of older motherhood in Australia. Fourteen women relate their personal stories of...

Support groups for people affected by family violence: a key element of a coordinated response.(Book Notes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... Support groups for people affected by family violence: A key element of a coordinated response, by Jenny Southwell, DomesticViolence and Incest Resource Centre, Collingwood, 2004. Price: $20.00. This publication argues that...

Helping abused children and their families: Towards an evidence-based practice model.(Book Notes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... Helping abused children and their families: Towards an evidence-based practice model, by Chris Trotter, Allen and Unwin, St Leonards, 2004. Price: $35.00. This new Australian book outlines the author's evidence-based practice model for...

101 ways great and small to prevent family violence: a Victorian resource kit.(Book Notes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... 101 ways great and small to prevent family violence: A Victorian resource kit, by Moira C G Finucane and Susan S Finucane, Domestic Violence and Incest Resource Centre, Collingwood 2004. Price: $20.00. This kit contains discussions of 59...

Creating a resilient families.(Book Notes)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... Creating a resilient families, by Andrew Fuller, ACER, Camberwell, 2004. Price: $39.95. This kit contains 40 topic sheets based on the author's book Raising real people. Topics covered in the book range from everyday issues such as tidying...

Conferences.(Calendar)
March 22, 2005... This short selection of forthcoming family-related conferences is taken from the Australian Institute of Family Studies Internet conference listing, which is updated weekly. For the complete, up-to-date list, refer to...

Parenting influences on adolescent alcohol use.(Publications)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2005... Parenting influences on adolescent alcohol use, AIFS Research Report No. I O, November 2004. 120 pages. Free. Also available online. Alcohol use is widespread among Australian adolescents, and high-risk use is a serious and growing problem....

It's not for lack of wanting kids.(Publications)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... "It's not for lack of wanting kids": A report on the Fertility Making Project, AIFS Research Report No. 11, November 2004. 224 pages. Free. Also available online. The decline in fertility in Australia and beyond is increasingly seen as a...

Diversity and change in Australian families.(Publications)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... Diversity and change in Australian families: Statistical profiles, by David de Vaus, Australian Institute of Family Studies, September 2004.352 pages. Price $50.00 plus $5.00 postage and handling. Even a fleeting familiarity with family...