Is the Family System in Romania Similar to those of Southern European Countries?

Authors

  • Maria Castiglioni Dept. of Statitsical Sciences University of Padova
  • Mihaela Hărăguş Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Centre for Population Studies
  • Cristina Faludi Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work
  • Paul Teodor Hărăguş Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12765/CPoS-2016-01

Keywords:

Romania, Strong family ties, Living arrangements, Intergenerational support, Values and attitudes

Abstract

In his influential 1998 study, David S. Reher discusses historical differences between countries with strong and weak family ties. He focuses on the “Western World”, comparing Italy and the Iberian Peninsula with Scandinavia, the British Isles, the Low Countries, Germany and Austria, together with North America. In this paper, we explore whether Romania, in Eastern Europe, can be characterised as having a strong family system, given the increasingly important role family has played for individual well-being following the end of the socialist regime. We observe a number of similarities between Romania and Southern European countries in terms of behaviours associated with “strong family ties”, opinions on family care and mutual intergenerational support. Differences can be explained in light of Romania’s economic and housing crisis. Overall, it is likely that the importance of family ties in Romania increased after the end of the socialist regime.

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Published

2016-06-30

How to Cite

[1]
Castiglioni, M. et al. 2016. Is the Family System in Romania Similar to those of Southern European Countries?. Comparative Population Studies. 41, 1 (Jun. 2016). DOI:https://doi.org/10.12765/CPoS-2016-01.

Issue

Section

Research Articles