Content and Objectives

To be able to better identify unique features of concepts of family in Germany, it is necessary to compare our data with the national collection of data of another country. France is particularly suitable for this because its family policies are frequently cited as models for Germany where the topics of increasing the birth rate or harmonising family and professional life are concerned.

However, comparative studies repeatedly reach the conclusion that there are not only differences in the actual framework conditions, such as the provision of childcare, but that acceptance of these measures is also a decisive factor. Differences between France and Germany in this regard may be rooted in differing concepts of family. In the ELIPSS study by the INED, Paris, the questions from the Familienleitbilder (FLB) – Concepts of Family study were also integrated into the second wave in order to offer the opportunity for binational comparison.

In yet another collaboration, which has been underway since 2015, modules from the Concepts of Family questionnaire were also surveyed for the first time in Hungary. These enable an additional comparison with an eastern European and formerly communist country in which the traditional gender roles for labour division in intimate relationships dominate. In this, Hungary probably contrasts sharply with Germany and France.

In addition to comparing family- and relationship-related concepts in Germany, France and Hungary, the objective is to increasingly examine interactions between such concepts and actual behaviour in the three countries. When interpreting the data, attention will be paid to possible correlations between concepts of family and the political as well as social situation.