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Following the theoretical perspective of the BiB study entitled Familienleitbilder – Concepts of Family in Germany, we can presume that people have images in their minds as to what constitutes a ‘proper’ family and that these images are important in terms of family biography decisions.
The main objective of this project is to capture these concepts of family and to describe them in a detailed way, thus supplementing the Familienleitbilder – Concepts of Family study. In doing so, we take simple differentiations according to gender, education and region (eastern and western Germany). Moreover, we aim to conduct intercultural comparisons using reproduction studies in other countries.
The study was conducted in 2015 with 101 participants. It is based on a mix of methods comprising three surveying techniques: First of all, the participants were asked to draw a picture of what they considered a ‘proper’ family. Based on these drawings, a brief telephone interview was then conducted with each participant to interpret the picture. Furthermore, a standardised questionnaire that the participants returned along with their pictures allows us to differentiate descriptions of cultural concepts of family according to origin (east/west), position within the family biography (still living with parents, single, etc.), and other socio-demographic characteristics.
2014–2019
Tal Meler, Zefat Academic College, Israel