Changing Values, Changing Families?
Abstract from Fiona Williams’ NFPI Keynote

“The changes in family lives over the last two decades are well-known: the increase in working mothers, in cohabitation, divorce, single and step-parenthood, in people living on their own, and in more open same sex relationships. But how do people manage these changes, and have new values emerged that are important in family lives and personal relationships? Drawing on a five year research programme at the University of Leeds, Fiona Williams will show that while the shape of commitments may be changing there has been no loss of commitment itself. People may be finding new ways of living and loving, but these are not simply individual ‘lifestyle choices’ but attempts to attend to the needs of, and commitments to, close others. She will argue that the nature of people’s own commitments and their caring activities need to find more accurate reflection in policy, and, above all, there needs to be a radical repositioning of the place of ‘care’ in political thinking and strategy”

** Paper available soon **