The Making and Breaking of the Australian Family

This is an examination of the changing definitions of the Australian family over the past century, and the changing experience of everyday life and family organization.

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"The Making and Breaking of the Australian Family" is concerned with the Australian social history and the theory of the family. The book places the debate in its historical context, pointing out that the family is not a pre-given institution, but rather an historically changing set of relationships. Definitions of the family have changed substantially over the past century. There have been controversies over the family before, but it has not been the same family form which has been defended or challenged. Not only has the meaning of the family changed; so too has the experience of family life. The author traces the changing experience of everyday life and family organization over the past century, examining the making of the post-war nuclear family, with its breadwinner husband, housewife/mother and dependent children, and the changes that have taken place since then. Clearly written, up-to-date and down-to-earth, this book will be a valuable reference for students of sociology, Australian history and the human service professions. It will also be of interest to a wider readership concerned with family issues, past and present.
"Michael Gilding is Lecturer in Social and Political Studies at Swinburne Institute of Technology.". This book is intended for students and researchers in the sociology of the family and Australian social history.