Recent Research on the History of the Family in Western Europe

This survey of the literature on the history of the family in Western Europe examines recent research along three lines: studies of particular social classes; demographic history and household analysis; and local and regional studies. It is argued that social, economic, legal and political differences were responsible for considerable variation in household size and composition in the past. Certain common assumptions such as cultural diffusion from upper-class behavior, the progressive nuclearization of the household, and the decline of family solidarity are examined critically.