Family Models in Germany (FAMOD)
About the project FAMOD
The interdisciplinary research project “Family Models in Germany” (FAMOD) is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). It is carried out by sociologists of the University of Duisburg-Essen and jurists of the University of Marburg. PIs are Prof. Dr. Anja Steinbach (Duisburg) and Prof. Dr. Tobias Helms (Marburg).
From a sociological and legal point of view, the primary focus of the project is on the diversity of existing family models. The project’s aim is to find out more about the living environments of mothers, fathers and children in different family configurations. To account for this plurality, the study not only includes married couples but also unmarried couples with minor children. In this respect, the survey closely examines the well-being of the individual family members in order to identify specific potentials and challenges practiced within a specific family form.
During the three-year duration of the project, a nationwide survey will be prepared, conducted and analyzed. With regard to the implications for life in society, the findings will be discussed with experts from science and practice.
Research design
Standardized survey
Within the standardized part of the survey, members of 1,500 families will be included. Face-to-face interviews will be conducted with both parents and children living in different family models. The basis for these interviews are questionnaires that contain questions about different topics of family lives, e.g., housing conditions. In case of a parental separation or divorce, both biological parents will be asked to fill out a questionnaire, including those parents who do not live in the same household as their children. Furthermore, the new partners of the separated or divorced mothers and fathers will be included in the study, given that they live in the children’s household. This nationwide survey will start in the summer of 2019 and allow us to gain insight into the diverse family models throughout Germany.
Non-standardized survey
In addition to the standardized part of the survey, family models in Germany will also be examined using qualitative methods. For this purpose, separated and divorced parents with minor children report about their personal experiences with different care arrangements in open interviews. Both of the biological parents and their new partners will be included. The findings from these non-standardized interviews will allow an even deeper insight into family life after separation and divorce and will complete the standardized part of the survey with additional relevant information. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, the developers of this project are confident that the complexity of family living arrangements are dealt with in a balanced and adequate manner.