Maureen Baker is Professor of Sociology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She has taught in several Canadian universities including the University of Toronto and McGill University, as well as in Australia. She is author of many books and articles on family and social issues.

1 The personal and social world of families2 Cultural variations in families3 Early family life in settler societies4 Conceptualising families5 Intimacy, cohabitation and the quality of marriage6 Childhood, reproduction and childcare7 Families and paid/unpaid work8 Separation, divorce and remarriage9 State regulation of family life10 The future of family lifeGlossary References