Family change and inequality in Lithuania

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Šeima; Santuoka; Skyrybos; Tarpusavio santykiai; Partnerystė; Vienišos motinos; Visuomenė; Lygybė; Socialiniai pokyčiai; Dorovinės vertybės; Socialinės vertybės; Sociologija; Sociologiniai tyrimai; Family; Marriage; Divorce; Interpersonal relations; Partneship; Single mothers; Society; Equality; Social change; Moral values; Social values; Sociology; Sociological research; Lithuania.

ENThis article summarizes the evidence on the trends and social stratification of family changes in Lithuania, which took place in the last three decades. We focus on cohabitation and marriage, divorce, non-marital fertility and single motherhood. Overall, there is divergence by social class in family behavior. Non-tra- ditional family behavior is more pronounced among the lower- educated, while better educated opt to marry, live in more stable unions, and less frequently have children in cohabitation. Thus, extensive shifts in family life, which Lithuanian society has experienced since the 1990s, did not occur in parallel across the social spectrum. Moreover, this signals that the family became a relevant mechanism in producing and reproducing inequalities. [From the publication]