Planning intimate futures: Young adults' visions of family in Europe

NETREP - Networks of reproduction in the complex planetary future

Networks of reproduction in the complex planetary future: Intimacy, companionship and family building in Finland, Portugal, and Scotland What might the future look like in terms of how family and intimate lives are composed? How do global crises such as climate change affect family formation? Meanings of ‘family’ are changing and complex; companionship and family life increasingly consist of important non-kin others, such as friends and pets. Yet the contemporary society in many ways still depends on biological procreation. This makes young people subjects to societal expectations of starting a family. In the background are the economic hardships wrought by the financial crisis, the war in Ukraine, and the global Covid 19 pandemic, as well as fears around climate change and an unviable reproductive future. NETREP is a 4-year, qualitative study, using multiple methods. The research aims to understand the thoughts and feelings of young adults about their future intimacies and their networks of significant others across the European countries of Finland, Portugal, and Scotland. We aim to grasp similarities and differences between socioeconomic contexts, cultural ideas about starting a family, and the responses of young people to these. The findings will enable us to sketch a wider scenario for European reproductive futures. As well as contributing to academic theory on family life and risky futures, our findings will be key to informing policy and practice in the areas of, for example, family, fertility, public health, and migration. See here for the Scotish project website.