1 The Role of Brothers and Sisters in Changing Times
Ann Buchanan and Anna Rotkirch
Part 1 Continuity and Change in Sibling Relations
2 Brothers and Sisters Across the Life Course: Eleven Factors Shaping Relationship Quality in Adult Siblings
Antti O. Tanskanen and Mirkka Danielsbacka
3 Brothers and Sisters: A Social and Demographic Perspective
John Haskey
4 Brothers and Sisters: Themes in Myths, Legends and Histories from Europe and the
New World
Ann Buchanan
5 Siblings in Māori Myth, Culture and Present-Day Society
Judith Davey and Chris Cunningham
6 Brothers and Sisters, Husbands and Wives: Love, Power, and Being an In-law
Suad Joseph
Part 2 Sibling Relationships in Adolescence
7 Sibling Relationships in Adolescence Across Cultures: Predictors, Transitions, and Support
Avidan Milevsky
8 Sibling Support: The Reports of Israeli Adolescents in Residential Care
Shalhevet Attar-Schwartz
9 One Father, Many Mothers: Sibling Relationships in Polygamous Families
Alean Al-Krenawi
10 Sibling Relationships Across Families Created Through Assisted Reproduction
Vasanti Jadva
11 Brothers and Sisters in China: No Longer the One-Child Family
Bin Chen and Jo-Pei Tan
Part 3 Relationships in Adult Life
12 Adult Sibling Relationships in the United States:Mostly Close, Occasionally Contentious,our study in terms of what tion, lings, the clinical work. som. xperiences with respect to adult clients bringin and Caring for Aging Parents
Michael Woolley and Geoffrey Greif
13 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Siblings
Dawn M. Szymanski and Angela N. Hilton
14 Sibling Support in Transnational Families: The Impact of Migration and Mobility on Sibling Relationships of Support over Time and Distance
Loretta Baldassar and Rosa Brandhorst
15 Social Support When a Sibling has a Disability
John Kramer, Ariella Meltzer & Kate Strohm
16 Sibling Relationships Across Generations in Rwanda: Continuity and Change Through Conflict and Development
Kirsten Pontalti
17 Brothers Who Kill: Murders of Sisters for the Sake of Family Honour in Pakistan
Sadiq Bhanbhro
Part 4 Sibling Relationships in Old Age
18 Siblings Caring for Their Parents Across Europe: Gender in Cross-National Perspective
Natalia Sarkisian & Naomi Gerstel
19 Linking Up Again: Views of Barnardo’s Elders on Being Separated From Their Siblings and How They Reconnected in Old Age
Ann Buchanan
20 “We Are Close Enough”: Closeness and Support from Siblings Among Divorced and Widowed Seniors in Singapore
Leng Thang, Emily Zee Kee Lim, Dionysia Jia Ying Kang and Wei Loong Lim
Conclusion
21 To What Extent can we rely on Support from our Brothers and Sisters at Different Stages in Our Life Span?
Ann Buchanan
Ann Buchanan is Emeritus Professor at the Department of Social Policy and Social Intervention, Supernumerary Fellow of St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford, and previously Director of the Centre for Research into Parenting and Children.
Anna Rotkirch is Research Professor and Director of the Population Research Institute, Väestöliitto, Finland. As a sociologist she has specialized in comparative research on families in Europe. Current research interests include fertility, grandparenting, and friendship. She is currently undertaking a study on Population in Finland.
This edited volume presents unique insights on sibling relationships in adulthood in the early 21st century, focusing on three themes: relations beyond childhood and school years; factors shaping social support provision between siblings; and changes in family life and how these impact sibling relations. Comprised of chapters from distinguished international family scholars, this book examines sibling dynamics across age, race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, geography, and social environments. It answers important questions such as, to what extent do siblings support each other at different stages of the life cycle? How do cultural practices and family obligations impact on sibling support? How does sibling support differ when looking at surrogates, migrant families, polygamous families, and siblings with disabilities?
These contributions expand and contribute greatly to the field of sibling studies and will be of interest to all students and scholars studying and researching family relationships.