The issue of how assets are distributed after death is of increasing significance for larger numbers of people. In this original and path-breaking study, the authors examine the principle means through which people plan to dispose of their assets after death: by the use of wills. By offering an empirical study of 800 English wills, the book identifies significant patterns of bequeathing among a cross-section of the population, and not just among those sections of society whno enjoy substantial wealth. This leads us to focus upon what wills tell us about the family and kin relationships, and...

Inheritance, once the preserve of the propertied upper classes, has become a much more common experience. Many more people now than in the past have something of material value to bequeath when they die, mainly because of the spread of home ownership during the second half of the twentieth century. Passing On examines what these changes can tell us about kinship in England, through a study of how contemporary families handle inheritance.
Based on the findings of a major research project into inheritance and kinship, Passing On examines how it is transmitted, 'who gets...

Inheritance, once the preserve of the propertied upper classes, has become a much more common experience. Many more people now than in the past have something of material value to bequeath when they die, mainly because of the spread of home ownership during the second half of the twentieth century. Passing On examines what these changes can tell us about kinship in England, through a study of how contemporary families handle inheritance.
Based on the findings of a major research project into inheritance and kinship, Passing On examines how it is transmitted, 'who gets...

A discussion of the nature of family life, especially the concepts of duty, responsibility and obligation. The author looks at political and popular debates in this area bringing together material from many disciplines within the social sciences. She looks at the historical perspective, uses empirical evidence about contemporary families and highlights the gaps in research on these topics. The whole discussion is set in the context of current economic and social changes - including social policy and welfare provisions - which create external pressures upon family life. The author argues that...

Negotiating Family Responsibilities provides a major new insight into contemporary family life, particularly kin relationships outside the nuclear family. While many people believe that the real meaning of 'family' has shrunk to the nuclear family household, there is considerable evidence to suggest that relationships with the wider kin group remain an important part of most people's lives.
Based on the findings of a major study of kinship, and including lively verbatim accounts of conversations with family members concepts of responsibility and obligation within family life are...

This volume examines an important but under-researched area - the relationships of wives to their husbands' work. It looks both at the way women's lives are directly affected by the work their husbands do and how they can get drawn into it. These it sees as the two sides of wives' 'incorporation'.

This volume examines an important but under-researched area - the relationships of wives to their husbands' work. It looks both at the way women's lives are directly affected by the work their husbands do and how they can get drawn into it. These it sees as the two sides of wives' 'incorporation'.