Interview with Petra Tipaldi on the ‘Unbundling the Family’ study

GDI: Which survey finding surprised you most?
Petra Tipaldi: I was amazed that, contrary to media headlines, the notion of family – which has become much more inclusive – is still perceived so positively as a source of emotional closeness and support and that most people are satisfied with their lives. I was also astonished at how much importance families attach to bearing the main responsibility for household and family-related tasks. I expected to see much greater willingness to outsource tasks such as cleaning. 

Most survey participants seem satisfied with their current situation, despite a high level of everyday stress and household tasks still being distributed unequally. How do you explain that?
The emancipation movement has achieved a great deal over recent decades. Equality already exists in many families today. Compared to other countries, there’s still room for improvement in terms of childcare facilities and parental leave. However, the social conditions in Switzerland for an ‘ideal’ family are good today. 

Children are only ranked in fourth place in relation to the question of a fulfilled life. What gives people without children fulfilment?
There’s a very clear change in this respect. A few years ago, having children - especially for women - was the main goal in life, but that’s no longer the case. The basic human needs for autonomy, a sense of connection and competence are no longer fulfilled by the family alone. A fulfilling job where you feel you’re doing something meaningful and can make a difference is enjoyable and meets the need for competence and autonomy. A happy relationship and close friendships fulfil the need for connection. It may be that people can meet their needs here without restricting their individual freedom or making long-term commitments, which is what’s required when having children. 

Is society changing in this respect and are new networks now emerging which can replace the traditional family while still providing a sense of fulfilment? 
Society is definitely changing in this respect. People are seeking and finding a sense of family in shared flats, co-parenting arrangements, open relationships and multi-parent families. However, the role of the ‘family’ as an organising unit shouldn’t be underestimated and the loss of this social structure can lead to greater uncertainty. While the creation of alternative family lifestyles provides freedom, this flexibility requires good communication and makes life more complex for everyone involved. So far, alternative family constellations have received inadequate or no protection at all under family and marriage law. This means modern lifestyles don’t just present an emotional challenge, but also a legal one.

It is usually employees in the busiest years of their lives – i.e. between 30 and 40 – who are promoted. The study indicates this is when they come under the greatest stress. So should employers rethink their career models?
Employers can support their workforce by promoting inclusive, permeable career paths and by providing alternative career opportunities for all genders. Adjustments to the infrastructure and regulations, which have so far been restricted to mothers and/or fathers, must also be made to take account of the pluralisation of families and to enable a better work-life balance. It isn’t just weekly working hours that need to be made more flexible, but also lifetime working models to allow employees to make flexible choices between family and career phases. Promoting career opportunities for people over 40 is particularly important here.

How has the notion of family changed since the last GDI study in 2003? 
The 2003 trend study made statements about the future, while the new study surveyed Swiss people’s perceptions of the current situation. A trend towards pluralisation was already evident in 2003, which is unsurprising as social changes generally take place slowly. However, the new study shows the traditional understanding of family from 2003 – which was still mainly characterised by marriage and biological parenthood/relationships – is now much more inclusive. There is greater social acceptance of the diversity of family forms. Values have shifted from traditional ideals to love, cohesion and trust, with work-life balance playing an increasingly important role. Overall, there is a shift from traditional family structures to ones that are diverse and have stronger emotional connections.

How do the findings concerning greater life satisfaction for people with children compared to those without them measure up in relation to other empirical studies that indicate the opposite, e.g. single women are the happiest group? 
As we didn’t ask our survey participants about their relationship status, we can neither refute nor confirm this finding. The results don’t represent a contradiction in my view. On one hand, they focus on different aspects and, on the other, our findings are consistent with those of other scientific studies (e.g. Krämer et al. 2024). I think it’s fascinating that although the expansion of the family by having children undoubtedly leads to greater stress, it does not result in a deterioration in life satisfaction. This shouldn’t be seen as an appeal for everyone to have children - or not - I see it more as good news for all those parents who are currently juggling various challenges.

The study ‘Unbundling the Family - Swiss Families between Tradition and Transformation’ can be downloaded in German free of charge. The English version will be published in August. 

​Unbundling the Family Schweizer Familien zwischen Tradition und Transformation Learn more

Vorherig Nächste