Publisher's Synopsis
In this book, nineteen European scholars describe the characteristics and trends evident in the European population at a crucial point in its history. The volume opens with accounts of the general character of the population, its history since the last century, and its current geographical distribution. The authors then discuss mortality, health provision and culture; fertility, abortion and pro–natalist policies; the ageing population, retirement and state provision; the nuclear family and its future, one–parent households, divorce, remarriage, cohabitation and the increase in lone individuals; regional patterns of provision and demand for education; variations in employment and the informal economy; and the contrasting roles of women and attitudes to gender within Europe.
