Conclusions

Abstract

This book seeks to understand the impact of late modernity on the changing patterns of personal and family relationships and to explain them in the context of broader societal effects and national histories. Findings confirm that, far from the vision of individualized free choice and kinship decline, individuals’ choices in their personal and family networks are shaped by biographical and social constraints. The book draws out the influence of major mechanisms and shaping factors of relational proximity, such as past co-residence, life trajectories, or individuals’ positioning in social structure, and provides some innovative conclusions with regard to the impact of national context. Comparison across Switzerland, Portugal, and Lithuania illuminates how different historical and social pathways affect the complex reconfiguration of the shape of personal networks.