Not only family: childcare support networks of dual earner couples

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Livia García Faroldi
Universidad de Málaga

Care support networks are crucial for Spanish couples to be able to reconcile their work and family schedules. This study presents the results of a research involving 15 heterosexual dual earner couples living with children aged between 3 and 15 years old. Information about their childcare support networks was collected, paying special attention to the role that non-family members may play in them. The results reveal the diversity of childcare networks, offering a more complex and nuanced image compared to other studies that predominantly highlight the family’s role. While it is true that family commonly serves as the primary resource provider when available, it’s not uncommon to find other non-family adults within the support network, especially close friends and people who have been met at the children’s school.  It is also evident that care continues to be a feminine task, since most of the members of the networks are women and have stronger ties with the mother than with the father of the child.

Keywords
Social support, Work-family balance, Gender roles, Intergenerational closure

Article Details

How to Cite
García Faroldi, Livia. “Not only family: childcare support networks of dual earner couples ”. Redes. Revista hispana para el análisis de redes sociales, 2025, vol.VOL 36, no. 1, pp. 54-71, doi:10.5565/rev/redes.1047.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

(c) Livia García Faroldi, 2024

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