MODUS VIVENDI E BENESSERE RELAZIONALE DELLE FAMIGLIE CON FIGLI (0-13 ANNI)

At a time of economic crisis a morphogenetic process is likely to take place in the well-being-oriented choices made by families with young children on work-family reconciliation and parental care. Depending on different cultural and structural factors (financial resources, family type, location), families can be expected to adopt specific ways of life and base their overall satisfaction on different elements. The present contribution is aimed at verifying this hypothesis through data from the ‘Multipurpose Survey on Households: Aspects of Daily Life’, carried out by ISTAT (Italian National Institute of Statistics) throughout 2012. For the purpose of this research, a special section devoted to 3,745 families with children aged 0-13 was included in the ISTAT survey. The research hypothesis is argued in light of two categories: a) relational well-being, a key concept in Relational Sociology, and b) a sustainable modus vivendi, central to the Morphogenetic Theory. Results show that the ways of life (modi vivendi) of families with children aged 0-13 vary significantly, as families’ priority agendas are strongly connected to the continual interaction between family agency and structural conditions. Furthermore, satisfaction with work and with family relationships plays a key role in predicting overall satisfaction, thus overshadowing the importance of the financial situation