Strengthening marriages is important to the well-being of individuals, families and communities. The transition to parenthood brings with it particular risks and opportunities for marriage relationships, yet no interventions have been successful in accessing a large number of couples during this critical time prepare and strengthen them for the challenges of becoming parents. The healthcare system has an established education infrastructure (childbirth education) that interacts with a significant number of couples during the transition to parenthood and has become increasingly open to incorporating relationship strengthening efforts into existing programs. The Marriage Moments program was designed to access couples through this system. This new approach to marriage education employs a program design unique in three ways: the context of childbirth education, a low-intensity content based on a model of marital virtues, and a simple, self-administered format of materials that gives the program great flexibility and transportability that can be implemented in a variety of existing systems. Initial formative program evaluation data show that the program is well received by participating couples. Marriage Moments is currently being pilot tested to evaluate its effectiveness in strengthening marriage through the transition, but it is expected the program will be disseminated widely and reach numerous couples as they transition to parenthood.

Le sujet principal de ce texte est une forme très ciblée de ségrégation démographique : la ségrégation selon le type de famille. Cependant, puisque la répartition spatiale des familles mariées, des familles en union libre, des familles monoparentales à chef féminin et de celles à chef masculin ne dépend pas uniquement de leur structure, il faut aussi considérer d'autres facettes de leur identité, notamment leurs caractéristiques socio-économiques et ethnoculturelles. La combinaison de ces facteurs engendre une ségrégation croisée que nous explorons avec les données du recensement de 2006 pour la région métropolitaine de Montréal. Nous utilisons d'abord des indices de ségrégation pour mettre en évidence une ségrégation familiale "brute", puis nous avons recours à des modèles de locational attainment pour déterminer l'effet "net" du type de famille sur le revenu médian du quartier de résidence et sur la distance qui sépare ce quartier du centre-ville. Nous trouvons qu'il existe une interaction importante entre l'appartenance ethnoculturelle, le revenu familial et le type de famille ce qui nous conduit à relativiser les résultats de recherches qui ne prennent pas en compte l'hétérogénéité interne des types de famille. / The main topic of this text is a narrowly defined form of demographic segregation: segregation by family type. However, since the spatial distribution of married, cohabiting, lone-mother, or lone-father families does not depend solely on their structure, we must also consider other aspects of their identity, including their socio-economic and ethno-cultural characteristics. The combination of these factors produces a cross-segregation that we investigate using 2006 census data for the Montreal metropolitan area. We first use segregation indices to highlight a "raw" family type segregation and we then use locational attainment models to determine its "net" effect on the median household income of the neighborhood and on the distance between the neighborhood and the city core. We find a significant interaction between ethnicity, family income and family type which leads us to put in perspective the findings of studies that do not take into account the internal heterogeneity of family types.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Il est convenu de dire que la famille d’aujourd’hui se construit de multiples façons. Les familles recomposées, issues des nouvelles technologies de la reproduction, de l’adoption internationale ou dont les parents sont de même sexe font partie du paysage depuis de nombreuses années, au point où elles n’étonnent plus. Ces familles ont comme particularité de remettre en question l’adéquation entre la sexualité du couple et la reproduction tout en introduisant d’autres personnes dans la conception ou dans l’éducation des enfants. Malgré la polymorphie des familles contemporaines, perdure toutefois une certaine représentation de la famille basée sur le sang partagé entre les différents membres qui la composent. En ce sens, les « vrais » parents sont ceux qui sont à l’origine de la naissance de l’enfant (Déchaux, 2007; Deliège, 2005). Parallèlement à cela, on constate l’émergence d’un discours centré sur l’importance du père pour le développement et le bien-être de l’enfant, au point où l’absence du père au sein du foyer familial tend de plus en plus à être conceptualisée comme un problème social majeur (Kelly, 2009). De fait, les recherches démontrent que l’engagement paternel profite autant aux enfants qu’au père et à la mère. C’est dans ce contexte que s’inscrivent les familles lesboparentales dont les enfants sont nés d’un donneur connu. Cette thèse a comme objectif de comprendre le rôle du donneur au sein des familles lesboparentales, à savoir la place que lui font les mères dans leur projet parental. Nous cherchons également à comprendre comment ce rôle s’actualise. Pour ce faire, nous avons interrogé neuf (9) couples lesbiens et les neuf (9) donneurs à l’origine de leur projet parental. Les résultats présentent un niveau différencié d’implication des donneurs en fonction de la mise à distance ou de l’appropriation par les mères du schéma nucléaire traditionnel. / It is generally acknowledged that today’s families come in a wide variety of forms. Reconstituted families, new reproductive technologies, international adoption and same-sex parents have become such a fixture in our social landscape that they are no longer surprising. The common characteristic of all these types of families is that they challenge the relationship between a couple’s sexuality and reproduction by introducing other people into the process of conceiving or educating children. In spite of the diversity of contemporary family structures, however, a certain representation of the family persists based on the blood relationship between its various members: a child’s “real” parents are still considered to be his or her biological parents (Déchaux, 2007; Deliège, 2005; Fine, 2010). There is also an emerging discourse centred on the importance of the father in a child’s development and well-being, to the extent that the absence of a father in the family home is increasingly conceptualized as a major social problem (Kelly, 2008). Research shows that father involvement benefits children as well as their mother and father. Of particular interest in this context are lesbian-parented families whose children were conceived by a known donor. The objective of this thesis is to better understand the role of the donor in lesbian-parented families—what place the mothers allow the donor in their parenting project. To better understand how this role is currently evolving, we interviewed nine lesbian couples and the nine donors who participated in their parenting project. The results show that the donors are involved to varying degrees, depending on the extent to which the child’s mothers have adopted or distanced themselves from the traditional nuclear family model.

Malgré la diversité des recherches sur la parentalité adolescente, l'analyse des trajectoires parentales et des facteurs qui peuvent moduler l'effet de cet événement sur la scolarité demeure peu documentée. C'est précisément sur cet aspect que se penche la présente étude. L'objectif général de ce mémoire est de voir dans quelle mesure les différentes trajectoires adoptées par les jeunes parents sont associées à l’obtention des diplômes scolaires. Évidemment, les parents adolescents forment un groupe qui est plus à risque de ne pas avoir obtenu de diplôme secondaire vers 20 ans. Cependant, nous soutenons que la trajectoire parentale est différente pour chaque individu et qu'elle peut modifier la probabilité d’obtention des diplômes secondaire et postsecondaire. Les résultats des analyses de régression sur les données de l'Enquête auprès des jeunes en transition nous montrent que ce n’est pas le simple fait d’être parent qui influe sur la scolarité des jeunes, mais plutôt le type de trajectoires scolaires empruntées par ces derniers. Ainsi, certaines trajectoires parentales moins stables et plus précoces ont plus d’impact sur la non obtention d’un diplôme d’études secondaire, que les trajectoires parentales stables, qu’il s’agisse de monoparentalité ou de famille cohabitante. La précocité est donc un facteur d’influence différencié selon le type de parcours conjugal. De plus, nous observons que cette association entre certaines trajectoires parentales et l’obtention d’un diplôme s’observe également chez les hommes même si le type de trajectoire parentale est globalement moins explicatif que pour les femmes. Finalement, les variables reliées à la performance scolaire à 15 ans médiatisent en partie l’impact des trajectoires parentales sur le statut scolaire à 23 ans, ce qui suggère que l’association peut s’interpréter aussi comme un effet de la scolarité sur la parentalité. / Although many studies on teenage parenthood have been realized, little research examined the effect of parental trajectories on school graduation. The aim of this study is to better understand how teen parents' life trajectories influenced the probability of getting a diploma. Obviously, young parents have higher risk of not being graduated of high school before their 20 years old. However, we support that teen parents' life trajectories are different for each. In consequence the probability of getting a diploma can be modified. Based on data from the Youth in Transition Survey collected between 2000 and 2007, our results from regression analyses suggest that the simple fact of being a teenage parent does not explain all consequences on school graduation. The probability of getting a diploma would rather be influenced by teen parents' life trajectories. Additionally, results suggest that instable and early parenthood contribute to the likelihood of not being graduated at 23 years old. Our result shows that early parenthood has to be analyzed differently and a combination between precocity and instability help to better understand the effects of adolescent parenthood on diplomation. An association between academic performances at 15 years old and the level of education at 23 years old was also found, which may explain why this association may influences the probability of getting a diploma.

Determination of Parenthood (Abstract) The determination of parenthood is undoubtedly a very topical issue. There are significant changes which are consequences of modern society approach to the family life as well as of massive progress in the field of medical science and genetics. The development in these areas has brought new concepts such as baby-boxes, assisted reproduction and surrogacy. Now it is up to the legislation to provide rules within the legal framework for these new institutions to steady parental relationships and to secure their protection as well. The aim of this thesis is to familiarize the reader with Czech legal regulation of determination of parenthood by means of its description and analysis. Another aim of the work is to compare this legal regulation with regulation in other countries, in particular in Germany and to find similarities and differences between them. Finally the thesis highlights new institutions within determination of parenthood. This thesis consists of nine chapters which deal with particular parts of its subject-matter. The opening chapter discusses the relationship between a parent and a child both theoretically and historically. Apart from that it also describes legal regulations applicable in the Czech Republic and Germany in the course of time. The second...

Determination of Parenthood (Abstract) The topic determination of parenthood today is very actual nowadays and it is not possible to neglect its importance. Changes taking place both in the social life of modern times, and in the field of medicine is necessary to constantly reflect and to adapt them to the legal order. Concepts such as assisted reproduction, surrogacy, concealed birth and baby-boxes are a common part of human society and it is not possible to avoid dealing with the situation around them. The aim of this thesis is to summarize the Czech legislation of determination of parenthood, to mention problematic situations that may arise in connection with it and describe possible solutions to these situations. The another aim then is to acquaint the reader with the newly developing institutions, such as assisted reproduction, surrogacy, concealed birth, baby boxes, etc., and analysis of their current legal status supplemented by comparison of legislation in other European and non-European countries, which could serve as inspiration for future development in the Czech legal order. The first chapter deals with family law, family and relationships between parents and children both from a theoretical and historical point of view. The second chapter is devoted to an overview of the most important changes...

Childlessness in the Czech Republic, Germany, and Austria Abstract The main goal of this thesis is to examine and compare the state of childlessness in the Czech Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany and Austria. In Germany particularly, childlessness has become a phenomenon and a society-wide issue. Austria, where childlessness is at a high level in comparison with other European countries is in a similar situation. Data analysis in this thesis showed that childlessness is more widespread in the former West Germany and Austria than in the Czech Republic and former East Germany. This difference is caused, among other things, by the pro-natal policies adopted in the former communist countries which led to a temporary increase in total fertility rate. Further, the thesis deals with the perception of parenthood and childlessness in society on the basis of the European Values Study 2008 international survey and with the relationship between the ideal and preferred number of children on the basis of the Eurobarometer 2006 international survey. The results of the surveys show that childlessness cannot be considered as a new kind of lifestyle, and that the preferred family form still involves two children. Considerable part of the study focuses on the causes and consequences of childlessness and its possible...

This diploma thesis focuses on the perception of parents by their adolescent children. Since the topic is very wide the thesis considers only selected specifics. The theoretical part is divided into three chapters. First part describes parenthood especially in the time with adolescent child and the next topic is adolescence, its history and main characteristics and the change of personality of adolescent. The next part is devoted to describing the social context which influences the adolescent child and forms their perception of parent. The examples of variability of this relationship are presented in the last part. The research target was to find how Czech adolescents perceive their parents. A questionnaire was used as a means to reach this aim. Gained data were sorted and the outcome is presented in the thesis.

Determination of Parenthood - Alexandra Hrušáková Abstract In my thesis "Determination of Parenthood", I focused on the largest area of family law. Everyone's life is influenced by his family the whole life. And there are many consequences connected to the relation between a child and his parents. My topic responds lively to the changes brought by current scientific and technical progress and dynamic development and metamorphoses in our society. I tried to describe it in a complex way, but in order to put accent on the most important segments of this problem. From the times of ancient Rome there exists the principle "mater semper certa est, pater incertus", which means that the identity of the mother is always certain, but the father isn't. However there exist some situations in which the principle could not be so clear. These situations created objective of this thesis. This thesis is divided into ten chapters. In every single chapter I wasn't only working with Czech law, but I also attempted to compare it to legislation of another countries The first chapter called Parenthood and Child is dealing with the theoretical definition of the components of a relation among parents and children and the rights and obligations rising from this relation. The next chapter presents The Right of the child to know his or...