Families and how they manage jobs and money are the common focus of the papers in this volume. Researchers and policymakers still know relatively little about how families cope with changing pressures, yet that understanding is needed in a world of labour market polarization and high economic insecurity. The three papers in this study each frame new research questions, first by examining the existing literature and then by identifying gaps in knowledge.

These papers ask about how families exchange resources, both in terms of patterns of mutual support and exchange inside household and, with a more inclusive lens, across households. These papers go beyond the conventional focus on the division of such tasks as household work and child care, and explore issues about how money is or is not pooled, sources of advice and assistance, and who relies on who for emotional support.