In the field of marriage and relationships research there has tended to be a preoccupation with relationship breakdown and dissolution, obscuring the body of literature that explores the reasons why many marriages are enduring, satisfying and happy. Drawing on this literature, Robyn Parker discusses some of what is known about why many marriages last for...

In the second part of their analysis of the role of mass media in child abuse prevention, Bernadette Saunders and Chris Goddard discuss the benefits of mass media programs as a tool to advocate for children's rights and more specifically, to promote awareness of, and to prevent, child abuse. (The first part appeared as National...

Little is known about social capital in practice, since measurement of the concept remains an emerging field. Drawing on data from the institute's Families, Social Capital and Citizenship survey of 1500 Australian households, Wendy Stone and Jody Hughes aim to contribute to the development of theoretically based and empirically valid measures of social capital that...

Based on data collected as part of the Parenting-21 project conducted by the institute from 1996 to 1998, this report describes how Australian parents are raising their children, by focusing on parents' beliefs and child rearing practices. Violet Kolar and Grace Soriano explore the influence of cultural background on those beliefs and practices by comparing...

Australia's population is ageing. While the population has increased more than fourfold since the beginning of the 20th century, fertility and mortality rates have undergone significant changes, and overseas migration has fluctuated substantially. Ageing Yet Diverse: The Changing Shape of Australia's Population focuses on the changing demographic face of Australia, its age structure, sex ratio...