Will the Real New Zealand Family Please Stand Up? Substantive and Methodological Factors Affecting Research and Policy on Families and Households

Natalie Jackson, Ian Pool

In New Zealand, as in similar countries, family and household change receive a great deal of attention. Much of this is focused on a perceived “demise” or “decline” of the family, but such views often arise through a misunderstanding of the complexity of the processes of family formation. While there is a recognition that different ethnic groups may have different structures, and thus the policies must be “culturally sensitive”, there is far less recognition of other critical factors that affect analysis and policy.

This paper reviews both substantive and methodological issues in order to explore four identifiable, interrelated problems: the central units concerned (family and household); the numerators and denominators used to measure family and household change; the interdependency of the processes of familial change; and variation between ethnic groups. We begin with a brief critique of data sources and the central analytical concepts, then outline some of the key demographic factors affecting the analysis of family structures.

The paper concludes that the demographic dynamics that underlie many areas of social policy must be better understood and incorporated into policy deliberations. Otherwise, groups with differing age and family structures may be disadvantaged by the very policies aimed at helping them.