New types of families. The results of our survey

What do female readers, and those from other European countries, think of the new types of families? What is their opinion on issues such as the right to marry and have or adopt children of same-sex couples? How many extended families are there in Italy and in other countries? And what do others think about it? These are some of the questions we wanted to answer through a survey on new types of families.

The overwhelming majority of women responded to the survey, and a large proportion of them were "aged between 20 and 29, probably proof that certain issues about new families are of greater interest to those who have yet to build a new family. own family, different from that of origin Many of the interviewees, in all the European countries concerned by the survey, are in fact single or in a couple, but in any case without children.

Adoption and homogenitorial families

From the preliminary questions on adoptions, it emerged that in all European countries that responded to the survey (Italy, France, Spain, Germany and Poland), the adoption law should be more effective, because current procedures are too slow. It is therefore not just an Italian problem. When it comes to the question of the right to adopt by would-be single parents, almost all respondents agree that adoption for singles is a right, apart from 45% of German women who believe there should always be two parents. Also for the right of gay couples to adopt the transversal European opinion is almost unanimous: same-sex couples have the right to adopt like any other couple, but 40% of Polish respondents say they disagree. The general sentiment for same-parent families is also quite positive, including the plight of the children of these couples. For all the European countries investigated through our readers, the children of homosexual couples are like those of any other family. The option that the interviewees seem to prefer, for a gay couple to have children is that of adoption. Only the Spanish, for 35%, affirm that gay couples have the right to have biological children of one of the two parents, through the methods of assisted fertilization or surrogate mothers.
When asked "Do you think people will be able to accept same-parent families in your country?", The answer of the majority in almost all countries is "No, but the world is changing and people will have to adapt", one "option. fatalistic and perhaps a little off-putting, were it not followed by the second favorite answer: "Yes, most people will accept them." Only the Poles seem to have little hope: for 60% of them, same-parent families will never be accepted.

To then test personal feelings about adoptions, the question was asked: "Would you ever adopt a child"? Italy and Spain answered with certainty yes, with over 30 and 40% of the answers respectively. Responses from other countries are more ambivalent, because respondents would only adopt if they could not conceive naturally. Adoption is probably seen in this case as a solution to a problem of fertility and desire for a child, while in Italy and Spain it is seen as a pure act of love.

© Thinkstock Single parents

Single-parent families elicit more mixed responses and opinions, as a single parent's choice to become a parent is often viewed as questionable. To the first question on the topic: "What do you think of single parent families?" the answers are distributed on the "uncertainty of the parent's single status: is he single because he is a widower? is he single by choice, and above all has he been single since before having a child, or has he just been out of a regular couple?"

This uncertainty is expressed above all in France, where for the highest percentages compared to other countries a single parent is admissible only "if he is widowed", and, if he decides to have a single child he is considered "selfish" ( 20%, a high response rate compared to that given by other countries to the same question). However, in general, even single parents by choice have the right to have children, and are considered to be courageous or to be respected, given the greater difficulties they encounter, in almost all countries.

© Thinkstock Extended families

The question of extended families is probably less known, because to the question: "Do you know any extended families?", 30% of Italians and 37% of Germans answer no, 27% of French and 33% of Spanish say they yes, and adds that they work perfectly, while 33% of Poles say yes, and that they have more problems than traditional families, that is, those with children of the same parents.

When it comes to simple opinions on the phenomenon, the interviewees are all more unanimous and "progressive". For the majority, in all the European countries involved, extended families are like any other family, no matter where the parents and children come from. To the question "If you were in an extended family, what would worry you most?", 37% of Italians, 45% of French and 30% of Spaniards answered: "Children: do we take good care of them?" , while 33% of the Germans and 44 of the Poles answered: "The partner's children: do they know that I love them as if they were mine?", which is however the second favorite answer of the interviewees from other countries.

© Thinkstock In general, the results of our survey reveal a good level of information on other types of families, and a generalized open and advanced opinion on the phenomena, a figure certainly conditioned by the young age of the majority of the participants (mostly between 20 and 29 years, involved in a relationship but still childless). A state of affairs for the wives and mothers of the future that bodes well.