Family Matters Journal - Publications - Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS)

Family Matters

Print and Online subscriptions are available.

Family Matters is the research journal of the Australian Institute of Family Studies - the principal means by which the Australian and international community is informed about Institute and other family-related research. ISSN 1030-2646

Family Matters contains the latest Institute research and contributions from Australia's most respected social scientists, social policy analysts, service provider and research agencies. Prospective authors should read our Guidelines for Authors for information about writing for Family Matters. All research papers are subject to a formal review process. Most issues have a particular theme or focus.

Most recent editions of Family Matters (tables of contents and abstacts of articles)

No. 82, 2009 - Parents and their young adult children; children's participation in family law disputes; characteristics of cohabiters; children's relationships with step-parents; effective caring in carer support sector; sole-parent families; Indigenous social exclusion
No. 81, 2009 - Aspirations for work and family; working poor in Australia; flexible work arrangements; supporting children at risk of abuse and neglect; the CDEP scheme; parenting skills; grandparents and grandchildren
No. 80, 2008 - Balancing work and family; protecting and promoting children's wellbeing; involving fathers in child and family services; a history of the Australian social security system
No. 79, 2008 - Focuses on the valuable work of Growing Up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC)

Family Matters (available in full text on an article by article basis)

No. 78, 2008 - Focuses on the challenges that face some families - poverty, deprivation, homelessness, caring for a disabled family member, parenting following separation, and child abuse
No. 77, 2007 - Family relationships and the new family law system; programs to help stepfamilies and pre-marriage education; parent-child relationships
No. 76, 2007 - "Families care" highlighting the range of different ways that families care for each other
No. 75, 2006 - Indigenous children, families and communities
No. 74, 2006 - Children in context - mothers' age and work characteristics, child and family services, neighbourhoods and community development
No. 73, 2006 - Family relationships through life - the Institute's research plan 2006-2008, and relationship trends in marriage and parenting
No. 72, Summer 2005 - Growing Up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children - first findings
No. 71, Winter 2005 - Time with children after divorce, mothers' employment transitions
No. 70, Autumn 2005 - Allocating time to work and family
No. 69, Spring/Summer 2004 - Aspirations, expectations and decisions about having children
No. 68, Winter 2004 - Adolescent development, aspirations and becoming adult, and shaping new life patterns
No. 67, Autumn 2004 - Children's living arrangements after parental separation
No. 66, Spring/Summer 2003 - Ageing: issues for Australian families
No. 65, Winter 2003 - in the best interests of children
No. 64, Autumn 2003 - family trends - changing patterns of partnering, parents' child care choices
No. 63, Summer 2002 - fertility - the debate, the trends, the aspirations
No. 62, Winter 2002 - a diverse array of articles about the family in Australia
No. 61, Autumn 2002 - work and family life - our workplaces, families and futures
No. 60, Spring/Summer 2001 - celebrating: Federation - 100 years; Australian Institute of Family Studies - 21 years; Family Court of Australia - 25 years
No. 59, Winter 2001 - Family structures, family processes - supporting children and their families
No. 58, Autumn 2001 - Searching for family resilience; Foregone earnings through child rearing; Meeting the challenges of parenting
No. 57, Spring/Summer 2000 - Adolescents and community; Child support and parenting; Social capital and social security
No. 56, Winter 2000 - Family futures: issues in research and policy - keynote addresses from the Institute's major research conference.
No. 55, Autumn 2000 - Featuring latest Institute research - Families, divorce and family law
No. 54, Spring/Summer 1999 - Families, welfare and social policy
No. 53, Winter 1999 - Strong families: National Families Strategy; Costs of children - new research
No. 52, Autumn 1999 - Ageing and families - the International Year of Older Persons
No. 51, Spring/Summer 1998 - Changing families - challenging futures - keynote addresses from the Institute's 6th Conference
No. 50, Winter 1998 - Social exchanges - families, communities, states and markets
No. 49, Autumn 1998 - Social environments and the wellbeing of young people; Adolescents' perceptions of self, work and future
No. 48, Spring/Summer 1997 - Family values: is there agreement? Also featuring family relations and later life; the role of fathers as confidants for teenagers; understanding parenthood
No. 47, Winter 1997 - New findings - marriage, cohabitation and family life; experiences and expectations of older married couples
No. 46, Autumn 1997 - Highlights and papers from the Institute's Fifth Australian Family Research Conference
No. 45, Spring/Summer 1996 - Parents caring for children; Children caring for parents
No. 44, Winter 1996 - Health and the family
No. 43, Autumn 1996 - Australian living standards - new research
No. 42, Spring/Summer 1995 - Child support; Family and child perspectives on justice; Combating child sexual assault - new measures
No. 41, Winter 1995 - Family ties: adults and their parents; Family networks in urban and rural settings; Links between child abuse and family violence; Impact of the work environment on workers with families
No. 40, Autumn 1995 - Changes at the heart of family households; Children's rights in family law disputes; Child protection policies
No. 39, December 1994 - Friends, families and support: Help from parents: does divorce make a difference? Older generations and family support; Young adult friendships
No. 38, August 1994 - Youth today

Most major articles from the following earlier editions of Family Matters are also available:

No. 37, April 1994 - IYF - many faces of families
No. 36, December 1993 - Parenting in the 90s
No. 35, August 1993 - Indigenous Australians
No. 34, May 1993 - Family research in Australia - 4th Australian Family Research Conference
No. 33, December 1992 - Children's rights
No. 32, August 1992 - Extended family in Australia
No. 31, April 1992 - Living day to day: sharing the caring; The changing role of husbands and fathers; Starting over: new families, new finances; Stepfathers in children's lives; Big business, small business, family business; Families in the recession
No. 30, December 1991 - Issues for the 1990s: unemployment; homeless families; economics - putting people first; marriage trends; child care, family care; family law; becoming adult; Ageing - everybody's future
No. 29, August 1991 - Family values
No. 28, April 1991 - Balancing family and work: strategies for the future
No. 27, November 1990 - Australia's children: their rights, our responsibilities

Family Matters content reflects a balanced mix of articles and includes: research papers; regular columns on family research in Australia and overseas; diverse perspectives and analyses of family related research and policy; and a comprehensive listing of new publications and forthcoming events. Our Guidelines for Authors and careful editing ensure that articles are clear and understandable to the widest possible audience.