Family Narratives in an Irish Context
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Weaving Stories: Family Narratives in an Irish Context By Katherine Cagney A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Waterford Institute of Technology Research Supervisor, Dr. Jacinta Byrne-Doran Submitted to Waterford Institute of Technology, March 2014. Acknowledgements I owe a debt of gratitude to the families who generously gave their time to share their stories with me and welcome me into their homes. Without their thoughtful contributions this thesis would not have been possible. You will stay in my memories forever. I acknowledge with great gratitude the Institutes of Technology of Ireland (IOTI) for the Strand 1 Scholarship which allowed this research to come into being. My deepest appreciation and thanks goes to my supervisor Dr. Jacinta Byrne -Doran for her constant support, kindness and wisdom every step of the way in this process. Thanks too, are due to Mr. Fergus Hogan for his valuable contributions at the early stage of this research, to Dr. Colette Moloney for her professionalism and mentoring support. I acknowledge Dr. Michael Howlett’s continued support and encouragement in the completion of this thesis. My journey towards finishing this thesis was made much easier by the support and friendship of many people in Waterford Institute of Technology. In particular Michael Tobin, Danielle Douglas and Jill O’Mahony, we enjoyed many good debates over cups of tea that made the PhD journey so much easier Also thanks to Anne Wayne and Joe Moran whose friendship I have greatly value. To my own family of origin, my parents Mary and Michael Hayes my brothers and sister, my nieces, Lyra, Chara, Calista and Tara who have helped shape my memories and family stories. Huge thanks and much love to my children, Roisin, Heather, Stuart, Olivia and Peter Cagney with whom I have had the pleasure of weaving some of the most wonderful stories over the years. Lastly, thank you to my husband Michael Cagney who has been endlessly supportive and loving throughout the completion of this thesis. Weaving Stories: Family Narratives in an Irish Context Katherine Cagney Abstract This qualitative analysis sets out to explore family narratives in an Irish context. The study explores which aspects of spending time together are most significant for families. Special emphasis is placed on listening to the voices of children in the family which adds to the multiple voices that families portray. The main aim of this study is to discover children’s and parents’ experiences of family life in modern Ireland with specific regard to the time, space and activities shared together. In addition the study sets out to investigate how the business of modern living impacts on the time families spend together. Furthermore, it aims to determine whether certain rituals and routines are unique to each family or shared with other families. A sample of twelve families was interviewed; forty five participants including both children and adults. The conceptual framework informing this research draws on the child’s relationship to the world as outlined by Bronfenbrenner (1979) known as the bioecological model. This model contextualises the exploration of multiple voices within the research. Participant families were interviewed within their family contexts in the naturalistic setting of their homes. Family interviews were conducted as a unit, subsequently allowing the researcher uncover the co-construction of narrative and allowing for the children’s accounts to be of equal importance to the adults. Multiple voices emerged from the explorations which contribute significantly to the enhancement of knowledge about how family processes emerge and are sustained. This joint story telling within each of the families demonstrates the co- construction of family narratives as an important part of the culture of each family. Findings from the study support the often universal nature of experiences of family lives. The study contributes significantly to theoretical debates on family lives and informs methodological knowledge relating to the study of family life in Ireland. Declaration I hereby declare that this work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree or any other qualification. I further state that this work is not currently submitted in consideration for any degree or any other qualification. This thesis is the result of my own investigations. Where references have been made to the work of others, this has been acknowledged in the text and a bibliography is appended. Signed_______________________________ (Candidate) Date_________________________________ . Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................II DECLARATION .................................................................................................................................. IV TABLE OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................................... XII CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1 MAIN RESEARCH QUESTION .................................................................................................................. 1 RATIONALE BEHIND THE STUDY............................................................................................................... 3 CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE IN THIS RESEARCH .................................................................................... 5 MY PERSONAL INTEREST IN THIS STUDY .................................................................................................... 6 CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND OF FAMILIES IN IRELAND................................................................................... 7 Changing demographic of families in Ireland ............................................................................. 8 Fertility in Ireland .................................................................................................................... 10 Origins of the traditional Irish family ....................................................................................... 11 STRUCTURE OF THESIS ........................................................................................................................ 13 CHAPTER 2 FAMILIES AND CHILDREN .............................................................................................. 16 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 16 DEFINING FAMILIES ........................................................................................................................... 17 The ‘Traditional’ Family ........................................................................................................... 19 Nuclear families....................................................................................................................... 22 The influence of the Roman Catholic Church on families in Ireland .......................................... 22 Gender Roles in modern families ............................................................................................. 25 RESEARCHING FAMILIES ...................................................................................................................... 27 New directions in research into families................................................................................... 29 Theorising the family, a psychological approach ...................................................................... 30 Looking to the future: Transformation of modern families ....................................................... 31 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES .................................................................................................................... 33 HISTORY OF CHILDHOOD .................................................................................................................... 34 Childhood in the medieval period............................................................................................. 34 Childhood and work ................................................................................................................. 36 Childhood and work in an Irish context .................................................................................... 36 Research into Childhood in Ireland........................................................................................... 39 CHILDREN AS SOCIAL ACTORS ............................................................................................................... 39 NEW SOCIOLOGY OF CHILDHOOD ......................................................................................................... 41 RIGHTS OF THE CHILD AND RIGHTS OF THE FAMILY ..................................................................................... 41 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER 3 THE TIME AND SPACE OF FAMILY .................................................................................. 45 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................