FAMILY SOLIDARITY 2.0: towards a renewed solidarity in various family constellations

The concept of 'family' has changed radically in recent decades. There is an increasing number of constellations of coexistence (partnerships) and child rearing (parenthood), which makes it difficult to determine what makes a family a 'family'. The many possible combinations of partnership and parenthood in our multiform society demand us to consider the family as a fluid concept that goes beyond the narrow legal and biological concepts and definitions. We call this 'Family 2.0'. The complexity of Family 2.0 has transformed the principles of solidarity within families and between generations to such an extent that current legal and social frameworks, policies and institutions no longer correspond with them. Family 2.0 raises new questions and problems, for example who should care for whom, under which conditions they should do that and how policy should respond. Belgian family law is too outdated to address new problems with solidarity in Family 2.0, especially with regard to (financial) maintenance obligations. Legal, moral and social questions, such as who until when belongs to the family, or who has which obligations or claims, remain largely unanswered for complex families in Belgium. As a consequence, rights, duties and responsibilities between family members, in particular concerning intergenerational care, are ambivalent and disputed by various stakeholders. The aim of this project is therefore to lay the foundations for a new legal and social framework for intergenerational family solidarity, which we call FamSol 2.0. We investigate what contemporary solidarity in complex families looks like, which challenges exist and how intergenerational family solidarity can be promoted. To answer these questions we combine the academic expertise of family researchers from UAntwerpen, UGent, KU Leuven and Artevelde Hogeschool with the insights and know-how of our social stakeholders.