The shape of the contemporary family in Poland and Spain

Abstract

This article presents the shape of the contemporary family in Poland and Spain which is based on developments that have taken place in these countries in relation to family formation and dissolution through an analysis of indicators such as: marriage, divorce, fertility, births outside marriage during the last three decades. The shape of the contemporary family keeps changing in both these countries, but the speed of changes is different. In Poland, changes in family formation have occurred much more slowly than in Spain, where the family is not only heterosexual marriage, but also homosexual marriage.