Includes bibliographical references (pages [186]-200) and index.

1. Introduction -- 2. Envisioning social landscapes of interconnection -- 3. Reshaping difference and interdependence : the transformation of family life and divisions of labour into the twentieth century -- 4. Contemporary transformations in gender, work and family -- 5. Disposition and position : norms, attitudes and commitments to children, work and self -- 6. Life course transitions and the changing landscape of opportunity and constraint --7. Ethnicity and contexts of belonging and exclusion -- 8. Difference, hierarchy and perceptions of social justice -- 9. Conclusion.