Newswise — The University of Illinois at Chicago will serve as the home institution for the Council on Contemporary Families, a national non-profit, non-partisan association of leading family researchers and mental health and social work practitioners.
The 10-year-old council, formerly based in Manhattan, promotes the findings of social science research and clinical experience in public discussions of what contemporary families need and how these needs can be met.
The council's work embraces a wide range of issues such as work/family policy, marriage, divorce, childhood and family diversity.
Barbara Risman, UIC professor and head of sociology, will serve in the newly created post of executive officer.
"CCF exists because research and clinical experts felt that our work was often misinterpreted in the public sphere," said Risman, whose own research focuses on gender politics in families, teen sexuality and gender relations in middle school.
Over the years, the council has developed and sponsored symposiums where experts and news media representatives work together to analyze new trends related to families.
"We've seen the coverage of family and relationship issues improve as a result of our work," Risman said.
The council will sponsor "Who Cares?: Dilemmas of Work and Family in the 21st Century," an Oct. 20 conference at UIC. The event will focus on contemporary career demands and their impact on women and families.
For more information about the council, visit http://www.contemporaryfamilies.org
For more information about UIC, visit http://www.uic.edu
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