(Re)Imagining Family

Birth cohort studies necessarily involve families; parents make decisions about whether to participate before their children are born and both parents and child(ren) are monitored by tracking significant temporal moments and stages across the life course. Participants in our photovoice project revealed what was important to their sense of family whether it was moments around the table eating, going on outings, playing board games or watching football matches on TV together. Yet what constitutes family or ‘family-like’ relationships for cohort participants is diverse and flexible, with friendships, pets and even houseplants reflecting relationships of nurturing and care helping to reimagine what family can be – and beyond what cohorts consider family.

A group of friends, spending holidays at the family home of one of them. There is a recurring theme here, with a friend’s dog or rather her parents’ dog and they were taking pictures of her and I took pictures of her taking pictures of her and the dog. - Participant, Porto
A group of friends, spending holidays at the family home of one of them. There is a recurring theme here, with a friend’s dog or rather her parents’ dog and they were taking pictures of her and I took pictures of her taking pictures of her and the dog. - Participant, Porto
This is me and a few friends at a museum table. I’ve known them for 30 years, and we see each other about four times a year. We organize a cultural outing in Rotterdam or another city. We laugh and talk. Nothing too serious—mostly lots of laughter. We talk about art and culture. I also find it comforting. The nice things in life should remain accessible; we often take public transport and manage to get free tickets. - Mother participant, Rotterdam
This is me and a few friends at a museum table. I’ve known them for 30 years, and we see each other about four times a year. We organize a cultural outing in Rotterdam or another city. We laugh and talk. Nothing too serious—mostly lots of laughter. We talk about art and culture. I also find it comforting. The nice things in life should remain accessible; we often take public transport and manage to get free tickets. - Mother participant, Rotterdam
This my cat, we’ve had her for about eight years, I think. And she’s really the first pet that we’ve owned together in that house. So, she’s a big part of our day, and I think coming home, if we didn’t have her there, it would be totally different because she’s always kind of happy to see us, runs downstairs. - Participant, Bristol
This my cat, we’ve had her for about eight years, I think. And she’s really the first pet that we’ve owned together in that house. So, she’s a big part of our day, and I think coming home, if we didn’t have her there, it would be totally different because she’s always kind of happy to see us, runs downstairs. - Participant, Bristol
That’s my dog and she’s lying there all sweet. - Participant, Rotterdam
That’s my dog and she’s lying there all sweet. - Participant, Rotterdam
These are my family, who I live with, which is my girlfriend and our ‘two children’. We have two cats. - Participant, Pelotas
These are my family, who I live with, which is my girlfriend and our ‘two children’. We have two cats. - Participant, Pelotas
I couldn’t leave out my dog, I love my dog, who is one of the most important elements of our family. We all love dogs. That’s my dog. I really like seeing him at the window, he stays there behind the curtain, watching the people passing by on the street. - Participant, Porto
I couldn’t leave out my dog, I love my dog, who is one of the most important elements of our family. We all love dogs. That’s my dog. I really like seeing him at the window, he stays there behind the curtain, watching the people passing by on the street. - Participant, Porto
My favorite white pigeon. I really love it! You can see I’m holding it and they come to eat out of your hands. I just think that’s so very nice. - Mother participant, Rotterdam
My favorite white pigeon. I really love it! You can see I’m holding it and they come to eat out of your hands. I just think that’s so very nice. - Mother participant, Rotterdam
This photo, we were very much as a family. It was when Portugal played. My daughter is there. My husband. My sister-in-law also spends some time with us. Our dog, who couldn’t be missing. And my son’s girlfriend. I have an older son. I’m not a big fan of football. But we make a point, as parents, to have these moments with them. To bring them together. Because we’re spending less time with them. So, we take advantage of these moments of excitement to be together. - Mother participant, Porto
This photo, we were very much as a family. It was when Portugal played. My daughter is there. My husband. My sister-in-law also spends some time with us. Our dog, who couldn’t be missing. And my son’s girlfriend. I have an older son. I’m not a big fan of football. But we make a point, as parents, to have these moments with them. To bring them together. Because we’re spending less time with them. So, we take advantage of these moments of excitement to be together. - Mother participant, Porto
We are always in total unity and we always have one person in common, which is our matriarch, my mother-in-law. She is my mother, she is my friend, she the grandmother, she the great-grandmother, she is always everywhere with us. Because since I don’t have a mother, she is part of my life as a whole. So I always tried to take pictures where she was there, including now when the grandchildren appear, she will always be there, she will be in the little photos I took of the family, because that is a memory. She will be there alone. She will be there with her pudding, which is the most delicious thing in the world, and I call her and say, “My love, make me a pudding so I can eat the whole thing tomorrow.” - Participant, Pelotas
We are always in total unity and we always have one person in common, which is our matriarch, my mother-in-law. She is my mother, she is my friend, she the grandmother, she the great-grandmother, she is always everywhere with us. Because since I don’t have a mother, she is part of my life as a whole. So I always tried to take pictures where she was there, including now when the grandchildren appear, she will always be there, she will be in the little photos I took of the family, because that is a memory. She will be there alone. She will be there with her pudding, which is the most delicious thing in the world, and I call her and say, “My love, make me a pudding so I can eat the whole thing tomorrow.” - Participant, Pelotas
I took photos of some plants in my windowsill. I named them all. So, I’ve got Silver, Sylvie—Sylvie is cutting from Silver, so they’re both brother and sister. And then I’ve got Hope, which is actually a cutting from one that I had upstairs—that was the first time I ever propagated a plant, and I was terrified, so I called it Hope—and then in front of it, I’ve got another one that I managed to grab. I can’t remember what it is. I’m terrible with remembering what types of plants some of them are, but that one’s called Beastie ‘cause he’s huge! - Participant, Bristol
I took photos of some plants in my windowsill. I named them all. So, I’ve got Silver, Sylvie—Sylvie is cutting from Silver, so they’re both brother and sister. And then I’ve got Hope, which is actually a cutting from one that I had upstairs—that was the first time I ever propagated a plant, and I was terrified, so I called it Hope—and then in front of it, I’ve got another one that I managed to grab. I can’t remember what it is. I’m terrible with remembering what types of plants some of them are, but that one’s called Beastie ‘cause he’s huge! - Participant, Bristol
I’ll just tell you that the boy on the right here (boy, who’s also 40), is my ‘best son’ because he belongs to somebody else. There’s a family standing joke, he’s the best son because he goes home! - Mother participant, Bristol
I’ll just tell you that the boy on the right here (boy, who’s also 40), is my ‘best son’ because he belongs to somebody else. There’s a family standing joke, he’s the best son because he goes home! - Mother participant, Bristol
My father-in-law turned 86, I was there, we always get together. I’m very close, very much so, to my mother’s family and my father-in-law is a bit of a substitute for my father. He fills the gaps I need from my father, and I hope it continues for a long time. I’ve never seen my in-laws arguing. They are always sitting hand in hand, constantly kissing each other, with such gentleness, such sweetness, that I never appreciated, because they’re the gods of our family, and I love them like parents. - Mother participant, Porto
My father-in-law turned 86, I was there, we always get together. I’m very close, very much so, to my mother’s family and my father-in-law is a bit of a substitute for my father. He fills the gaps I need from my father, and I hope it continues for a long time. I’ve never seen my in-laws arguing. They are always sitting hand in hand, constantly kissing each other, with such gentleness, such sweetness, that I never appreciated, because they’re the gods of our family, and I love them like parents. - Mother participant, Porto
Those are the hands of a very good friend of mine who’s been a great support and encouragement to me over the years. She’s moved a little way away, so we don’t get together very often, but we had this rare opportunity to get together and have tea and cake and so I just wanted to record that because I’m very thankful for the friends that I have in my life who have supported me and encouraged me over the years. - Mother participant, Bristol
Those are the hands of a very good friend of mine who’s been a great support and encouragement to me over the years. She’s moved a little way away, so we don’t get together very often, but we had this rare opportunity to get together and have tea and cake and so I just wanted to record that because I’m very thankful for the friends that I have in my life who have supported me and encouraged me over the years. - Mother participant, Bristol