The Danish Family Revolution: Experiences and Institutions

From the mid-1960s to the 1980s, Denmark experienced profound social and cultural changes in family dynamics and family life. What we call ‘the family revolution’ was the result of the combined effects of women entering the labour market, changing gender roles, the breakdown of traditional marriage, and the expansion of state-organized family policies. Our aim is to explore how this transformative period was experienced by individual citizens. To achieve this, we have developed a new model for collecting life stories from Danes who lived through the family revolution. Drawing inspiration from Citizen Science, over 3,000 high school students, participating in a specially designed teaching module will help us to collect 1,000 Danish life stories about the family revolution. These life stories will be analysed using multiple methods, including digital analysis. Thus, through collaboration with high school students, we have a unique opportunity for innovative and nuanced analyses of the diverse range of experiences of one of the most significant social and cultural transformations in Danish history.