103Our analysis draws on a specific item included in the questionnaire in
order to capture the close persons considered as-family within personal
networks. After listing those they consider as important close persons (see
Introduction), individuals were asked to characterize each person they
had listed in terms of their attributes (type of tie, sex, age, duration of
relationship, educational attainment, geographical proximity, frequency
of contact face-to-face and by other means, and co-residence over the life
course). At the end of this block of questions, respondents had to answer
whether they considered each of the persons as family, through a yes or no
question. In summary, first we captured the network of personal relation-
ships and secondly, through the last question, we were able to filter and
capture the network of those members perceived as family. In this way we
compared the two sets of relationships.
The analytical procedures have been carried out in four steps. First, we
focus on the close persons considered as family within personal networks
(that we hereafter refer to the as-family network) and examine who is
included and excluded. In a second step, drawing on a cluster analysis, we
map the main types of as-family networks based on the patterns of com-
bination of different ties. Finally, we analyse cross-national differences
and the shaping factors and main predictors of as-family networks.
The Core Bonds of Family Within Personal
Networks
Before examining more in-depth the close persons considered as family,
it is important to remind ourselves of the average dimension of individu-
als’ networks of significant personal relationships and who is included in
them (see Chap. 3 ).
Table 4.1 recalls the main composition features of individuals’ per-
sonal configurations in the three countries: the percentage of co-residents
over the life course, the percentage of kin vs non-kin, the percentage of
ties perceived as-family and not as-family, and the percentage of close
persons who would provide emotional support in case of need. The
respondents named between 2943 alters (Switzerland), 3451 alters
(Lithuania), and 4582 alters (Portugal) and the average dimension of per-
Changing Meanings of Family in Personal Relationships...