73The frequency of in-laws also varies significantly according to country.
Overall, in-laws are more frequently cited in Portugal compared to the
other two countries, especially in comparison with Switzerland. In both
Portugal and Lithuania, children-in-law are cited by 7% of the sample,
whereas in Switzerland they are cited by 1.5% of the individuals. Siblings-
in- law and parents-in-law are quite salient in Portuguese networks as
these categories are overrepresented in this country; nearly 7% included
at least one sibling-in-law and 8% included at least one parent-in-law
(sibling-in-law = 5.3%, and parent-in-law = 5.1% in the total sample).
The strong presence of parents-in-law in Portugal is consistent with the
findings showing that the link between parents-in-law and children-in-
law, particularly between women and their mothers-in-law, is partly
explained by norms of care stressing solidarity between both generations
as necessary (Wilson et al. 2003 ). Actually, combining this prevalence
with the high inclusion of grandchildren, we can surmise the pivotal role
of grandchildren in strengthening this bond. Parents-in-law can provide
both emotional and instrumental support to the couple in the early
phases of family organization, as well as in childrearing; but children-in-
law can also be key actors as caregivers of ageing parents-in-law. Collaterals
(6.9%), stepfamily members (2.1%), grandparents (1.2%), and fictive kin
(1.0%) are rarely mentioned as network members; this does not vary
significantly across the three countries.
The category other non-kin (for instance, acquaintances, domestic
employees, others) is particularly salient in Lithuania, with 6.5% includ-
ing at least one other non-kin. Colleagues and ex-partners are overrepre-
sented in Switzerland, with 4% citing an ex-partner (2.4% in the total
sample) and 9% citing colleagues (5.9% in the total sample). Again, we
witness the openness of the boundaries to non-kin in Switzerland, in this
case, by the inclusion of work-related ties and former partners.
These figures add valuable information to knowledge about kin and
non-kin salience, by showing the types of ties which prevail in the three
countries. First, the elements of the family of procreation assume a cen-
tral role in personal networks in the three countries. The predominance
of partners and children is indeed transversal. The elements of the family
of orientation are also strongly represented, in particular in Portugal and
Lithuania. Switzerland stands out as a country in which friends are more
A First Portrait of Personal Networks in a Comparative...