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Differences between women and men matter more in Switzerland than
in the two other countries. In Portugal, women tend to develop more
Sibling-oriented configurations, while in Lithuania they tend to develop
more Beanpole configurations. In Switzerland, gender has an impact on
the development of four types of configurations. Women more often
develop Parent and Mixed configurations, while men more often develop
Narrow-nuclear and Alone configurations. Interestingly, the gender divide
mostly influences configurations based on family ties, showing the role of
women in intergenerational relationships (Beanpole configurations in
Lithuania and Parent configurations in Switzerland), collateral relation-
ships (Sibling-oriented configurations in Portugal), and in extended kin-
ship (Mixed configurations in Switzerland). In addition, in Switzerland,
men tend to have smaller configurations (Narrow-nuclear configurations)
or even not have significant ties (Alone configurations), pointing to more
extensive sociability for women in charge of relational work, often referred
to as kin-keepers.
As far as the level of educational attainment is concerned, a striking
result is the fact that individuals with higher levels of attainment are
more likely to develop Work-oriented configurations in all three coun-
tries. This effectively means that investment in higher education trans-
lates into strong ties in the work sphere. Conversely, the fact that
individuals with lower levels of educational attainment do not particu-
larly develop Work- oriented configurations may reflect the fact that their
jobs provide little or no recognition, and they therefore take greater
pride in their family life. Indeed, individuals with lower levels of attain-
ment in Portugal and Switzerland are more likely to focus on nuclear
configurations and, conversely, individuals with higher levels of educa-
tional attainment are less likely to develop a Narrow-nuclear configura-
tion in Switzerland and Lithuania. In Portugal and Switzerland,
individuals with lower levels of attainment are more likely to develop
Beanpole configurations, indicating the potential presence of intergen-
erational transfers. Because of socio- economic constraints, they may
need to rely more on family solidarity, receiving help and helping chil-
dren and grandchildren throughout the life course. Surprisingly, indi-
viduals in Portugal with lower levels of attainment are less likely to
develop Parent configurations. The strong tendency to build up Beanpole
G. Aeby et al.