27twenty-first century above average in the EU, cohabitation and post-
divorce families have increased steadily, female activity rates (women
aged 15–64) stood at 70% in 2010, and family values reveal diversifica-
tion of family and gender cultural models, albeit with strong generational
differences. This specific double bind (or ambivalence) in culture and
policy, underlining the importance of family commitments as well as new
trends in families and family policies, makes Portuguese society an inter-
esting case study.
Switzerland
The Swiss welfare regime and societal context have also witnessed signifi-
cant changes over the second half of the twentieth century. The 30 years
directly following World War II were a period of growth and wealth, with
major development of the tertiary sector. The oil crisis in the 1970s also
temporarily affected Switzerland, leading to the adoption of restrictions
on the number of foreign workers per company. This led many immi-
grants to leave the country. The overall economic situation has improved
since the 1980s. Regarding the creation and development of the European
Union, Switzerland remains an outsider in the middle of Europe but has
concluded many agreements that functionally link it to the EU, and has
also joined many international organisations.
During the financial crisis of 2008, the Swiss economy suffered much
less than its neighbours. Nevertheless, as in many European countries,
populist parties are gaining power on the back of issues such as insecurity,
migration, and fear of economic decline. Regarding developments in
Welfare State regimes, some countries are easy to classify, others more
difficult, as they are hybrid: this is true for Switzerland (Arts and Gelissen
2002 ), which has mostly been characterised as either Liberal (Castles and
Mitchell 1993 ; Korpi and Palme 1998 ) or Conservative (Esping-Andersen
1990 ; Ferrera 1996 ). However, many classifications simply fail to address
the Swiss case.
Political institutions, particularly federalism and direct democracy,
have had a strong impact on the development of the Welfare State in
Switzerland. Two periods can be distinguished in the development of
Contextualising Personal Networks Across Birth Cohorts...