Mother, father, daughter, son. The SwissGen project is devoted to studying intergenerational relationships between adults and their parents. It studies their current relationships and, as applicable, their prior relationships with mothers and fathers who are now deceased. The research questions revolve around cohesion and solidarity as well as possible tension and conflict. They address the desires, goals, and opportunities of individuals and families as well as the conditions for intergenerational cohesion. Of particular interest is what strengthens cohesion and support between parents and children in adulthood ― and which factors tend to contribute to tension and conflict. The aims of the project include the collection of new, comprehensive generational data for Switzerland at large and all of its regions, the well-founded documentation and analysis of intergenerational relations, the identification of regional similarities and differences, the integration of Swiss findings into international comparisons, as well as empirically based conclusions for individuals, families, society, and politics.
