We may be tempted to think that family life is something that is self-contained and operates at its own pace, separate from wider, societal and political influences. But good sociologists understand that major processes and events ‘outside’ the family can also affect its daily relationships and dynamics.
For example, sociological researchers have recently been reflecting on the impact the Brexit debate and vote in 2016 had on UK family relationships (Davies and Carter 2025). The research throws up some interesting findings. It shows how the low-level ‘simmering presence’ of the Brexit issue sometimes ‘boiled over’ into family relationships, and demonstrates how politics and other socioeconomic events are lived out in everyday family practices and personal lives.
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