Working and forming a family is problematic for the Spanish, particularly for the «young adult» population between the ages of 20 and 29. It has become more difficult in recent years for this cohort to achieve emancipation and combine the two factors, due to economic instability, job uncertainty and the deficit of effective social policies in favour of new family units. In this scenario the strategies adopted to reconcile professional duties with the upbringing of children reproduce existing gender differences. This dynamic in turn reinforces familism as a socio-cultural and institutional structure based on women’s limited participation in the labour market and their greater role in the household and in reproduction. only subscribers can see the full article