Introduction to the Special Issue: Beyond the child: disability, family life and inequality

This introduction frames child disability as a relational and socially embedded phenomenon whose consequences extend beyond children to parents, siblings, kin networks and household trajectories. Bringing together evidence from several European societies, the special issue moves beyond child-centred approaches to examine how disability reshapes family life through caregiving demands, time use, paid work, economic security, fertility and well-being. A central theme is that disability-related disadvantage is produced not only by impairment or diagnosis, but by social, economic and policy contexts that can either amplify or mitigate family spillovers. The contributions in this issue also highlight how families adapt by reorganising care, employment, leisure and family practices, while often confronting unequal access to services, income support and inclusive environments. Overall, the special issue contributes to a relational and comparative sociology of disability by showing how child disability intersects with family life, social inequality and European welfare institutions.