Abstract: BACKGROUND Numerous studies have shown that the age at which women enter first marriage is a major factor in marital instability, but possible differences by race/ethnicity have not been examined to date. OBJECTIVE Our aim was to study whether the association between women’s age at first marriage and marital instability varies by race/ethnicity. METHODS We used data from the 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth to examine differences by race/ethnicity in the shape of the curve relating women’s age at entry into first marriage to marital instability. RESULTS We found that for non-Hispanic white women, the probability of dissolution falls with age up to ages 30–32 and thereafter the curve flattens out. For black women, marital instability decreases with age only up to ages 24–26. For Hispanic women, marital instability falls from age ≤20 to 21–23 and then the curve flattens out; beyond ages 30–32 the curve turns upward. CONCLUSIONS We suggest explanations for these patterns, based in part on differentials in the associations of age at marriage with education and nonmarital fertility. For white women, but not for their black and Hispanic counterparts, delayed entry into marriage is associated with a small increase in nonmarital fertility and a pronounced increase in education.
Abstract: BACKGROUND With rising union instability across Europe, more individuals now re-enter the partner market and eventually repartner. The increase in cohabitation may also be influencing repartnering behaviour. While several studies examine individual-level characteristics related to repartnering, few take a broader view and compare repartnering levels or explore how demographic characteristics associated with repartnering differ across Europe. OBJECTIVE We describe levels of repartnering and the characteristics of those exposed to repartnering in 11 European countries. We then examine whether the relationship between women’s demographic characteristics at union dissolution and repartnering are similar or different across countries. Given the recent increase in cohabitation, we pay particular attention to prior cohabitation and marriage, but we also compare age at first union dissolution, first union duration, and presence of children. METHODS Using the Harmonized Histories database, we apply discrete-time hazard models separately by country and to pooled cross-national data. RESULTS Despite large differences in levels of repartnering, in most countries we find similar associations between demographic characteristics and repartnering. First union type did not matter after controlling for age and children, except in France, where those who previously cohabited had significantly lower risks of repartnering. Age at union dissolution and presence of children are negatively associated with repartnering in almost all countries. CONCLUSIONS Although cohabitation has increased everywhere, prior experience of a coresidential partnership outside of formal marriage makes little difference to repartnering behaviour after controls (except in France). However, regardless of country, older women and/or mothers are less likely to form second unions.
Abstract: BACKGROUND Iceland is one of the most gender-equal countries in the world, but one that does not seem to have experienced the same fertility fluctuations as most other countries, following the enhanced role of women in society. OBJECTIVE In this study we examine the childbearing trends in Iceland during 1982–2013 by analysing the progressions to parities one, two, and three. We also investigate whether there is evidence of gender preferences for children among Icelandic parents. METHODS Official individual longitudinal register data is used, covering the total female population born in Iceland between 1941 and 1997. The data is analysed by means of event history analysis. RESULTS We find evidence of tendencies to postpone motherhood during the period, with increases in fertility for women in their 30s and 40s. The propensity to have a second and a third child has not declined; on the contrary, these birth intensities have increased since the mid-1980s. Estimates suggest that Icelandic parents prefer to have daughters. CONCLUSIONS During a period of increased educational attainment and postponed family formation, the resilience of Icelandic fertility is intriguing.
Abstract: BACKGROUND Cross-sectional analyses of the relationship between contraceptive prevalence and the total fertility rate of developing countries show the expected strong negative correlation. However, this correlation is much weaker in Sub-Saharan Africa than in the developing world as a whole. OBJECTIVE This paper aims to explain the unexpected weak effect of contraceptive use on fertility in sub-Sharan African countries by using different regression models to obtain unbiased effects. METHODS Using DHS survey data from 40 developing countries, the analysis consists of three steps: 1) examine the conventional cross-sectional TFR-CPR relationship by region at the time of the latest available surveys, 2) remove known technical flaws in the comparisons of fertility and contraceptive prevalence and 3) analyze multiple observations of TFR and CPR per country using pooled OLS and fixed effect regressions. RESULTS The conventional cross-sectional analyses produce biased results in part because technical factors, in particular post-partum overlap, create a downward bias in the effect of prevalence on fertility in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, and more importantly, the cross-sectional regression OLS parameters have a bias due to confounding country fixed effects. Technical adjustments and the use of fixed effect models remove these biases. CONCLUSIONS A rise in contraceptive prevalence among fecund women has the same average effect on fertility in sub-Saharan Africa as in other regions of the developing world.
Abstract: BACKGROUND Marriage remains a strong institution in Africa, but union breakdown may be frequent, particularly in urban areas. However, this issue is still little studied, especially in West Africa. OBJECTIVE I examine the trends and factors associated with divorce and separation that lead to union breakdown in two West African cities: Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso and Lomé in Togo. METHODS Analyses are based on marital history data from the Economic Activities, Resource- sharing and Management of Spending in Urban Households survey, collected in 2012 in Ouagadougou and Lomé. We use the Kaplan–Meier estimator and Cox proportional hazards model for descriptive and multivariate analysis, respectively. RESULTS The probability of union breakdown is higher in Lomé than in Ouagadougou. The celebration of the union and having a son are associated with lower risk of divorce, while infertility or low fertility and education are associated with higher risk of divorce, for men and women in both cities. Socialization in a big town is also associated with higher risk of divorce, especially for women. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that even if urban areas represent the ideal of modernization and social change in Africa, family and society still play an important role in union stability.
Abstract: BACKGROUND Lifelong singlehood is a comparatively rare demographic phenomenon, averaging about 5% across the European Union. However, levels of lifelong singlehood vary greatly between countries in Europe. What explains this variation' Our main thesis is that it reflects the prevailing norms regarding gender roles. We hypothesize that in societies that have not adapted to women’s new roles there will be a greater propensity toward lifelong singlehood, especially among highly educated women. OBJECTIVE We analyze the link between levels of gender egalitarianism and the probability of lifelong singlehood, both overall and by educational attainment. METHODS We apply multilevel modeling to European Social Survey (ESS) and European Values Study (EVS) data collected between 2002 and 2014. We focus on differences in nonpartnering across levels of education. We run separate models for men and women. RESULTS In support of our hypothesis, our analysis reveals an inverse U-shaped relationship between levels of gender equity and the likelihood of lifelong singlehood for women. The association is particularly marked for more highly educated women, while it is linear for low-educated men. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that high levels of singlehood are concentrated very much within those societies where traditional gender values have waned but gender egalitarianism remains poorly diffused. Where gender egalitarianism has become normatively dominant, we find higher levels of partnering for better-educated women and for low-educated men.
Abstract: BACKGROUND In the southernmost provinces of Thailand, despite the long-term unrest concurrent with migration, very limited research tackles the relationship between these two phenomena. OBJECTIVE This analysis examines whether migration in the three southernmost provinces is associated with the ongoing unrest. METHODS We use a sample of 1,009 households from a household probability survey conducted in the three southernmost provinces in 2014. The analysis uses two measures of migration: all migration and destination-specific migration. The unrest is measured as 1) whether a violent incident occurred in the village in the most recent year and 2) the perceived effect of the unrest on the overall life of the household. RESULTS Households in villages where a violent incidence occurred in the past year and households that reported that the unrest affected overall life a lot are more likely to have a migrant. These effects are direct, net of other household and social network characteristics. The unrest is related to increased migration both within Thailand and to Malaysia. This result is stronger for migration to Malaysia compared to migration within Thailand. The destination of migrants is related to education. CONCLUSIONS Unrest reaches certain levels and can outweigh the costs of migration, leading to an acceleration of migration. Findings address education as a potential counfounding variable of migration.
Abstract: BACKGROUND This special collection is the result of a collaboration between a group of family scholars from Europe and the United States. It initially developed from the observation that in many Western countries new types of couple relationships have emerged alongside marriage (i.e., cohabitation and living-apart-together [LAT] relationships). Although the trend seems universal, it is likely that the prevalence of different relationship types, and their outcomes in particular, vary across countries. Countries differ in how they institutionalize and confer meaning on new relationship types. Such differences may have important implications for how couples behave and organize their daily lives, in turn affecting the well-being of family members. The articles in this special collection aim to understand the organization and relationship outcomes ofcohabitation, marriage, and LAT relationships across countries.
Abstract: BACKGROUND Since 1990, Vital Statistics reports show a dramatic decline in the total fertility rates (TFRs) of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women in the United States. OBJECTIVE We study whether the decrease in TFRs is due to a real change in fertility for a stable population; a compositional change in who identifies as AI/AN; or a methodological issue stemming from differences in identifying race across the data systems used to calculate fertility rates. METHODS We use data from the decennial US Census to study change in AI/AN fertility from 1980–2010. RESULTS We find declining TFRs when fertility is calculated within a single data system. Additionally, although TFRs are relatively stable within the subgroups of married and unmarried AI/AN women, the proportion of AI/AN women who are married has declined across birth cohorts. CONCLUSIONS The decrease in TFRs for AI/AN women is a real change in fertility patterns and is not due to differences in racial identification across data systems.
Abstract: BACKGROUND Children between the ages of 5 and 14 appear to have a lower risk of dying than both younger and older individuals. OBJECTIVE We looked for possible factors influencing the mortality rates of school-age children in Norway during the German occupation from 1940 to 1945, i.e., at a time of poverty and moderate food shortage – and before the general use of vaccines. METHODS We used Norwegian mortality data by age and sex, during the period of 1930–1954, from the Human Mortality Database and obtained the main causes of death, as well as age-specific data from different regions of Norway, from Statistics Norway. RESULTS Boys and girls aged 5–14 years had lower mortality rates than any other age group below 40, even during the German occupation. However, 5–14-year-old boys as well as 5–9-year-old girls had significantly increased mortality during 1941–1945 as compared to the previous decade. Mortality as a result of diphtheria, pertussis, scarlet fever, and measles increased more than five-fold, surpassing mortality as a result of accidents, whereas mortality from these infections only doubled in adults up to 39 years. During that same period, the body weight of schoolchildren aged 8–13 years dropped slightly. CONCLUSIONS Proper nourishment, being of the utmost importance for a functioning immune system, is key to understanding the potential vulnerability of children at any age. Our study shows how vulnerable even the most resistant children can be.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to investigate how the timing of parenthood affects social contacts and support. METHODS Fixed effects models on 12 waves of the Swiss Household Panel (1999−2010) are used to analyse how social relationships with relatives, friends, and neighbours change after people have children and how these changes depend on the timing of parenthood. RESULTS The models show that parenthood increases contact with neighbours and decreases contact with friends. However, there are differences based on whether parenthood is early, on time, or late, and based on gender. The earlier men and women have children, the harder it is to keep in contact with friends and to establish contact with neighbours. Later in life the differences between early, ‘on-time’, and late parents tend to decline, except for contact with friends, for fathers. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the timing of parenthood has a substantial impact on how people’s social networks change, especially shortly after they become parents.
Open Access journal
[1 journal]
