Abstract: Background: Grandparents regularly spend time with their grandchildren and may also depend on their adult children for help as they age. These patterns suggest that many family members live close enough to one another to provide in-person assistance. However, empirical evidence on grandparent–grandchild proximity and intergenerational transfers remains limited. Objective: We measure grandchild–grandparent spatial proximity, describing which families live close by and whether proximity is linked to intergenerational exchanges of time and money. Methods: We use US data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the 2013 Rosters and Transfers Module. We present descriptive patterns of spatial proximity and intergenerational transfers among families with grandchildren. Results: We find that most grandchildren live very close to a grandparent. Almost half of households with grandchildren live within 10 miles of a grandparent, and 13% live within 1 mile. Closer spatial proximity is more common when parents (of grandchildren) have less education, are unmarried, or earn lower incomes. Households living close to grandparents help and receive help from grandparents more often, and for more total hours, than those living farther away. Monetary transfers do not vary by spatial proximity. Conclusions: Findings have potential implications for the well-being of all three generations. Contribution: Prior research largely focuses on parents and their adult children, regardless of whether grandchildren are present; however, patterns of both proximity and support, and their implications, likely differ when grandchildren are present. We provide updated estimates of intergenerational spatial proximity and transfers specifically among families with grandchildren. We also measure proximity using fine-grained distance categories not common in past studies. PubDate: Tue, 03 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +020
Abstract: Background: Previous studies have investigated immigrant fertility in various European countries, but only a few have compared the fertility rates of women who migrated as children (1.5 Generation), women born in the host society to foreign-born parents (2 Generation), and women born in the host society with one foreign-born and one native-born parent (2.5 Generation). Objective: This study examines the first-, second-, and third-birth rates of three migrant generation groups in the United Kingdom – 1.5G, 2G, and 2.5G. The study investigates the role of sociocultural factors in shaping their fertility behaviour. Methods: Event history analysis is applied to longitudinal individual-level data (N = 24,228) from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (2009–2021). Results: Pakistani and Bangladeshi women who arrived in the United Kingdom as children exhibit elevated fertility at all birth orders, partly consistent with socialization theory. No clear convergence emerges among women born in the United Kingdom with one immigrant parent and one UK-born parent (2.5G) across all groups from different migrant-origin backgrounds. Instead, certain 2.5G groups show distinct fertility patterns. The influence of sociocultural factors on fertility varies by birth order and migrant generation, highlighting the need for a detailed approach that considers both cultural and socioeconomic dimensions. Contribution: This study is one of the first to differentiate the fertility behaviours of 1.5G, 2G, and 2.5G women in the United Kingdom. It reveals important variations in childbearing behaviour, which have implications for understanding intergenerational differences and the influence of sociocultural factors on migrant fertility. PubDate: Fri, 30 May 2025 00:00:00 +020
Abstract: Background: Worldwide, the number of people living in a one-person household (OPH) is rising, and young and middle-aged adults play an essential role in this trend. Germany has one of Europe’s highest rates of OPHs. Due to the country’s unique sociohistorical background, this paper looks at a 30-year period to examine how the increase in OPHs among 20–54-year-old men and women has developed since German reunification. Methods: We use data from the German Microcensus from 1991 to 2021 to calculate the annual share of individuals living in an OPH. Following an algebraic decomposition approach proposed by Evelyn Kitagawa and adapted by Glenn Firebaugh, we split the sample into 13 5-year birth cohorts to examine the effects of within-cohort change and cohort replacement in the rising share of OPHs. Results: After German reunification, the increase in OPHs was first driven by within-cohort change, most likely caused by different mechanisms in East and West Germany. Since the mid to late 2000s, cohort replacement has become the main force behind the increase in OPHs. West German women deviate from this in showing only a moderate rise in OPHs almost entirely driven by cohort replacement throughout the 30 years analysed here. Contribution: Considering East–West and gender differences extends our knowledge of how structural factors add to the increase in OPHs. Living alone is not merely the result of individual choices but also of sociohistorical circumstances. Future research must consider that a growing number of adults will have experienced an episode of living alone at least once in their lifetime. PubDate: Wed, 28 May 2025 00:00:00 +020
Abstract: Background: Spending time on leisure is widely recognised as a significant source of enjoyable psychological experiences in daily life. However, cross-national studies on time use and gender inequalities frequently overlook the study of leisure. Objective: This study has two principal objectives. First, it presents estimates of leisure time among parents, providing detailed insights into how fathers and mothers allocate their leisure time. Second, it explores patterns and variations in leisure time allocation and gender inequalities across European countries. Methods: This study uses data from the second round of the Harmonised European Time Use Survey (HETUS) to analyse leisure time among parents (n = 76,867) across 13 European countries. This research focuses on parents because of their limited opportunities for leisure. The study examines seven dimensions that consider the type of activity and the presence of other family members. Results: Analogous patterns of leisure time allocation and gender inequalities exist across Europe. Fathers and mothers spend the majority of their leisure time on sedentary activities, either alone or with other adults. However, mothers spend less leisure time overall, particularly in sedentary activities, and more leisure time with their children. Contribution: This note provides new insights into how European parents spend their leisure time, highlighting cross-country patterns in time allocation and gender inequalities via time-use data from 13 European countries. It also emphasises the importance of considering different dimensions of leisure time for a more comprehensive understanding. PubDate: Tue, 27 May 2025 00:00:00 +020
Abstract: Background: The nuclear convergence hypothesis proposes that development and urbanisation lead to increasing proportions of nuclear families. We explore this hypothesis in Ghana by charting household living arrangements as captured in censuses and surveys. Objective: To classify household structure in Ghana and track trends to test whether households converge towards nucleation during processes of development and urbanisation. Methods: We employ two methods of classification – manual and data-driven (latent class analysis) – to create household structures using Ghana’s censuses (1984–2021) and Demographic and Health Surveys (1993–2022). We explore trends over time and compare urban and rural areas to track nuclear convergence while documenting the differences and similarities between data sources and methods of classification. Results: We find that though the manual and data-driven approaches produce similar results, the latter is vulnerable to possible misclassification. From the manual approach, we identify seven different typologies of household structure in Ghana and find that, on average, a substantial proportion are core nuclear (couple with children only), other extended (non-multigenerational), and single-member households. Overall, we find weak evidence for nuclear convergence. There has not been a significant shift in the average distribution of household types in Ghana, and in urban areas there is a growing proportion of multigenerational extended households, with region-based peculiarities. We also observe that the surveys provide more reliable evidence on trends than the censuses do. Contribution: There is no strong evidence to support nuclear convergence in Ghana. We make a methodological contribution, highlighting that the use of data-driven methods for household classification needs to be approached with caution. PubDate: Wed, 21 May 2025 00:00:00 +020
Abstract: Background: We study the change in fertility intentions in Russia during the period of socioeconomic shocks in 2022–2023 resulting from the Russia–Ukraine armed conflict. Objective: Our objective is to identify factors that influence decision-making in a low fertility context during a crisis, including both objective characteristics and subjective assessment of the current situation. Methods: This paper is based on unique survey results, conducted in May 2023 (N = 7,967). The sample includes Russian citizens aged 18–44 and represents Russia’s population by gender, age, and place of residence. The analysis is based on binary choice models (probit) and machine learning techniques (honest trees), which were applied to assess the heterogeneity of the sample. Results: The most important factors, which accounted for 76% of the explained variance, were linked to a subjective assessment of the situation and the respondent’s emotional state: the attitude to the political direction of the country, and feelings of happiness, anxiety, or fear. Traditional objective characteristics such as respondents’ age, marital status, and parenthood status play a less important role. We also found that women’s fertility decisions are more associated with positive emotions such as happiness and peacefulness in comparison to men. We observed that subjective factors related to politics, conflict, and emotions amplify each other’s effects. Conclusions: In times of uncertainty, trust in state policy plays an important role in smoothing the population’s reaction to shocks. Contribution: We provide a novel quantitative investigation into the role of subjective perceptions in shaping reproductive intentions during a period of high uncertainty in a low-fertility-rate country through econometric and ML tools, expand the group of factors which measure subjective perceptions including different emotions, attitudes to the country’s political course, and government maternity capital programs, and show how they accelerate each other. PubDate: Tue, 20 May 2025 00:00:00 +020
Abstract: Background: Kolk et al. (2023) use Swedish register data to provide a detailed numerical account of biological kinship. Applying their approach in other countries is challenging due to high data requirements. Objective: We examine whether Kolk et al.’s (2023) findings generalize to another demographically advanced country, the Netherlands, and assess how differences in cohort fertility and divorce rates influence the prevalence of different kin types. Methods: We analyze kinship network data for the entire Dutch population in 2018, focusing on ties to grandchildren, children, nieces, nephews, siblings, cousins, parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Results: First, we find strong similarities between Dutch and Swedish kinship structures, extending the picture drawn by Kolk et al. (2023) to another demographically advanced Western context. Second, we show how the Dutch baby boom has trickled down across generations, leading to larger numbers of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Third, we show how differences in other family-related behaviors – specifically divorce and separation – shape the composition of kinship networks and cross-national differences, evident in a substantially lower number of half-siblings in the Netherlands than in Sweden. Contribution: This replication underlines the benefits of empirically validating kinship statistics derived from microsimulations and aggregate demographic data. PubDate: Wed, 07 May 2025 00:00:00 +020
Abstract: Background: The concept of resilience in familial and social contexts has gained prominence in academic and policy discussions. However, the interplay between family life and social inequalities, and how these relate to each other in the resilience literature, has yet to be documented. Objective: This scoping review addresses this gap by analysing 250 articles published between 1998 and 2023. We compare the concept of resilience as applied in family and social resilience studies through four constitutive elements: (1) the unit of analysis, (2) definitions, (3) types, and (4) the risks, outcomes, and explanatory factors that are examined empirically. Results: While both perspectives study individuals’ resilience, the emphasis in family resilience is on families, whereas social resilience studies focus more on communities and societies. Both perspectives emphasize the centrality of risks in defining resilience, yet family resilience scholarship seeks solutions within the family, while social resilience highlights community dynamics. Additionally, family resilience studies explore topics related to family-specific risks and resources, while social resilience studies examine external risks and resources. Conclusions: The family resilience scholarship follows the clinical tradition in the resilience literature, viewing families as a separate entity that is resourceful and agentic. Socioeconomic risks are recurrent themes in social resilience literature, but not in family resilience. Contribution: Understanding resilience through the lens of family inequalities in socioeconomic contexts can bridge these two perspectives. Incorporating factors such as labour market dynamics, family transitions, and educational attainment into definitions of risks, outcomes, and explanatory factors of resilience can enhance this integration. PubDate: Wed, 30 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +020
Abstract: Background: Quantitative studies of Amish population dynamics have been methodologically constrained by difficulties identifying Amish in national surveys. If Amish could be reliably identified in, for example, the American Community Survey (ACS), researchers could leverage its rich variables to document both demographic outcomes and their social predictors. Objective: Cross-validate two methods for studying Amish populations by comparing fertility measures in the ACS with the Cross-sectional Amish Population and Environment Database-2010s (CAPED-2010s), a large administrative record database of North American Amish. Methods: We identify potential Amish ACS respondents through combinations of the attributes (1) Pennsylvania Dutch language use, (2) absence of household telephone, and (3) farming. We then calculate fertility measures derived from both the CAPED data and ACS data samples (2000–2021). This comparative method allows us to assess whether the two samples produce demographic comparable estimates. Results: Both methods produce remarkably consistent fertility statistics, including total fertility rates (just over six children), age-specific fertility rates (highest ages 20–29), and non-marital fertility (very low). Conclusions: The strong agreement between ACS- and CAPED-2010s-derived demographic estimates validates both approaches for studying Amish populations. Contribution: The ACS’s rich social variables complement CAPED-2010s’ comprehensive demographic coverage, demonstrating the credibility of two separate large databases for studies of the Amish. Comments: Based on #6875 after invitation to resubmit as descriptive finding PubDate: Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +020
Abstract: Background: Family structures shape caregiving dynamics and are considered key drivers of inequality. While research often focuses on partners and children, recent studies highlight the role of grandparents and parents of adult children in shaping informal labor demands. However, sociodemographic differences in multigenerational structures remain understudied. Most research focuses on multigenerational coresidence, despite evidence that geographic proximity alone is often sufficient to enable multigenerational support. Objective: This study explores age variation in multigenerational family structures, defined by the intersection of partnership status, parenthood, and adults’ geographic proximity to their parents. It examines differences across gender, socioeconomic background, migration status, and welfare regimes in Europe between 2020 and 2022. Methods: Using the 10th wave of the European Social Survey, the age prevalence of family structures across groups is investigated through multinomial logistic regression. Results: Analysis reveals variation in the age distribution of multigenerational structures across all groups. At younger ages, lower socioeconomic background (SES) individuals are more likely to live in multigenerational structures, while higher SES individuals tend to delay parenthood and migrate, increasing their likelihood of parenting without nearby parents at older ages. Migrants face the greatest risk of parenthood without parents nearby. Welfare regime differences align with the fertility and social support patterns of each regime. Contribution: This study emphasizes the importance of considering relationships beyond the household when analyzing family structures and their implications. It highlights sociodemographic variations in multigenerational structures, which can influence the informal labor demands associated with different nuclear family arrangements and contribute to inequalities. PubDate: Fri, 25 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +020
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