Fertility, sex role attitudes, and labor force participation

Data from the 1970 National Fertility Study were used to investigate the relationships between sex role attitudes and the childbearing and labor force participation of women. While several relevant dimensions of sex role attitudes were identified, it was found that the most crucial aspect for working and fertility was the extent to which the woman identified the female role as that of housewife and homemaker. Those having traditional definitions concerning this role were less likely to be working, and had fewer plans to work in the future. In addition, as expected, women with traditional sex role definitions had more children than others. While the orientation of the woman toward the home was the primary correlate of work and fertility, those who felt that women had little control over their lives had higher fertility than others—a relationship which could be explained partially, but not entirely, in terms of unplanned childbearing.

Interethnic marriage: identifying the second generation in Australia

"Studies in Australia show that an increasing proportion of the population have ancestors from more than one country. Evidence regarding differences in the marriage patterns of first and second generation migrants has been restricted in scope as published marriage registration data includes only birthplace of partners. Marriage registration records include information about the birthplace of parents of partners, but is available only through specially produced tabulations. Changes in the census for 1986 and 1991 make it possible to identify the second generation in households, and this article examines the use of census data as an alternative to marriage registration records in tracing changes in intermarriage patterns and differences between urban and rural areas."

The dwelling conditions and procreative behaviours (a causal study on the example of individual farmers)

"The objective of the research was to identify relationships between the size of the dwelling place as defined by the number of its rooms and area, on one hand, and the parity attained in families of individual farmers who entered into marriages in the years 1926-84, on the other. The source material was derived from a sampling questionnaire survey conducted [in Poland] among 1,621 families of individual farmers keeping agricultural accountancy as on 1 January 1985.... The size of the dwelling expressed by its average size in the period from the day of the marriage to the birth of the last child and at the moment of observation is more significant for explaining the parity of families than the size of the dwelling in the first year following the marriage."

The weak impact of female labour force participation on Norwegian third-birth rates

"Individual-level retrospective data from the [Norwegian] Family and Occupation Survey of 1988 are used to estimate the effects of various employment variables on the third-birth rates among post-war Norwegian birth cohorts. Women who appear to have a strong work orientation, and may face relatively high opportunity costs of childbearing, do not have particularly low probability of advancing to parity three. This is consistent with previous Swedish and British studies, and lends some support to the view that other factors than stronger employment preferences and increased job opportunities have been largely responsible for the 'second demographic transition' in Europe." (SUMMARY IN FRE)

Fertility trends among acceptors of sterilisation in an urban situation: a socio-demographic explanation

This report examines the characteristic trends in socioeconomic, demographic, fertility, and marriage patterns of a sample of 48 acceptors of sterilization in an urban situation in India. The sample represents a universe of 211 acceptors out of 1171 eligible couples and 10,000 population. The analysis yields valuable information on the correlation between socioeconomic and demographic variables. Wives' education and residential status are negatively and significantly correlated with family size. The mean ages at vasectomy and tubectomy are 38.3 and 28.1 years respectively. The mean number of living children at the time of tubectomy is 3.4. About 69% of the women have had only live births. The mean number of years of fertile marital union is 12.19. The mean number of conceptions is 4.4. The mean achieved family size is 3.3 living children and the mean ideal family size ranges from 2.13 to 2.5.

Social and demographic characteristics influencing adoption of female sterilisation

This paper analyzes the relationship between the adoption of female sterilization and 3 social and modernization variables (education, income, and family type) and 2 demographic variables (number of living children and years of marriage) for a sample of 200. The influence of each of these 5 variables on female sterilization is studied by the percentage distribution method and the variance test. The data are analyzed by using the urban-rural and adopter-nonadopter classification. Results show that the social and modernization variables do not seem to influence the adoption of female sterilization among urban or rural households, but the demographic variables--number of living children and years of marriage--do seem to have a clear influence. Among rural households there are differences in these variables between adopters and nonadopters of female sterilization. There is a policy implication here: the government has to advocate the 2 child norm to all eligible couples in the early years of marriage and advise them to adopt sterilization after the birth of the 2nd child. This will go a long way in achieving the national target of the replacement level of reproduction by the year 2000.

[Families in France and Sweden: the search for new models]

"Examination of the evolution of family models in France and Sweden reveals many similar trends: increase in the divorce rate, fall in marriage and fertility rates, decrease in the size of the average family, increase in the number of single parent families, diversity of rearranged households, etc. However, the authors stress the extent to which the historical and ideological context of this evolution is different in the two countries. Whereas new conjugal models are diffused rapidly in Sweden without provoking reactions of rejection, a certain ideology in France recommends an ideal of conjugal stability and demands a policy openly favouring an increased birth rate. The Swedes find contraception and abortion natural whereas they are still the subject of impassioned debates in France. The attitude to children is very different in the two countries. However, in both cases, although the evolution of family ties still has an experimental aspect it seems sufficiently radical to make it necessary to rethink the nature of social ties in general." (SUMMARY IN ENG)

[Family structure, parental support, and leaving home among young Americans in the twentieth century]

"This paper examines the effects of childhood family structure on patterns of home leaving (route and timing). The analysis uses data from the [U.S.] National Survey of Families and Households.... Family disruption is linked with leaving home via all routes except college attendance.... We interpret the results as indicating the ways the parental home provides the resources needed for a successful launching into adult independence or prompts leaving home either too early, or to new living arrangements likely to make establishing a stable independent adult role set more difficult." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA)

[French people acquiring citizenship by marriage and their spouses: a diverse and changing situation]

"After a brief presentation on the history of the law concerning acquisition of French nationality by marriage, the authors analyse the new bill passed in 1993. They go on to describe the social characteristics of people who acquire French nationality by marriage and their spouses....The social and cultural characteristics of the spouse explain the recent changes among those who have acquired French nationality by marriage. For instance, the number of couples that consist of a French husband and a foreign wife, as compared to those where the situation is reversed, depends on the nationality of the foreign spouse. The increasing age-gap between spouses can be attributed to their increasing socio-professional level and to changes in the distribution by nationality among the foreign population." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA)

Female "birds of passage" a decade later: gender and immigration in the European Union

"First, this article critically assesses the dominant accounts of the sequence of labor migration and family reunification and argues that it is time to reclaim the heterogeneity of women's past migratory experiences in our understanding of European patterns of post-war immigration. Second, it examines family migration, covering diverse forms of family reunification and formation which, although the dominant form of legal immigration into Europe since the 1970s, has received relatively little attention. Third, it explores the implications of the diversification of contemporary female migration in the European Union and argues for the necessity of taking account of the reality of changing patterns of employment, households and social structures to advance our understanding of European immigration."