A parallel kinship universe? Using Dutch kinship network data to replicate Kolk et al.’s (2023) demographic account of kinship networks in Sweden

Abstract

This commentary on “The Swedish Kinship Universe” by Kolk, Andersson, Pettersson, & Drefahl (2023) examines whether the Swedish findings are generalizable to another demographically advanced population, the Netherlands, and whether differences in cohort fertility patterns and divorce rates affect the frequencies of different kin types. Our commentary also contributes a further empirical validation of kinship statistics calculated from microsimulations and aggregate fertility and mortality data. By analyzing Dutch kinship network data consisting of ties to grandchildren, children, nieces, nephews, siblings, cousins, parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, we first identified large similarities, corroborating that the picture drawn by Kolk et al. (2023) might indeed be generalized to other demographically advanced (Western) contexts. Second, we observed a trickling down of differences from one generation to the next one (reflected in higher numbers of aunts, uncles, and cousins in the post-SDT cohort resulting from the Dutch baby boom). This finding demonstrates how periodic differences such as the intensity of the baby boom produce a lasting legacy in the demography of families, even if these differences were relatively short-lived. Third, other family-related behavioral changes – specifically separation and divorce – play an important role in shaping kinship networks and cross-national differences in their composition.