Demography of family change in Europe

Sobotka, Tomáš; Berghammer, Caroline

doi:10.4337/9781788975544.00019

Cited by 17 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Cohabitation went statistically unnoticed when couple life was solely measured in terms of marital life, and therefore singlehood, understood as a relationship status, was overestimated. The profound changes in family life that occurred in the Western world in the second half of the 20th century (Sobotka & Berghammer, 2021) made marital status obsolete. The sharp decrease in marriage, and the increase in cohabiting unions in all strata of society, has progressively changed the statistical approach to relationship status, and consequently, to who is counted as single or not.…”

Section: Statistical Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Not a single meaning: Definition and evolution of singlehood in France and the United States

Bergström

Brée

2023

J of Family Theo & Revie

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Singlehood appears to be an understudied topic in the social sciences, and a particularly diverse field of research. Focusing on the United States and France, this article reviews existing literature to answer three questions that are prerequisites for theorizing singlehood (1) What is singlehood? We first discuss the diversity of terms used in ordinary language to designate singles, and the different statistical measures that coexist in the scholarly literature. (2) Who and how many are single? We show that different definitions lead to different counts of the single population and discuss the driving forces behind the rise in singlehood. (3) What is new? Drawing on literature on the couple norm and the single lifestyle, we then turn to the question of the specificity of the contemporary era. In the last section, we discuss the implications for theorizing singlehood. The answers to all three questions lead us to promote a life course approach to singlehood.

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Section: Statistical Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Not a single meaning: Definition and evolution of singlehood in France and the United States

Bergström

Brée

2023

J of Family Theo & Revie

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“…In the literature on (or including) post-socialist countries, many of the same countries in this study have been addressed, sometimes comparatively, showing a delay in marriage and union formation, with much focus on the shift from marital to non-marital unions and childbearing (Andersson & Philipov, 2002;Andersson et al, 2017;Billari, 2005;Hoem et al, 2009;Puur et al, 2012;Sobotka & Berghammer, 2021).…”

Section: Post-socialist Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of Co‐Residential Relationships Across Cohorts in Post‐Socialist Countries: Less Time for Childbearing?

Billingsley

Oláh

2022

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Co‐residential partnerships are a pre‐condition for childbearing and less time is spent in these unions when there is difficulty finding partners, a delay in union formation, and partnership instability. Our study explores patterns in co‐residential partnerships across birth cohorts in 11 post‐socialist countries to assess changes in the number of years spent in these partnerships and the patterns underlying any trend. Using the Harmonized Histories dataset, based on partnership data from generations and gender surveys, we calculate changes in co‐residential union trends. In about half of the countries, the share of women who have not entered a co‐residential union by age 30 increased, whereas the proportion still in their first union by this age decreased universally. The latter trend, reflecting union instability, pre‐dates the transition from socialism. Delays in starting the first union were seen in only a few countries immediately after the transition began but more countries experienced union postponement in coming‐of‐age cohorts in the 2000s. A declining median age at first union in the former Soviet republics before and immediately after the transition from socialism balances the impact of increased union instability. Overall, the number of years spent in a co‐residential union before age 30 declined across the Central and South‐Eastern European countries, especially in Hungary. Union dynamics may have contributed to declining fertility in these countries. In contrast, little or no change in time spent in unions in the post‐Soviet countries indicates that union dynamics were less likely to have influenced these women’s fertility behavior.

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“…The past fifty years, and particularly the first decades of the 21 st century, have been characterized by deepgoing transformations regarding family behavior all over Europe. Among the most noteworthy changes have been the diffusion and consolidation of cohabitation, the delay and decline of marriage, the rise in non-marital childbearing, the growing plurality of family configurations and trajectories, and the steady fall and postponement of fertility (Sobotka & Berghammer 2021). Shifts regarding the timing and sequencing of family-related events have also been substantial.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ideals and norms related to fatherhood in Europe: A comparative perspective from the European Social Survey

Martín-García

Séiz

Castro-Martín

2023

JFamRes

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Objective: This study explores cross-country similarities and differences in individuals' perceptions of the ideal age and pathways to become a father, focusing on five European countries: Germany, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Background: Empirical research analyzing family-related social norms and individuals' preferences is still scarce when compared to the abundant literature on family behavior, and especially so when focusing on men rather than women. This study attempts to mitigate this gap in the literature by focusing on ideals and norms related to fatherhood. Method: Using European Social Survey data from the most recent available round (2018/2019), descriptive and multivariate regression analyses are performed to examine: (a) the ideal age to become a father; and (b) approval of men's decision to never have children, to have a child outside marriage, and to keep working full-time when having small children. Results: Findings confirm signs of convergence across countries regarding the “normalization” of postponed fatherhood, as well as increased detachment from traditional attitudes. Differences between "forerunner" and "laggard" countries with regard to family-related norms and family change are visibly narrowing. However, the ideal age for fatherhood and the approval of non-traditional life course trajectories also reflect different incentives and possibilities for the establishment of new family models provided by the gender culture and the welfare regime in each country. Conclusion: Examining social norms regarding male reproductive decisions and the exercise of fatherhood from a comparative perspective is important for understanding men’s choices and the normative social framework potentially constraining them.

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Demography of family change in Europe

Cited by 17 publications

References 54 publications

Not a single meaning: Definition and evolution of singlehood in France and the United States

Not a single meaning: Definition and evolution of singlehood in France and the United States

Patterns of Co‐Residential Relationships Across Cohorts in Post‐Socialist Countries: Less Time for Childbearing?

Ideals and norms related to fatherhood in Europe: A comparative perspective from the European Social Survey

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