One or two pathways to individual modernity? The effects of education on family formation among women in Japan and Germany

Abstract

Two prominent theses on social change concur with regard to the ongoing development of family systems in the process of general social change: the model of the "second demographic transition", suggested by the demographers van de Kaa and Lesthaeghe; and the model of "family change", proposed by the crosscultural psychologist Kağıtçıbaşı. This paper presents an empirical test based on an analysis of family change in Japan, a collectivistic, yet modernised society; and in Germany, a society characterised by 'Western' individualism. Our empirical test is based on 12 cumulated, representative surveys from these two societies, which together cover the family formation processes of 49,983 women born between 1915 and 1985. For both Germany and Japan, we examine the influence of educational inequality on family formation, and explore how it has changed over a period of 60 years, by means of multivariate Cox regression analyses. The two models emphasise different aspects of the change in the family formation process: although the changes point in the direction predicted by the second demographic transition model, the differences between the two societies have remained stable or have even widened, in line with the family change model.

Influence of Parental Education on Nuptial Behavior: An analysis of Hindu Community in India

“…The second demographic transition saw a shift in the value and culture system and a change in the marriage institution. While the first demographic transition emphasized on economic growth and material aspirations as the driving forces of change in demographic attributes of the population, the second saw the shift towards acknowledging one's private needs and desires as well as realizing one's own role in decision making (Nauck & Tabuchi, 2012;Nedoluzhko & Agadjanian, 2015). In a similar fashion, Thornton (2001) suggested the influence of Western ideas and model of development on third world countries.…”

“…The national and international TV programs now can be accessed in remote parts of the world. These have led to changes in the modern family structure, greater individualism, greater autonomy in marriages, and promoted changes through informal networks 1 (Allendorf & Pandian, 2016;Ghimire et al, 2006;Nauck & Tabuchi, 2012).…”

“…In addition, increased exposure to mass media and distant living arrangements give individuals a chance to interact with people of different communities and cultures. Economic independence empowers them to shape decisions concerning the personal sphere of life (Allendorf & Pandian, 2016;Ghimire et al, 2006;Nauck & Tabuchi, 2012;Upadhyay & Gupta, 2013). With higher educational attainment, the number of self-choice marriages and the likelihood parents obtaining consent from women for marriages appears to have increased.…”

Editorial on the special issue “Empirical Analyses based on the German Family Panel (pairfam)”

“…The data, as the quoted literature shows, has already been used a number of times for international comparisons (cf. Perelli-Harris et al 2010, Nauck/Tabuchi 2012. The aim is to intensify these international collaborations by producing equivalence fi les for data users in future in which data from different countries are matched with pairfam data.…”

“…e.g. : Bauer/Kneipp 2012, Buhr/Huinink 2012, Feldhaus/Huinink 2011, Huttemann et al 2012, Kotte/Ludwig 2011, Lois/Kopp 2011,Nauck/Tabuchi 2012, Perelli-Harris et al 2010, Rüger et al 2011 in the edited volumes cited above and in.…”