Social capital related to fertility: theoretical foundations and empirical evidence from Bulgaria

Bühler, Christoph; Philipov, Dimiter

doi:10.4054/mpidr-wp-2005-016

Cited by 26 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…when individuals can rely on the help of relatives, friends, and colleagues, the effect of uncertainty is likely to be lower. Philipov (2003; see also Bühler and Philipov 2005) supported this finding for Bulgaria and Russia; Bühler and Fratczak (2007) for Poland;and Philipov, Spéder, and Billari (2006) for Bulgaria and Hungary.…”

Section: Effects Of Income On the Relationship Between Unemployment Amentioning

confidence: 69%

Economic Recession and Fertility in the Developed World

Sobotka

Skirbekk

Philipov

2011

Population & Development Rev

Self Cite

649

520

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article reviews research on the effects of economic recessions on fertility in the developed world. We study how economic downturns, as measured by various indicators, especially by declining GDP levels, falling consumer confidence, and rising unemployment, were found to affect fertility. We also discuss particular mechanisms through which the recession may have influenced fertility behavior, including the effects of economic uncertainty, falling income, changes in the housing market, and rising enrollment in higher education, and also factors that influence fertility indirectly such as declining marriage rates. Most studies find that fertility tends to be pro-cyclical and often rises and declines with the ups and downs of the business cycle. Usually, these aggregate effects are relatively small (typically, a few percentage points) and of short durations; in addition they often influence especially the timing of childbearing and in most cases do not leave an imprint on cohort fertility levels. Therefore, major long-term fertility shifts often continue seemingly uninterrupted during the recession—including the fertility declines before and during the Great Depression of the 1930s and before and during the oil shock crises of the 1970s. Changes in the opportunity costs of childbearing and fertility behavior during economic downturn vary by sex, age, social status, and number of children; childless young adults are usually most affected. Furthermore, various policies and institutions may modify or even reverse the relationship between recessions and fertility. The first evidence pertaining to the recent recession falls in line with these findings. In most countries, the recession has brought a decline in the number of births and fertility rates, often marking a sharp halt to the previous decade of rising fertility rates.

show abstract

Section: Effects Of Income On the Relationship Between Unemployment Amentioning

confidence: 69%

Economic Recession and Fertility in the Developed World

Sobotka

Skirbekk

Philipov

2011

Population & Development Rev

Self Cite

649

520

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This finding is in line with the underlying assumption that grandparents, being close kin, not only will increase the likelihood that parents have another child by helping them out practically but also that they invest in subsequent children through other means, most notably communication of norms and expectations. Although we have not directly measured the communication between grandparents and parents, we know that kin can play an important role in fertility decisions (Bühler & Philipov, ; Rijken & Liefbroer, ). The potential usefulness of the kin influence hypothesis is further underscored by Sear and Coall's () study of grandparental involvement and fertility rates in 10 European countries.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such an influence on decision making is not to be expected in the case of formal child care. The grandparents may have a particularly strong social influence on parents' fertility decisions (Bühler & Philipov, ). For instance, Waynforth () found that the mere physical presence of supportive parents rather than their financial or child care help encouraged reproduction in a 1970 British birth cohort sample.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child Care and Child Births: The Role of Grandparents in the Netherlands

Thomése

Liefbroer

2013

J of Marriage and Family

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study explored the involvement of grandparents in the care for young children and its effect on subsequent child births in dual‐earner families, using data on 898 Dutch men and women aged 18–49 from the Netherlands' Kinship Panel Study. Three theoretical perspectives were used to develop hypotheses: (a) needs and opportunities, (b) normative preferences, and (c) gendered involvement of grandparents. The findings showed that needs and opportunities informed involvement of grandparents but that the availability of formal child care did not predict grandparents' involvement. Maternal grandparents were more likely to provide child care than paternal grandparents, and grandmothers were more likely to do so than grandfathers. Involvement of both maternal and paternal grandparents in turn increased the likelihood of additional child births. The authors conclude that grandparental child care may be part of an emerging reproductive strategy. Implications of these findings for the theoretical approaches used are discussed.

show abstract

“…This includes the perception of the expectations of significant others, such as those of the individual's partner, parents, and friends. Bühler and Philipov (2005) argued that individuals are embedded in social environments that affect their preferences. On the one hand, having access to certain resources can reduce the cost of having (further) children (Dommermuth et al 2011).…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Easier said than done: childbearing intentions and their realization in a short term perspective

Kuhnt¹,

Trappe²

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper studies the short-term fertility intentions of women and men and their subsequent behavior. On the one hand, the predictive strength of fertility intentions is of interest. On the other hand, the most important determinants that inhibit or enable the realization of fertility intentions are analyzed. Data from the first three waves of the German Family Panel (pairfam) are used in the analysis. The theoretical model is derived from the Theory of Planned Behavior. Its validity for the realization of short-term childbearing intentions is tested in the low-fertility context of Germany. Our descriptive findings indicate that fertility intentions have a certain predictive strength. Individuals who reported a strong desire to have a child within the next two years were the most likely to have had a child. However, negative intentions were even more predictive of subsequent behavior. For the women and men with positive fertility intentions, the chances of failure were relatively high. The multivariate results suggest that being in a stable relationship was by far the most important determinant of whether individuals had and realized positive fertility intentions. In addition, financial security and parenthood status were strong determinants. Social pressure exerted by the parents was also a factor, as subjective norms appear to have affected the realization of positive intentions.

show abstract

Social capital related to fertility: theoretical foundations and empirical evidence from Bulgaria

Abstract: Working papers of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research receive only limited review. Views or opinions expressed in working papers are attributable to the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute.

Cited by 26 publications

References 45 publications

Economic Recession and Fertility in the Developed World

Economic Recession and Fertility in the Developed World

Child Care and Child Births: The Role of Grandparents in the Netherlands

Easier said than done: childbearing intentions and their realization in a short term perspective

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About