Individual and couple utility of children

Models specifying the utility of another child as either a couple or an individual experience and incorporating variations in the measurement properties of responses about child utility and expectations are estimated with data from the U.S. Value of Children survey. Full information, maximum likelihood analyses indicate that child utility is an individual experience of wives and husbands rather than a shared couple experience. That is, differences in the measurement properties of wives’ and husbands’ responses do not account entirely for the less than perfect correlations between their responses. These findings demonstrate the importance of estimating errors in measurement in the analysis of wives’ and husbands’ responses about the utility of children, and they challenge the assumption that marital partners share the utility of children.     

Polygyny and African couple research

Fertility and family planning research has recently begun to focus on couples, rather than solely on women. High levels of polygyny in sub-Saharan Africa create two interesting problems for couple analyses. First, some men match with multiple wives in a given sample. Hence observations of a dependent variable that are a function of the responses from a polygynous man are not statistically independent. To correct for this, we propose that researchers use the method of generalized estimating equations. The second problem occurs when survey questions do not properly account for men having multiple partners. Variables constructed from such questions may contain error. Until better data are available, we propose that researchers randomly select a wife for each polygynous man to reduce the effects of this error. We illustrate these ideas by studying the determinants of couples having innovative family planning behaviors and attitudes in Niger.     

South African quality of life: A research note

A nation-wide survey (n=5587) was conducted in 1982/83 with a view to developing a reliable cross-cultural index of quality of life for South Africa. Findings confirmed the known under-privileged position of blacks relative to other groups in terms of some 60 objective and subjective indicators. Contrary to expectations the results of factor and regression analyses indicated that the linear additive model of quality of life-as-a-whole cannot account for its full complexity. The possibility is considered that more broadly symbolic factors related to relative deprivation may make an independent contribution to perceived overall well-being. In conclusion, a single cross-cultural albeit multi-item measure of South African quality of life is recommended.     

Seasonality of children's residential mobility: A research note

Parents are often advised to schedule changes of residence for the summer so that children do not change schools during the regular school year. But very little research has been done on seasonality of children's moves and whether families that move off season differ from those that move in the summer. The child supplement to the 1988 National Health Interview Survey offers an opportunity to examine the degree of seasonality of children's mobility and to analyze characteristics that increase or decrease the probability of moving during the summer months. We find that many variables included in studies of differential mobility exhibit seasonal effects, but in a multivariate model age of child (beyond 7 or 8 years old), long-distance moves, a highly educated mother, and race that is not Black most strongly raise the odds of moving in the summer.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Demographic Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, 21–23 October 1993.     

How parenthood experiences influence desire for more children in Australia: A qualitative study

The low-fertility debate in developed countries has focused on the limits to family size posed by the financial costs of raising children, and difficulties combining work and family. Little attention has been given to the physical and socio-psychological experiences of conception, pregnancy, birth and early parenthood, and their potential effect on parity progression. Womens rising education and workforce participation rates are often seen as key factors in fertility decline, offering attractive alternatives to motherhood, but research suggests that they also undermine levels of knowledge, confidence and interest in motherhood. Demographers have made almost no link between people having fewer children than they might otherwise have had and their previous childbearing and childrearing experiences. Interviews conducted in South Australia in 2003–04 with parents of both small and large families show that fertility and family size are influenced both negatively and positively by experiences of having had children. The paper argues that if low fertility rates are to be stabilized or raised in developed countries, then researchers and policymakers must consider the physical and socio-psychological costs of having children for parents, and provide support mechanisms so that experiences of parenthood contribute as little as possible to fertility gaps and delayed fertility.     

Family structure,residential mobility,and school dropout: A research note

This paper examines the hypothesis that high levels of residential mobility among nonintact families account for part of the well-known association between living in a nonintact family and dropping out of high school. Children from single-parent families and stepfamilies are more likely than children from two-parent families to move during the school year. As much as 30% of the difference in the risk of dropping out between children from stepfamilies and children from intact families can be explained by differences in residential mobility. Previously, mechanisms explaining school failure on the part of children in nonintact families were more plausible for children in single-parent families than for children in stepfamilies; high levels of residential mobility apply to both groups of children. In addition, residential mobility lends itself to manipulation by public policy, with potentially remedial effects for vulnerable children. Earlier versions of this paper were presented at the 1990 meetings of the American Sociological Association, held in Washington DC, and at the 1991 meetings of the Eastern Sociological Society held in Providence. We are grateful to Andrew Cherlin, Melvin Kohn, Gary Sandefur, and several anonymous referees for their valuable comments, to Robert Davis for his computational assistance, and to Tobey H. Sohn and Teresa A. Withers for secretarial help. Support to the senior author was provided by the National Institute on Aging under Grant HD 19375-03 and by the W.T. Grant Faculty Scholars Award. Support for computing facilities was provided by a grant to the Hopkins Population Center (PD30 H006268-19). 1994 Population Association of America     

Tribal affiliation and fertility: A note

This not extends T. L. F. Devis's recent investigation of the relationship between tribal affiliation and fertility in Sierra Leone. Controls are introduced for age structure and economic variables. The findings suggest that tribal affiliation does not have much independent influence on fertility after these factors are allowed for.     

Tribal affiliation and fertility: A note

Summary This not extends T. L. F. Devis's recent investigation of the relationship between tribal affiliation and fertility in Sierra Leone. Controls are introduced for age structure and economic variables. The findings suggest that tribal affiliation does not have much independent influence on fertility after these factors are allowed for.     

The influence of sexual orientation on career decision-making: a research note

This study investigates differences between heterosexuals and homosexuals of both sexes with regard to several variables in the career decision-making process: anxiety about making a career choice, indecisiveness about the choice, need to acquire information about the career of choice, uncertainty about the choice, and career choice dissatisfaction. Significant interactions are found on choice uncertainty (gay men having the highest level of uncertainty and lesbian women the lowest) and choice dissatisfaction (heterosexual women and gay men showing more dissatisfaction than the other two groups).     

Combining employment and parenthood: A longitudinal study of intentions of Dutch young adults

This paper examines the intentions of Dutch males and females with regard to combining paid employment and parenthood. Four models of how couples combine these roles are distinguished. Panel data from a representative survey among Dutch young adults show that the traditional model (the female takes care of the children and the male works full-time) is becoming less popular, whereas the supplementary model (the female takes care of the children and supplements the labor force participation of the male), and the egalitarian model (both partners share paid labor more or less equally) are becoming more popular. The no-child model is preferred by about 10% of the respondents. A multivariate analysis shows that both job characteristics, like the flexibility of working hours, and gender role attitudes are important predictors of intentions with regard to combining family and work roles.     

The decline of intelligence: A methodological note

The author discusses some of the conclusions reached by Mrs Bernadelli in her recent study of intelligence in New Zealand     

Individual and institutional determinants of multidimensional poverty: A European comparison

In this article we evaluate to what extent between-country differences in the probability of being ‘multidimensional’ poor can be explained by a range of ‘domain-specific’ indicators of welfare regime arrangements. To this end, a so-called micro-macro model is estimated, testing the ‘independent’ effect of institutions, as opposed to alternative explanations such as between-country differences in population composition and economic affluence. Although we conclude that institutional arrangements do influence the risk of multidimensional poverty in the expected direction, we also find that bringing the ‘economy’ back into the analyses has a non-trivial impact. Our results point at several avenues for further discussion and research. First, although the more elaborate welfare regimes generally do a better job in preventing poverty, the level of transfers is not always ‘proportional’ to the general standard of living in these countries. Second, we only find partial confirmation for the often cited ‘negative’ impact of labour market flexibility and the related equality-jobs trade-off. While stricter employment regulations do reduce the poverty risk (be it only after controlling for economic affluence), flexibility in terms of the availability of fixed-term labour seems to be preferable to unemployment, even if at the individual level, labour market flexibility increases the likelihood of being poor quite severely.

A note on migration and employment

This paper examines the nature of the relation between migration and employment. A preliminary investigation confirms a previous observation that the employment rate of migrants is generally lower than that of non-migrants. A further analysis, however, suggests that this does not mean that migration has no effect on employment; in fact, the two appear to be strongly related. Migration enables some unemployed and initially disadvantaged persons to improve their employment status, making it more nearly comparable, though not equal, to that of the general population.     

Education-Job Mismatch: Implications for Individual Earnings and Aggregate Output

Social Indicators Research - Based on the nationally representative micro-level dataset, the present paper investigates the prevalence of education-job mismatches and their effects on individual...     

Impacts of behavioral intentions,social support,and accessibility on contraception: A cross-cultural study

Multivariate analysis of survey data from women at risk of pregnancy in three cultures (Venezuela, Kenya, and Philippines) are used to examine the relative impacts of socio-demographic and personal psychological determinants on contraceptive intentions and actions. The analyses show that the impacts of behavioral intentions on contraceptive actions vary significantly by cultures and socio-demographic strata. The consistency between contraceptive intentions and actionalso varied significantly by several social psychological factors which are discussed. The analyses revealed that within a given cultural and sociodemographic setting, contraceptive action is a function of the additive effects of these factors: specific behavioral intentions, social support, accessibility of services, and the action situation. The paper discusses implications for research and policy.Please send request for reprints to Snehendu Kar, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024.This is a revised version of a paper presented at the 89th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, held in Los Angeles, CA, August 24–28, 1981.This research was made possible through grants from the Office of Population and Humanitarian Affairs, Agency for International Development, Washington, D.C., and from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Paris. The authors extend special thanks to Dr. Ramon Gonzales-Cerrutti, codirector of the Field Trial project in Venezuala; to Dr. Gloria Feliciano, Dean, Institute of Mass Communication, University of the Philippines, codirector in the Philippines; and to Cynthia Dean and Joseph Mbindyo, who assumed major responsibilities for the field operations in Kenya. The Institute of Development Studies, University of Nairobi, provided administrative support for the project in Kenya. In Venezuela, the Association Venezolana de Planificacion Familiar supported the initial phases of the project, while the Ministerio de Sanidad Asistencia Social supported the later phases. These institutions deserve special recognition for their administrative support, without which these baseline surveys could not have been implemented.     

Gender egalitarianism,perceived economic insecurity,and fertility intentions in Spain: A qualitative analysis

Economic uncertainty contributes to low fertility in many European countries. On the other hand, greater gender equality may positively influence fertility. This paper examines how these two forces interact in Spain. We use in-depth interviews to analyse fertility decision-making among young and highly educated partnered adults living in urban areas. Highly gender-egalitarian interviewees are less likely to perceive economic insecurity as an obstacle to proceeding to a next birth than less egalitarian interviewees. But there is not necessarily a difference in these two groups’ overall fertility intentions, as highly egalitarian interviewees’ greater valuation of stable employment for both partners requires institutional and policy support for dual-earner couples’ childrearing. When we look only at interviewees who express economic insecurity, somewhat higher fertility intentions are expressed by those holding less gender-egalitarian attitudes. Our results underline the complexity of the interrelationships between economic insecurity, gender egalitarianism, and fertility intentions.     

Measures of accessibility as social indicators: A note

Although accessibility to jobs, services and amenities is an important component of the quality of life, it is rarely articulated in operational definitions of the concept. This note stresses the importance of physical accessibility to social well-being in cities, and outlines and reviews several measures which could be used to reflect territorial variations in accessibility to specific ‘goods’. One measure-a modified version of the gravity model-is elaborated in detail, and its utility as a social indicator is illustrated using the example of accessibility to primary medical care in Edinburgh, Scotland.     

Frailty selection in bivariate survival models: A cautionary note

One problem that researchers face in analyzing the survival times of groups of related individuals is selecting how the distribution of frailty—an unobserved (or not adequately observed) random factor— should be specified. Several distributions have received attention—for instance, the gamma distribution and a nonparametric N‐point, discrete probability distribution. Researchers have selected these distributions more for mathematical convenience than for their ability to represent biological, social, or economic reality, and the implications of choosing one functional representation of frailty over alternative choices have not been studied extensively. In particular, researchers have paid little attention to the type of association that exists among survival times of individuals in a group or between those of a pair under specific frailty distributions. This research paper explores the association among survival times under gamma, inverse Gaussian, nonparametric N‐point, and Poisson distributions. It shows that the pattern and strength of this association depends on how the distribution of frailty is specified.