GGS研究成果

In this article, we analyse the relationship between union instability and cumulated fertility among ever-partnered women in several regions across Europe and the Americas with different patterns of demographic behaviour in terms of fertility levels, union instability and fertility across partnerships. We hypothesise that the relationship between union dissolution and fertility might be less negative in contexts where repartnering is more prevalent. The analysis is performed on a large dataset of 25 countries, combining information from the Harmonised Histories of the Generation and Gender Programme with our own harmonisation of survey data from three Latin American countries. This allows for the inclusion of countries with differing prevalence of union instability as measured by (a) the proportion of women who separated by age 40, and (b) the proportion who repartnered by age 40. We first examine the prevalence of separation and repartnering during reproductive ages across regions, and we estimate the proportion of cumulated fertility attributable to unions of different ranks using a decomposition method. We then analyse the links between union instability and the number of children born by age 40 among ever-partnered and ever-repartnered women, using Poisson regression. Despite observing a high degree of heterogeneity in the proportions of births occurring in the context of repartnering both within and between regions, we find a pattern where a greater prevalence of repartnering by age 40 is accompanied by higher cumulated fertility in second or subsequent unions. Our multivariate findings reveal a negative statistical relationship between separation and cumulated fertility that is partially offset by repartnering in some contexts, and that the time spent in a union during the reproductive lifespan is a key determinant of cumulated fertility, regardless of national context and independently from age at union formation and union rank.

This study explores whether undergoing medically assisted reproduction (MAR) is associated with experiencing loneliness and whether this association varies by gender and having a live birth. Using two waves of the Generations and Gender Survey (n = 2,725) from countries in Central and Eastern Europe, we estimate the changes in levels of emotional and social loneliness among pregnancy seekers in heterosexual relationships and test if they vary by the mode of conception while controlling for individual sociodemographic characteristics. Individuals who underwent MAR experienced increased levels of social loneliness compared to individuals who were trying to conceive spontaneously. This association is entirely driven by respondents who did not have a live birth between the two observation periods, while the results did not differ by gender. No differences emerged in emotional loneliness. Our findings suggest that increased social loneliness during the MAR process might be attributable to infertility-related stress and stigma.

Background: The assessment of relationship quality is a key construct in family research and relies on several indicators. As answer behavior for sensitive and subjective questions can be biased by the interview situation, the emerging switch from face-to-face mode to web or mixed mode in surveys challenges the comparability of measurements.

Objective: This study investigates the impact of two modes of data collection – face-to-face mode and web mode – on central measurements of relationship quality in quantitative family research.

Methods: In a German experimental pilot study (2018) within the Generations and Gender Programme, target persons were randomly assigned to face-to-face or online interviews. Mode differences are assessed by comparing distributions for various indicators of relationship quality. To adjust for confounders, post-stratification weighting and multivariate regression analysis are applied.

Results: Findings reveal consistent mode effects for almost all indicators of relationship quality even after adjusting for confounders. Respondents in web mode assess their relationship quality substantially lower than respondents in face-to-face mode, thinking more often about breaking up and reporting lower satisfaction and more conflicts.

Conclusions: Web mode seems to support less socially desirable reflections on respondents’ relationships compared to face-to-face mode. Family researchers should consider survey design decisions when evaluating intimate relationships, particularly in longitudinal and cross-national studies.

Contribution: Findings on the assessment of relationships in family research based on self-administered modes, such as web mode, can be considered more reliable than those based on interviewer-administered modes.

Using data from "Generation and Gender Survey" for Poland, we study the relationship between women's relative income within the household, as measured by the female share of total household income, and women's involvement in housework. We find that households in which the woman contributes more to the total household income are more likely to share housework equally. We also find that individual gender norms matter both for women's involvement in unpaid work at home and for the observed link between the female share of income and inequality between the partners in the division of housework. Women from less traditional households are found to be more likely to share housework equally. However, this negative relationship between the female share of household income and female involvement in housework is not observed among more traditional couples.

Although the literature concerning the association between religiosity and fertility in European countries is already quite extensive, studies exploring the mechanisms of action of religiosity are rare. The main aim of this article is to investigate whether grandparental childcare is a mediating or moderating variable in the association between attendance at religious services and the intention to have a second or third child. Building on previous literature, we assume that parents who are more religious might put more effort into establishing a positive relation with the grandparents of their child/children. Consequently, compared to parents who are less religious, those who are more religious could be more receptive to possible encouragement from grandparents to have another child and may be more optimistic regarding grandparents’ involvement with an additional child. Using Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) data for eleven European countries, we find evidence of a strong and positive effect of attendance at religious services on fertility intentions. Receipt of regular or weekly help from grandparents positively moderates the association between attendance at religious services and fertility intentions, albeit only for male respondents and mainly for the intention to have a second child.

This article investigates the stability of co-residential partnerships after first birth in the Czech Republic. It explores the ‘marriage premium’, which refers to the advantage that children born to married parents have in comparison to other parental arrangements, and also highlights change in the ‘marriage premium’ after 1989. The analysis also examines the effect of marriage timing: Does the marriage premium differ between pre-birth and post-birth marriages? Did the effect of timing also change after 1989? The analysis is based on Czech GGS (Generations and Gender Survey) data from 2005. Direct marriages are the most stable unions, cohabitations are the least stable. Among couples who were not married, the odds of dissolution increased by 142 per cent (in comparison to marriages without pre-marital cohabitation). This ‘marriage premium’ increased after 1989. Marriage timing has come to play an increasingly important role. In the pre-1989 marriage cohort, pre-birth and post-birth marriage had the same stabilising effect. After 1989, however, pre-delivery wedding stabilises unions more than post-delivery legitimising marriages. We conclude that the era of highly individualised partnership choices has clearly shone a light on the consequences of these choices for subsequent union stability.

Objective: Why do parents decide to have more than two children?

Background: This study explores how opportunity costs and socio-cultural factors such as value of children, perceived social pressure and intergenerational fertility transmission influence the transition to higher order fertility in seven European countries.

Method: Using panel data for Austria, Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Hungary, Poland and Russia, stemming from the Generations and Gender Survey (GGS), we aim to identify the driving mechanisms behind the birth of a third child and draw attention to socio-cultural factors and opportunity costs. We estimate average marginal effects in binomial logistic regressions.

Results: Multivariate analyses demonstrate that lower opportunity costs and perceived social pressure positively influence the transition to the third child – for both sexes. In contrast, emotional and social values of children are not relevant and intergenerational transmission is associated with the birth of the third child for men and women differently. Perceived social pressure turns out to matter in all countries, although the social groups likely to have large families differ across countries.

Conclusion: Overall, this study provides insights into the link between socio-cultural factors, perceived cost and the formation of large families in life course, revealing the reasons why women and men may deviate from the widespread two child norm. Therefore, it brings new contribution regarding the motivation for a third child.