PopDigests

A study by Damiano Uccheddu, Anne H. Gauthier, Nardi Steverink and Tom Emery used data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to identify the impact of the transition into and out of providing care for a spouse on the health of carers.

Does having highly educated adult children reduce mortality risks for parents with low educational attainment in Europe? Albert Sabater, Elspeth Graham, Alan Marshall investigate this question.

Gender pay gaps persist in high-income countries and beyond. Having children, in particular, seems to be one of the main factors dividing the careers of women and men. Mothers who return to work after giving birth often face substantial wage losses, whereas fathers have been found to enjoy modest wage gains after the birth of a child. However, most studies have overlooked whether such wage premiums have changed over time amid transformations in the policy context surrounding fatherhood.

Van Houdt, Kalmijn, and Ivanova used data from the Netherlands to investigate stepparents' involvement in their stepchildren's lives as they reach adulthood, establish a career, enter the housing market, and raise young children. Respondents reported about all financial support, practical support in and around the house, support with childcare, and advice they received from their (step)parents during the last year.

Using longitudinal census and register data combined with childcare coverage rates for 588 municipalities in Belgium, Wood & Neels found that local formal childcare provision has a clear and substantial positive effect on the likelihood of having a child among dual-earner couples.

In a brand new and critical study, Bruno Schoumaker explored vital statistics, surveys and censuses from 163 countries to provide a broad overview of male fertility around the world and over time, and to identify the factors leading to differences between male and female fertility levels and trends.

Glenn Sandström and Lena Karlsson used data from the Generations and Gender Survey and found that in countries considered more gender equal, those with a higher education are less likely to live alone. But in less gender equal countries, the opposite is true with higher educated people more likely to live alone.

Perelli-Harris et al. investigated whether individuals who cohabit have similar levels of subjective wellbeing (SWB) as married people. They studied events and characteristics correlated with entrance into marriage; whether marriage may be more advantageous for those with a lower or higher tendency to marry; and, finally, whether there is variation by country and gender between partnership type and SWB.

Nella Geurts (Radboud University) & Marcel Lubbers (Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute/KNAW/University of Groningen) investigated the relationship between migrants’ engagement with the country of origin and second-language proficiency from a quantitative perspective.

Research by Michael Mühlichen studied how mortality rates have developed in two German states since reunification with specific focus on premature mortality. Using official population and cause-of death statistics for Germany, he found that premature mortality has decreased rapidly since reunification, especially in the east.