PopDigests

Most research so far has related the delay of parenthood to more years spent in education, the difficulties to conciliate work and family life, or to growing economic uncertainty in Europe, often assuming that once the obstacles for childbearing are removed, fertility will rise again. Less attention has been given to childlessness as a conscious decision in explaining fertility patterns. Particularly, quantitative analyses in this area are still scarce.

Several studies have examined attractiveness standards and aspects of romantic relationships of gay men and lesbians. However, despite the growing popularity of digital dating markets among individuals with same-sex preferences, no studies have yet to examine their relationship intentions and values when searching for a partner online. In their current publication, Gina Potârcă, Melinda Mills and Wiebke Neberich explore two aspects of relationship preferences: long-term dating intentions (i.e., interest in starting a long-lasting relationship) and belief in monogamy.

In a recent study, Fanny Kluge, Emilio Zagheni, Elke Loichinger and Tobias Vogt explore how different areas of life might be affected as populations grow older and smaller in Germany. The country is at a relatively advanced stage of the demographic transition, which makes it ideal to study the potential long-run implications of population ageing. The analysis mainly investigates what will happen if conditions observed today prevail.

Recent studies have argued that children’s cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes are largely determined early in life. In this context, inputs supplied by families and others outside the household during early childhood would play a very significant role in later cognitive, social and behavioural outcomes. In turn, the growth in labour market participation among women with young children has raised concerns about its implications for child cognitive development.

Exploring the differences in the use of contraceptives between cohabiting and married couples is a good measure for possible differences in fertility patterns between the two groups. Yet, such studies are rare for contemporary Spain and France. Particularly little is known about contraceptive use patterns among cohabiting women in these countries. This analysis by Megan M.

The authors analyse anonymous profile and preference information of users registered at the eDarling online dating site. In an agreement with the company, data were accessed for all users in September 2011, resulting in a total pooled sample of 58,880 heterosexual members. The focus relies on initial profile information, and more precisely the selection criteria that users impose in terms of race, as well as their socio-demographic data records when they first fill out their profile.

Depression is a major public health problem and the most frequent cause of emotional suffering in later life, which significantly decreases the quality of life of older adults. Social support from family members, and especially children, is of key importance for mental health and well-being. In this study, Maja Djundeva, Melinda Mills, Rafael Wittek and Nardi Steverink explore the role of gender, functional limitations, and social interaction in the association between instrumental support from adult children and parental depression.

The increasing labour force participation of women is considered one of the most significant social changes of the past decades and has had a profound impact on the household division of labour and childbearing decisions. The growth in female labour market participation and the resulting difficulties in combining work and family duties does not only impact the number of hours women work, but it also impacts their working times.

Children’s living arrangements have become increasingly diverse and complex in recent decades. A significant proportion of children today grow up in stepfamilies or in separated one-parent families.There has been a wide range of literature that has explored the impact of these family configurations on children’s outcomes later in life. Silvia Meggiolaro and Fausta Ongaro focus on an aspect that has received less attention: children’s emotional status related to non-traditional family forms.  

Across Europe, statistics show that children from migrant families are less successful in school then other pupils. In a recent article Camilla Borgna and Dalit Contini examine the impact of educational systems and provide explanations beyond language skills and socio-economic background.Using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey, the authors compare results for 17 countries. They focus on second-generation immigrants and their achievements at the end of compulsory schooling, about age 15.