Videos

An interview with Amparo Gonzalez-Ferrer (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)) on temporary and permanent migration 1. The media sometimes says that migrants from outside Europe marry a European national in order to obtain citizenship. But all the bi-national couples I know married for love – so what is the truth about sham marriages? 2. I often hear that international migrants, once they have citizenship rights, bring their whole extended family into the country – is that really common?

"Having children is always going to be a risky initiative" - an interview with Anna Cabré Questions: 1. What do you consider the biggest myth in demography? 2. How big a problem do you consider fertility decline to be? 3. How could the gap between the number of children people wish to have and actual birth rates be bridged? 4. From an historical perspective: how have families changed? 5. What circumstances do people need for having children?

An interview with Anna Matysiak (Vienna Institute of Demography, Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital) on childlessness. Questions: 1. When friends ask me why I don’t have children, I can’t really name a reason, apart from “it just never happened”. Is that also the case for other childless women? 2. What are the most important factors in the life histories of childless women? 3. Are these factors universal, or did you find country differences?

An interview with Anne Goujon (Vienna Institute of Demography, Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital) on education. Questions: 1. We are constantly told that education will be the key in dealing with future challenges. What do we know about the role education played in European societies in the 20th century? 2. How can you complete missing data about education in a reliable way? 3. What are the main obstacles in this process of data reconstruction? 4. Once this data is completed, what can we learn from it for the future?

Why 70 is the new 60 - an interview with Annette Baudisch (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research) on biodemography. Questions: 1. When my grandmother was my age, I perceived her as being much older than I feel now. Is this just a question of perspective, or is being 70 today biologically different from what it used to be? 2. If you look at human ageing in a long-term perspective, what has changed most significantly since the Neanderthals?

An interview with Arnstein Aassve (Bocconi University) on the impact of recession on the younger generation. Questions: 1. My friends and I are all trying to obtain the best possible qualifications. Nevertheless we are worried that because of the recession it will take forever until we can live independent lives. How bad are the prospects for the younger generation in Europe? 2. Do highly qualified unemployed young people have a chance to compensate for this initial “bad start” later on?

An interview with Athina Vlachantoni (University of Southampton) on work-life-balance. Questions: 1. Balancing my work and family life with two kids sometimes feels very stressful to me and I worry what effects this might have on my health when I get older. What are the experiences of women who are over 60? 2. Does it make a difference whether women worked full-time, part-time, or interrupted their career to stay at home with the children?

Interview with Bruno Arpino (Universitat Pompeu Fabra) on health and grandparenting. Questions: 1. My daughter and her partner are expecting their first child. As they both have quite demanding jobs I would like to offer my help in looking after the baby, but I am also a bit worried that my other activities might suffer from this. What have you found to be realistic based on your research? 2. Is grandparenting as good of a social activity as being in a sport’s club or a choir in terms of benefits for an older person’s health?

"The share of childless people is not that much bigger than it used to be" - an interview with Clara H. Mulder. Questions: 1. What are the most significant changes in intergenerational relations in the last decades? 2. In the future, won't it be mainly older people who will need help from their children? 3. So you don't fear a looming war between the generations? 4. Will it make a difference that less people live in traditional families? 5. How can childless people stay involved with younger generations when they get older?

"Changes in partnership behaviour are more significant than low fertility" - an interview with Elizabeth Thomson (SUDA). Questions: 1. Which demographic development in the last decade do you consider most significant? 2. What are the reasons why are people are no longer sure? 3. What impact does this change have on fertility? 4. Is this an area where policy measures can make a difference?