PopDigests

A study by Rahnu et al. looked at longitudinal register data from Statistics Findland to see how the share of immigrants in one’s workplace and in one’s residential neighbourhood influences the chances of a native Finn choosing a foreign-born partner. They found positive relationships for both domains.

To address the lack of research on how long young adults want to live, Bowen et al. conducted a survey of over 700 university students in Austria, Norway, Poland and Russia. They asked students how long they want to live (preferred life expectancy), how long they expect to live (subjective life expectancy) and how long they think an average person of the same age and sex will live (belief about average cohort life expectancy).

Research looking at Western European countries tends to suggest that the negative effect of parenthood on individuals’ subjective well-being is one of the key factors explaining low fertility trends. In a new study, Márta K. Radó tested this association for Hungary, which is an especially case for two main reasons. First, low fertility is a long-term trend in the country. Second, this persistently low fertility rate is paired with one of the longest and most extensively used periods of parental leave in Europe.

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.