PopDigests

Considering that the immigrant population has remarkably increased in the United Kingdom over time, it is interesting to study how immigrants start and end their unions in the UK: Do they follow the same patterns as the ones found in the country where they are currently living?

A new migrant underclass seems to be emerging in Spain and Sweden, where immigrant women working in domestic and care services live a similar situation marked by precariousness.

The question of how to reduce inequalities in mortality, which are caused by a range of risks factors, such as smoking or obesity, is one of the biggest challenges for European health policies.In particular it remains unclear which of these factors are the most important determinants of the observed inequalities and therefore should be addressed first by policy interventions. A recent study by Terje A Eikemo et al. tries to resolve this problem by quantifying the potential for reducing inequalities in mortality by looking at a number of key determinants in 21 European populations.

Union formation in Latin America has long been characterised by the coexistence of marriage and consensual unions as part of the family system. Traditionally, consensual unions have been widespread among the disadvantaged social groups and in rural areas, while exceptional among the better-off.

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.