Grandparents Caring for Their Grandchildren: Findings from the 2004 Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe

Introducing findings from the 2004 Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), this research complements the large number of recent U.S. studies on the role of grandparents in caring for their grandchildren. For 10 continental European countries, we investigate cross-national variations in grandparent provided child care as well as differences in characteristics of the providers and recipients of care. While we find a strong involvement of grandparents in their grandchildren’s care across all countries, we also identify significant variations in the prevalence and intensity of care along the geographic lines of different child care and (maternal/female) employment regimes in Europe. Rooted in long-standing family cultures, the observed patterns suggest a complex interaction between welfare-state provided services and intergenerational family support in shaping the work-family nexus for younger parents. We conclude with a brief discussion of possible consequences of grandmothers’ increasing labor force participation for child care arrangements.

Rezension: Dominik Schrage & Markus R. Friederici (Hrsg.) (2008). Zwischen Methodenpluralismus und Datenhandel. Zur Soziologie der kommerziellen Konsumforschung. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften; ISBN 978-3-531-15470-1;

Die Beiträge in dem Sammelband "Zwischen Methodenpluralismus und Datenhandel" diskutieren die Rolle der kommerziellen Konsumforschung aus soziologischer Sicht. Dabei stehen nach einer einleitenden Diskussion zur Situierung der kommerziellen Konsumforschung Fragen zum Methodenpluralismus und zum Handel mit Daten im Zentrum der Betrachtung. Neben der Validität als Prestigewert der kommerziellen Konsumforschung werden Transfers zwischen akademischer und kommerzieller Forschung anhand von praktischen Beispielen und einer umfassenden empirischen Untersuchung erläutert. Die Rolle des Internet in der Konsumforschung wird anhand des personalisierten Massenkonsums und der Transparenz von Märkten thematisiert

Ageing in Austria: An overview of “Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe” (SHARE) with special focus on aspects of health

After a short introduction to the “Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe” (SHARE) we present results for Austria focusing on different aspects of health. Among Austrians aged 50 and above—especially at higher ages—strong gender-specific differences are observed for physical health, mental health and disabilities. Older persons getting help due to difficulty with IADLs and/or ADLs mostly receive the assistance that meets their needs. Social support is rather common. On the one hand, three out of ten older persons reported that they personally or their spouses or partners have received help from any family member, friend or neighbour outside the household during the past twelve months. On the other, one out of four persons aged 50 and more reported to have given help to others. Children living outside the household provide an essential support for their parents. The network of the older persons is rather diverse, especially of those living alon

The 67th Annual Meeting of the NYSEA, USA

Conference Note

Attrition in the Austrian Generations and Gender Survey

BACKGROUND In longitudinal research the loss of sample members between waves is a possible source of bias. It is therefore crucial to analyse attrition. OBJECTIVE This paper analyses attrition in a longitudinal study on family and fertility, by distinguishing between attrition due to non-contact and attrition due to non-cooperation. METHODS Based on the first two waves of the Austrian Generations and Gender Survey, the two components of attrition are studied separately by using bivariate as well as multivariate methods. Moreover, overall dropout - the combination of both components - is analysed. Apart from various socio-economic characteristics and data collection information, the study focuses on fertility-relevant variables such as fecundity, fertility intentions, sexual orientation, and traditional attitudes. RESULTS Fecundity, fertility intentions, and homosexual relationships are associated with higher attrition due to non-cooperation in bivariate analyses, but have no explanatory power in the multivariate model. Pregnancy and traditional attitudes towards marriage are associated with significantly lower attrition due to non-cooperation in the multivariate context. Overall dropout is significantly lower only among persons with traditional attitudes towards marriage, although small in size and statistical significance. Moreover, various individual and regional characteristics are significantly associated with dropout, with differences between attrition due to non-contact and attrition due to non-cooperation

The influence of the distribution of household and childrearing tasks between men and women on childbearing intentions in Austria

The purpose of this paper is to look at the extent to which the division of household work and childrearing and the perception of how fair these tasks are divided influence plans of further childbearing. We concentrate on women with one child and want to look at the question whether a woman whose partner shares the domestic responsibilities with her wishes to have a second child more often than a woman with a partner who does not help out. The data used in this study are drawn from the Austrian Fertility and Family Survey 1995/96, which includes biographies of partnerships and childbearing, detailed information on the division of household chores and childcare duties between the two sexes, and the desire for a (another) child. We model the desire for a second child using a probit model. The major findings of the paper are that sharing childcare duties among couples is a driving force behind plans of further childbearing, whereas the division of feminine household tasks between men and women has no explanatory power. Our results also illustrate that the satisfaction of a woman with her contribution to childrearing is a predictor of an increased desire for a second child.

Grandparents Caring for Their Grandchildren: Findings from the 2004 Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe

Introducing findings from the 2004 Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), this research complements the large number of recent U.S. studies on the role of grandparents in caring for their grandchildren. For 10 continental European countries, we investigate cross-national variations in grandparent provided child care as well as differences in characteristics of the providers and recipients of care. While we find a strong involvement of grandparents in their grandchildren’s care across all countries, we also identify significant variations in the prevalence and intensity of care along the geographic lines of different child care and (maternal/female) employment regimes in Europe. Rooted in long-standing family cultures, the observed patterns suggest a complex interaction between welfare-state provided services and intergenerational family support in shaping the work-family nexus for younger parents. We conclude with a brief discussion of possible consequences of grandmothers’ increasing labor force participation for child care arrangements

Austria: Persistent low fertility since the mid-1980s

This chapter offers an in-depth analysis of fertility in Austria, a country which has experienced a low and relatively stable fertility level and a gradual postponement of childbearing since the mid-1980s. We begin by summarising Austrian population trends in the post-World War II period and highlighting recent relatively high migration levels. We outline the long history of sub-replacement fertility and high childlessness in Austria and look in detail at recent parity-specific developments, trends in family size, delayed childbearing and persistent fertility differences by education level, country of origin and religious affiliation. The chapter then summarises main trends in family-related behaviour, including the changing patterns of leaving parental home, the rise in cohabitation, the decline in marriage and the rise of divorce and the diversity in non-marital childbearing, which has a long tradition in many parts of the country. We discuss the development of family policies in Austria and their relationship to fertility during the past decades. Social policies in Austria provide only a limited support for a reconciliation of childrearing and employment among mothers with children below the age of three. A combination of one of the highest family spending rates among the OECD countries and the low fertility rates indicate that structural constraints (such as the availability of childcare) constitute part of the explanation of low fertility.Austria, childbearing, Europe, fertility