Educational heterogamy and the division of paid labour in the family: a comparison of present-day Belgium and Sweden

Building on the growing importance of partner effects in stratification research, this study adopts a couple perspective on the division of paid labour in the family. It considers the role of educational heterogamy, and takes account of the family life cycle by means of the presence of (young) children. The importance of these two factors for women’s relative labour market participation is compared between Belgium and Sweden – two European countries that share socio-economic features but differ regarding labour market and social policies. Multinomial logistic Diagonal Reference Models are used to analyse the pooled cross-sectional data of the EU-SILC 2004-2008. Our results show that women’s relative labour market participation is less education-driven in Sweden than in Belgium, and it is more related to the couple effect of educational heterogamy and the life cycle effect of the presence of (young) children, confirming more egalitarianism and family friendliness in Scandinavia than in continental Europe

Educational heterogamy: does it equal cultural differences in child-rearing?

Heterogamy is commonly considered detrimental to relationships because of its hypothesized link with cultural differences and social disapproval. Focusing on the link with cultural differences, this explanation lacks solid empirical support. The scarce studies encounter problems related to the choice and measurement of cultural differences, while psychology oriented studies have generally not confirmed this link. In addition, the wide theoretical base that supports this link, is challenged by a number of empirical considerations that cast doubt on the cultural similarity of homogamous couples (e.g. gender differences in values and behaviors), and the quasi-mechanical effect that is assumed to lead to cultural differences for heterogamous couples (e.g. selection on values and behaviors). Progressing from the inconclusive findings of previous studies, this study examines the theoretically founded link between educational heterogamy, as heterogamy in achieved characteristics is asserted most important for cultural differences, and cultural differences concerning child-rearing. In addition, Diagonal Reference Models are used to analyze the individually measured values and behaviors of both partners, as couples data from the Netherlands are used (survey Child-rearing and family in the Netherlands). Results indicate that education shows the expected positive association with the child-rearing behaviours of support, and the expected negative association with the child-rearing behaviours of negative control and the child-rearing values of adaptation. However, for educational heterogamy, the situation appears more complex, as results show that homogamous couples are not free of cultural differences either (e.g. gender differences in negative control), while the degree of cultural differences is affected by other important factors as well (e.g. processes of selection). Nevertheless, a positive link between educational heterogamy and cultural differences was found for support and adaptation. For negative control, a different mechanism appeared to be at work with increased negative control for both partners in heterogamous couples. While this does not support the hypothesis of increased cultural differences for heterogamous couples, it does fit with the idea of heterogamy leading to problems in heterogamous families

Educational heterogamy and marital quality: a new look at the old question(s)

The detrimental effect of heterogamy on relationship quality and stability is well established in sociological theory. However, empirical research has failed to provide unequivocal support for this view. An important reason for this appears to be at a conceptual level. Focusing on educational heterogamy, two types of effects have been commonly examined under the banner of heterogamy effects: 1. the effect of the educational difference between the partners, and 2. the interaction effect between the levels of education of the partners. Despite representing two conceptually different views on heterogamy effects, previous research has failed to distinguish between them. This paper presents the theoretical distinction between both heterogamy effects, and empirically analyses them. This is done using Diagonal Reference Models – a technique from social mobility research that is particularly useful for analyzing heterogamy effects. Based on data concerning 643 couples from the survey Child-rearing and family in the Netherlands, it is shown that the effect of the educational difference is felt by both men and women as both report the highest marital satisfaction in marriages where the educational difference is to the advantage of the husband. In addition, men, but not women, are subject to the interaction effect, as the importance of his level of education in determining his own degree of marital satisfaction is accentuated, the more the educational balance in the couple is to his advantage. These results illustrate how conceptual clarification, in combination with the appropriate analysis technique may advance the field of heterogamy research

Reconsidering (in)equality in the use of IUDs in the United States: A closer look across the reproductive life course

Background: Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), such as the intrauterine device (IUD), have received increased attention for their contraceptive effectiveness and reversibility. Although demographers have long acknowledged the importance of parity and childbearing intentions for contraceptive choice, we know little about how contraceptive use varies across the reproductive life course. Objective: Guided by the expectation that contraceptive method characteristics (e.g., reversibility, effectiveness) contribute to method choice ‒ and that the salience of method characteristics vary by reproductive life stage and education ‒ we investigate variability in IUD use patterns. Methods: We use 2008-2010 and 2011-2013 National Survey of Family Growth data to compare women's IUD-use patterns across educational groups and at three reproductive life stages: before a first birth occurs ("starters"), between births ("spacers"), and after planned childbearing ends altogether ("limiters"). Results: IUD use is more common among spacers than among starters or limiters. Moreover, IUD use is associated with educational advantage among starters and limiters, but not among spacers. Educational differences in IUD use among starters and limiters persist when demographic background characteristics are controlled. Conclusions: Our understanding of variability in IUD use changes considerably when viewing educational gradients through the lens of the reproductive life course. Contribution: We shed new light on variability in IUD use across the reproductive life course. To best support women's contraceptive preferences, it is important to consider the ways in which structural determinants (e.g., education, reproductive health policies and programs) shape women's contraceptive choices at various stages of the reproductive life course

Heterogamie in opleidingsniveau: betekent dit ook een verschil in waarden en opvoeden?

Klassiek toont onderzoek dat heterogame huwelijken zich kenmerken door een verminderde huwelijkstevredenheid en een verhoogd echtscheidingsrisico (Janssen, 2001). Dit wordt verklaard door de mogelijke aanwezigheid van zowel culturele verschillen als sociale afkeuring bij deze koppels. Tot op heden werden deze mogelijk verklarende tussenschakels – culturele verschillen en sociale steun – nauwelijks empirisch onderzocht. In die zin is de specifieke eigenheid – en eventueel ruimere kwetsbaarheid – van heterogame koppels dan ook onduidelijk. In het artikel wordt nagegaan in welke mate culturele verschillen werkelijk aanwezig zijn binnen heterogame koppels. Gezien het relatief toegenomen belang van opleiding in de hedendaagse partnerkeuze (Kalmijn, 1991), wordt gefocust op koppels die heterogaam zijn in termen van opleidingsniveau. Voor deze koppels wensen we enerzijds de stelling omtrent de link tussen heterogamie en culturele verschillen empirisch te testen en anderzijds de huidige focus van onderzoek naar heterogamie te verruimen. In die zin zullen in het onderzoek zowel de mogelijke verschillen in bepaalde algemene waarden als in bepaalde opvoedingswaarden en –gedragingen worden onderzocht. O.b.v. de theoretische inzichten van het symbolisch interactionisme verwachten we immers dat heterogamie niet enkel aanleiding geeft tot verschillen in algemene realiteitsvisie, maar ook tot verschillen in visie t.o.v. het opvoeden van kinderen binnen het gezin. In de analyses worden multi-actor gegevens van 632 gezinnen uit de dataset ‘Opvoeding en gezin in Nederland’ geanalyseerd. Hieruit blijkt 1. dat er een associatie is tussen heterogamie en de mate van verschillen in het belang dat algemeen aan conformiteit wordt gehecht door de partners en 2. dat in ‘heterogame gezinnen’ de moeder in vergelijking met de vader een meer straffende opvoedingsstijl hanteert dat in ‘homogame gezinnen’. Dit toont dat het verhoogde risico op culturele verschillen binnen heterogame gezinnen niet enkel geldt voor verschillen in algemene waarden, maar ook voor verschillen in visie omtrent meer specifieke aspecten zoals de opvoeding van kinderen

Educational heterogamy: a measurement question

The effect of educational differences between partners on marital quality and stability is commonly analysed using difference, or compound measures. This article considers the theoretical foundations for these approaches and examines an alternative approach, diagonal reference models (DRMs). The three methods are then compared empirically, using data on 629 married couples from the survey Child-Rearing and Family in the Netherlands. Difference measures show no effect on marital satisfaction, whereas compound measures and DRMs do show an effect. As DRMs also allow for the quantification of this effect, while being theoretically and methodologically appropriate, they are affirmed the best method

The rise of age homogamy in 19th century Western Europe

In many parts of Western Europe the age at first marriage and the level of celibacy declined in the second half of the 19th century. This weakening of the European marriage pattern (EMP) can be interpreted as a "classic" response to the increase of the standard of living, but a more far-reaching interpretation is that the erosion of the EMP was part of a cultural shift characterized by the rise of a new, less instrumental and more egalitarian view on marriage and partner selection. The latter vision implies the increase of the preference for a same age marriage. We test this explanation by using a combined Belgian-Dutch data set of marriage certificates (N = 766,412). Our findings corroborate the "cultural shift thesis."

Siblingconstellatie en geslachtsrolattitudes: een onderzoek naar de invloed van broers en zussen in een Gentse ASO-school

The literature concerning the influence of siblings on the sex-role attitudes of adolescents is characterized by chaos and a lack of concensus. As a result, it is still unclear whether an influence is exercised by the sibling constellation and if so, what form this influence takes. The goal of this article is to find an answer to these questions. Data concerning 270 eleventh and twelfth grade students (fifth and sixth year of secondary school) from an academically oriented school in Ghent (Belgium) are analysed. The influence of four variables is studied: family size, order of birth, sex of the sibling(s) and sibling spacing. The conclusion is that there are no reasons to think that the sibling constellation is an important factor in the development of the sex-role attitudes of adolescents

Educational homogamy and income differentiation across Europe

This research examines variation across contemporary Europe in the disequalizing effect of educational homogamy, using data from the 2004-08 European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions. We test the theoretical expectation of an association across countries between the strength of the link between education and income, and the potential contribution of educational homogamy to educational differentials in family income. First, we confirm the existence of a strong association between education and man’s and woman’s income in Eastern Europe, and a somewhat weaker association in Anglo-Saxon, Continental and, especially, in Northern Europe. Next, we find that regional variation in the strength of the link between education and income goes hand in hand with regional variation in the potential contribution of educational homogamy to family income inequality across Europe. That is, a general shift towards educational homogamy would contribute most to the differentials in family income by education in Eastern Europe, and least to the differentials in family income by education in the Nordic countries. We relate these regional patterns to the general characteristics of welfare state regime types, focusing mainly on the degree of social stratification and the level of gender equality