Intergenerational Relationships

Intergenerational relationships within family and kinship have become a salient issue in scientific research. Major reasons were intense demographic changes in the 20th century, such as the increased life expectancy in combination with decreased fertility, and its implications for major institutions of the social welfare state. This has resulted in the realization of several larger studies, which may serve for the analysis of the situation of old aged people, such as the German Socio-economic Panel, the Generations and Gender Survey, the Family Survey, the German Aging Survey, the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, and the Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics. However, an overarching theoretical and research perspective on intergenerational relationships from their creation (fertility) over parenting to the most long-lasting relationship between adults of different generations is still missing. In order to overcome this deficiency, the paper recommends for future data structures to obtain information on intergenerational relationships (1) simultaneously and complete, (2) in a life-span perspective, (3) from a panel design, and (4) a multi-actor design. Studies should (5) account for cultural variability of intergenerational relationships and (6) for institutional settings in cross-national comparisons.Intergenerational Relationships, Intergenerational Solidarity, Life Course, Demographic Change, Ageing, Panel Studies

Affection and Conflict in Intergenerational Relationships of Women in Sixteen Areas in Asia, Africa, Europe, and America

Studies of intergenerational solidarity in affluent societies suggest that relationships between generations consist simultaneously of both emotional closeness and conflicts. This analysis extends the standard model of intergenerational relationships, which until now has been applied only to countries with bilineal kinship systems, to culturally and economically diverse areas with varying kinship systems. Latent class analysis was applied to measure affection and conflict in the ongoing relationships of young and middle-aged women with their mothers (7,522 relationship pairs) and fathers (5,338 relationship pairs). The empirical analysis was based on standardised oral interviews with mothers from areas in China, Indonesia, North and South India, South Africa, Palestine, Israel, Turkey, Russia, Estonia, Poland, East and West Germany, France, Jamaica, and the United States (n = 8,756). The best fitting model of relationship differences consisted of four latent classes: „amicable“ (45 percent), “detached“ (28 percent), “ambivalent” (22 percent), and “disharmonious“ (5 percent). Based on a cross-culturally largely invariant measurement model, results revealed significantly different distributions for fathers and mothers and across areas. Multinomial three-level regression analysis was used to analyse the complex cross-level interdependence of area effects, individual characteristics, and the respective relationship on class membership. In patrilineal societies, relationships of women with their biological parents are more likely to be ambivalent, less likely to be detached, and very likely to become disharmonious in case of spatial proximity. In affluent societies, the relationships are less likely to be disharmonious and most likely to be harmonious. Whereas the frequency of contact decreases the likelihood of detached or disharmonious relationships in affluent societies, functional exchange with the parents increases the likelihood of disharmonious relationships.Dieser Beitrag liegt nur in englischer Sprache vor.Studies of intergenerational solidarity in affluent societies suggest that relationships between generations consist simultaneously of both emotional closeness and conflicts. This analysis extends the standard model of intergenerational relationships, which until now has been applied only to countries with bilineal kinship systems, to culturally and economically diverse areas with varying kinship systems. Latent class analysis was applied to measure affection and conflict in the ongoing relationships of young and middle-aged women with their mothers (7,522 relationship pairs) and fathers (5,338 relationship pairs). The empirical analysis was based on standardised oral interviews with mothers from areas in China, Indonesia, North and South India, South Africa, Palestine, Israel, Turkey, Russia, Estonia, Poland, East and West Germany, France, Jamaica, and the United States (n = 8,756). The best fitting model of relationship differences consisted of four latent classes: „amicable“ (45 percent), “detached“ (28 percent), “ambivalent” (22 percent), and “disharmonious“ (5 percent). Based on a cross-culturally largely invariant measurement model, results revealed significantly different distributions for fathers and mothers and across areas. Multinomial three-level regression analysis was used to analyse the complex cross-level interdependence of area effects, individual characteristics, and the respective relationship on class membership. In patrilineal societies, relationships of women with their biological parents are more likely to be ambivalent, less likely to be detached, and very likely to become disharmonious in case of spatial proximity. In affluent societies, the relationships are less likely to be disharmonious and most likely to be harmonious. Whereas the frequency of contact decreases the likelihood of detached or disharmonious relationships in affluent societies, functional exchange with the parents increases the likelihood of disharmonious relationships

Immigrant families in Germany: family change between situational adaptation, acculturation, segregation and remigration

'Der Beitrag basiert auf amtlichen Statistiken und Ergebnissen sozialwissenschaftlicher Umfragedaten und gibt einen Überblick über den Wandel in Migrantenfamilien in den letzten 40 Jahren. Dabei werden drei Themen herausgegriffen: Heiraten, generatives Verhalten und Generationenbeziehungen. Bezüglich der Heirat wird der Wandel in den bi-nationalen Ehen nachgezeichnet, für die sich auch für Deutschland der typische U-kurvenförmige Verlauf zeigt. Das generative Verhalten ist durch einen starken Rückgang der Geburten höherer Parität gekennzeichnet, wobei die Geschwindigkeit von der Migrationskarriere und dem Bildungsniveau der Migrantinnen abhängt. Vergleiche zwischen den Generationen zeigen starke Niveauunterschiede in der Akkulturation der ersten und zweiten Migrantengeneration. Jedoch sind diese Generationen stark miteinander verbunden, durchlaufen den Akkulturationsprozess als Konvoi und erhalten sich so ihre intergenerationalen Bindungen.' (Autorenreferat)'Based on available register data and social surveys, an overview on changes in migrant families in Germany during the last 40 years is provided. Three major issues are selected, namely marriage behavior, fertility behavior and intergenerational relations. With regard to marriage, special emphasis is given to binational marriages, for which the typical U-curve shape is observed for Germany, too. Major changes have occurred in the nationalities of foreign marriage partners and in the willingness of immigrants to accept binational marriages. The fertility behavior is characterized by a fast decline of births of higher parity, depending in its speed on the migration career and formal education. Intergenerational comparisons show high level differences in acculturation between first and second generation immigrants. However, these generations are linked and pass the acculturation process as a convoy, thus maintaining intergenerational bonds.' (author's abstract

Intergenerational Relationships

"Intergenerational relationships within family and kinship have become a salient issue in scientific research. Major reasons were intense demographic changes in the 20th century, such as the increased life expectancy in combination with decreased fertility, and its implications for major institutions of the social welfare state. This has resulted in the realization of several larger studies, which may serve for the analysis of the situation of old aged people, such as the German Socio-economic Panel, the Generations and Gender Survey, the Family Survey, the German Aging Survey, the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, and the Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics. However, an overarching theoretical and research perspective on intergenerational relationships from their creation (fertility) over parenting to the most long-lasting relationship between adults of different generations is still missing. In order to overcome this deficiency, the paper recommends for future data structures to obtain information on intergenerational relationships (1) simultaneously and complete, (2) in a lifespan perspective, (3) from a panel design, and (4) a multi-actor design. Studies should (5) account for cultural variability of intergenerational relationships and (6) for institutional settings in cross-national comparisons." (author's abstract

Intergenerationale Transmission von kulturellem Kapital unter Migrationsbedingungen. Zum Bildungserfolg von Kindern und Jugendlichen aus Migrantenfamilien in Deutschland

Anhand der Daten des Sozio-ökonomischen Panels (SOEP) wird untersucht, auf welche Faktoren die bestehenden ethnischen Ungleichheiten im deutschen Bildungssystem zurückzuführen sind. Die hier gewählte theoretische Perspektive verbindet einen lebensverlaufs- mit einem humankapitaltheoretischen Ansatz. Dabei wird die Bedeutung der intergenerationalen Transmission von Bildung als kulturellem Kapital in Verbindung mit ökonomischem und sozialem Kapital in der Migrationssituation untersucht. Hierzu durchgeführte multiple Regressionsanalysen ergeben, daß der Bildungserfolg der Migrantenkinder in einem zwar signifikant positiven, aber sehr schwachen Zusammenhang mit dem in der Herkunftsfamilie vorhandenen ökonomischen und kulturellen Kapital steht. Die Analyse der Bedeutung eingliederungsspezifischer Variablen für die schulische Bildung von Migrantenkindern ergab, daß deren Abiturwahrscheinlichkeit stark von den familiären Sozialisationsbedingungen abhängt. Unterschiede im Bildungserfolg zwischen Migrantenkindern unterschiedlicher Nationalitäten sind weitgehend auf die jeweiligen mit der Nationalität systematisch variierenden Ausprägungen der familiären Sozialisationsbedingungen zurückzuführen. Diskriminierungs- oder Institutioneneffekte konnten dagegen nicht festgestellt werden. (DIPF/Orig.)On the basis of the data provided by the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), the authors examine which factors lead to the existing ethnic inequalities within the German educational system The theoretical perspective chosen here combines a hfe-span approach with a human capital approach The significance of the intergenerational transmission of education as cultural capital in combination with economic and social capital is analyzed in the specific Situation of migration The multiple regression analyses revealed that the link between the educational achievement of migrant children and the economic and cultural capital of the family of origin was significantly positive, however, it is a very weak link The analysis of the impact of mtegration-specific variables on the school career of migrant children showed that the probabihty of a migrant child passing the final examination at a secondary school depends to a high degree on family background variables. Dispanties in the educational achievement of migrant children of different nationality are largely due to the respective forms of famihal conditions of socialization which vary systematically with nationality Effects of discrimination or of institutional settings, however, could not be ascertained. (DIPF/Orig.

Familien- und sozialpolitische Aspekte der Nachfrage vorschulischer Betreuung

Aus dem Blickwinkel der Familiensoziologie sollen einige Überlegungen über die Funktionen von Vorschuleinrichtungen für die Familie angestellt werden. Dabei wird weniger der Aspekt der sozialen Plazierung betont werden, obwohl den Familien eine in letzter Zeit wieder steigende Bedeutung bei der Plazierung ihrer Kinder im Statusgefüge der Gesellschaft zugefallen ist, mit all den Konsequenzen der direkten Statusvererbung und der sinkenden Mobilität. Vielmehr soll das Augenmerk auf einen anderen Aspekt der Interdependenzen zwischen Familie und Bildungssystem gelenkt werden, nämlich auf den des Zusammenhanges zwischen den Aufenthaltszeiten in Familie und (vorschulischen) Bildungsinstitutionen. (TL2

Sozialstrukturelle Ansätze in der Kindheitsforschung

"Im Hinblick auf eine sich etablierende Soziologie der Kindheit soll mit diesem Beitrag gezeigt werden, welches analytische Potential eine sozialstrukturelle Betrachtung dieser Altersgruppe hat. Hierzu wird zunächst eine kurze Bestandsaufnahme über die bisherige Situation in der Sozialberichterstattung zu den Lebensverhältnissen von Kindern in modernen Gesellschaften und insbesondere in Deutschland vorgenommen. Dabei wird insbesondere auf die Defizite in der amtlichen Statistik (mit ihrer haushaltsbezogenen Datenaufbereitung) und in den Routineverfahren sozialwissenschaftlicher Berichterstattung zur Lebensqualität (in denen Kinder kein Gehör finden) hingewiesen. Anschließend werden methodische Möglichkeiten diskutiert und an Beispielen veranschaulicht, wie eine an den Lebensverhältnissen dieser Gruppe orientierte Sozialberichterstattung künftig zu etablieren wäre. Als Beispiele werden hierzu Ergebnisse a) zu langen Zeitreihen über den Wandel der Lebensverhältnisse von Kindern in Amerika, b) zu international vergleichenden Befunden über den Wandel der Lebensverhältnisse von Kindern in Zentral- und Osteuropa nach dem Zusammenbruch des Ostblocks und c) zu den regionalen Disparitäten in den Lebensverhältnissen von Kindern aus verschiedenen Lebensformen in West- und Ostdeutschland herangezogen. Die Befunde demonstrieren die Notwendigkeit einer eigenen, auf diese Altersgruppe bezogenen Sozialberichterstattung infolge zunehmender altersspezifischer Ungleichheiten zulasten von Kindern in modernen Gesellschaften." (Autorenreferat

Warum die Türkei kulturell und sozial ganz sicher zu Europa gehört - und wahrscheinlich auch besser in die Europäische Union

Die Frage nach der Zugehörigkeit der Türkei zu Europa ist eigentlich längst entschieden - niemand behauptet ernsthaft, die Türkei sei ein afrikanisches oder asiatisches Land. Das grundlegende Charakteristikum der Türkei ist heute ihre interne politische, soziale und kulturelle Gespaltenheit in Verbindung mit einem für europäische Verhältnisse rasanten sozialen Wandel. Nach dem gegenwärtigen Stand soziologischer Theoriebildung und Indikatorenentwicklung für die systematische Beobachtung des "Europäisierungsprozesses" der Türkei - wie auch der europäischen Integration insgesamt - sind die Sozialwissenschaften weit davon entfernt, wissensbasierte Prognosen über den Verlauf dieser Prozesse abgeben zu können. (ICE2

The transition to adulthood in China, Germany and the US: Prevalence and timing in private and professional life

We explore cross-country differences in the transition to adulthood between China, Germany, and the USA. Using large-scale panel studies, we examine the timing of leaving the parental home, first marriage and first parenthood. For those born between 1933 and 1988, we observe a delay in the timing of first marriage in all three societies. But the delay is steeper in the USA than in Germany and China. The age at first childbirth is increasing in all three countries. By age 30, most individuals in China have married their first partner and become parents, whereas in the USA and Germany less than half of the population have experienced one of these events. There are large differences in educational and employment trajectories between the urban and rural populations in China, less so in the USA, whereas almost no differences are observed in Germany. The three countries are alike in the proportion of individuals who have left the parental home by age 30. In all three countries, individuals without tertiary qualifications are more likely to have experienced all three events by age 30. But with regard to first marriage, a larger share of higher-educated individuals get married by the age of 30 in the USA, whereas in China it is the less educated who are more likely to get married