Female deficit and the marriage market in Korea

Selective abortion of female embryos causes abnormal sex ratios at birth that will result in imbalances on the marriage market. However, it is well-known that varying cohort size in the frame of different mean ages at marriage for males and females also causes imbalances. In the case of Korea, both phenomenons are present: SRB of 115 in 1990-1995 and rapid fertility decline from the early 1960s, with TFR fluctuating below replacement level since 1983 and reaching 1.16 in 2004. This note assesses the relative roles of SRB and cohort size on the marriage market and the adjustments that can happen thru age gap between spouses.age gap between spouses, cohort-size, female deficit, marriage market, Republic of Korea, sex ratio at birth, sex-imbalances

Socio-Demographic Changes and the Pension Problem in France

Projections of expenditures for old age pensions, survivor pensions, and disability pensions were made for the period 1985-2050 on the basis of future developments in the population structure by age, sex, and marital status. Six demographic scenarios were formulated: (i) a Benchmark scenario, with demographic rates kept constant at their 1980-84 level; (ii) a Fertility scenario, with a rise of the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) towards replacement level; (iii) a Mortality scenario, with reductions in mortality rates of 30 percent for females, and 45 percent for males; (iv) a Western scenario, which combines extreme demographic conditions of several West European countries: a TFR of 1.28, proportions never-marrying of one-third, one-third of marriages ending in divorce, and male and female life expectancies of 74 and 81 years, respectively; (v) a National scenario, with a TFR of 1.80 and male and female life expectancies increasing until 2050 up to 88.6 years for females and 80.6 years for males; and (vi) a National Migration scenario, differing from the National scenario only by assuming an immigration of 100,000 persons annually. The current pension system was combined with all six scenarios. Also, the impact of high female labor force participation, and a rise in the average age at retirement were investigated. The results indicate that changes in demographic conditions cannot prevent increases in and funding problems for pension expenditures in France. An increase in fertility has no effect on the pension system until 2030, when a larger generation will enter the labor force. Immigration reduces the deficit of the pension system only until 2015. Both immigration and longer active periods for males and females will cause enormous increases in pension expenditures in the future and are not long term solutions of the pension problem. Postponement of retirement age would help to balance the pension funds, but depends on the economic situation and on the labor market. Economic solutions such as indexing pensions on net instead of gross income should be considered

Estimating numbers and poverty status of female household and family heads

Abstract: Historical studies of single females and mothers are mostly based on heads of household only, because family-level information concerning complex households was unavailable and they were, therefore, rendered statistically invisible. This is still the case with modern surveys like the household income and expenditure survey, as income and resource data are only provided at household level. By categorising headship rates by sex, age and marital status, this paper presents a methodology for estimating – in addition to heads of household– the numbers of single females and mothers among members of complex or multigenerational households. Such situations were frequent in the past and continue to be so in developing countries and among migrants. Young couples may also be in such living arrangements, mostly in times of crises and tight housing markets.The data analysis shows that access to independent dwellings and to household headship is strongly related to income and employment, and the associated selection leads to significant biases in estimates of the socio-economic status of households or families, in favour of mostly better-off families. The poorest households are made up of those who live independently because no other option is open to them. Little option is open to those with little or no resources, either, and thus they live in complex households where their poverty risk cannot be estimated, and where they may have little influence on the education, health and work of themselves and their children.Key words: Female household heads, Poverty estimates, Youth in poverty, living arrangementsResumen: A lo largo de la historia, los estudios sobre mujeres y madres solteras se han basado por lo general solamente en las cabezas de hogar, pues faltaba la información en el ámbito familiar sobre hogares complejos, y esto los hacía estadísticamente invisibles. Esta situación sigue sucediendo en las encuestas modernas, como la encuesta de ingresos y egresos de los hogares (HIES), ya que solo se obtuvieron datos sobre ingresos y recursos a nivel del hogar. El presente trabajo categoriza las tasas de jefatura según el sexo, la edad, el estado civil y así ofrece una metodología para estimar, además de las cabezas de familia, la cantidad de mujeres y madres solteras entre los miembros de hogares complejos o multigeneracionales. Estas situaciones ocurrían con frecuencia en el pasado y aún se presentan en países en desarrollo y entre los migrantes. Las parejas jóvenes también se pueden encontrar en tales situaciones de vivienda, sobre todo en tiempos de crisis o con un mercado inmobiliario limitado.El análisis de los datos muestra que el acceso a una vivienda independiente y a la jefatura de familia está estrechamente relacionado con el nivel de ingresos y el empleo, y la selección asociada conduce a sesgos importantes en la estimación de la situación socioeconómica de un hogar o familia, lo que favorece a las familias acomodadas. Los hogares más pobres son aquellos que viven de manera independiente porque no tienen otra opción. Quienes cuentan con pocos recursos tienen muy pocas oportunidades, y esto hace que vivan en hogares complejos en los que no se puede medir su riesgo de pobreza y no tengan oportunidades de educación, salud y empleo para sí mismos ni para sus hijos.Palabras clave: Mujeres cabeza de hogar, estimaciones de pobreza, jóvenes en situación de pobreza, situación de vivienda doi: https://doi.org/10.20318/revhisto.2017.370

Compte rendu de Engaging with Strangers: Love and Violence in the Rural Solomon Islands, de Debra McDougall

L’auteure commençait tout juste son “terrain” à Ranongga quand éclata le conflit qui fut appelé « Ethnic Tension » en raison d’une mécompréhension de ses causes profondes. Dans les premiers chapitres, l’ouvrage présente une étude ethnographique « classique » puis montre les pratiques traditionnelles évoluant, altérées par leur confrontation avec les changements apportés par la colonisation, la christianisation, l’indépendance et le commerce international : mines et principalement logging, où ..

Compte rendu de Caillard Edmond : Les souvenirs du colon aux Nouvelles-Hébrides (Vanuatu), 1903-1913 par Jean-Claude Roux et Max Shekleton (éds)

L’ouvrage présente une sélection de textes d’Edmond Caillard rédigés entre 1958 et 1962 à partir de notes prises de 1903 à 1913 (comm. pers. de Jean-Paul Caillard), c’est-à-dire l’époque de la mise en place du Condominium franco-britannique (1906) à la suite de la Commission navale mixte (1887). C’est donc un témoignage immense sur les conditions qui régnaient alors au Vanuatu, encore en prise à une colonisation pratiquement incontrôlée et, disons-le, sauvage. Les auteurs font une brève prés..

Compte rendu de Engaging with Strangers: Love and Violence in the Rural Solomon Islands, de Debra McDougall

L’auteure commençait tout juste son “terrain” à Ranongga quand éclata le conflit qui fut appelé « Ethnic Tension » en raison d’une mécompréhension de ses causes profondes. Dans les premiers chapitres, l’ouvrage présente une étude ethnographique « classique » puis montre les pratiques traditionnelles évoluant, altérées par leur confrontation avec les changements apportés par la colonisation, la christianisation, l’indépendance et le commerce international : mines et principalement logging, où ..

Cross-talk between two nucleotide-signaling pathways in Staphylococcus aureus.

Nucleotide-signaling pathways are found in all kingdoms of life and are utilized to coordinate a rapid response to external stimuli. The stringent response alarmones guanosine tetra- (ppGpp) and pentaphosphate (pppGpp) control a global response allowing cells to adapt to starvation conditions such as amino acid depletion. One more recently discovered signaling nucleotide is the secondary messenger cyclic diadenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP). Here, we demonstrate that this signaling nucleotide is essential for the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, and its increased production during late growth phases indicates that c-di-AMP controls processes that are important for the survival of cells in stationary phase. By examining the transcriptional profile of cells with high levels of c-di-AMP, we reveal a significant overlap with a stringent response transcription signature. Examination of the intracellular nucleotide levels under stress conditions provides further evidence that high levels of c-di-AMP lead to an activation of the stringent response through a RelA/SpoT homologue (RSH) enzyme-dependent increase in the (p)ppGpp levels. This activation is shown to be indirect as c-di-AMP does not interact directly with the RSH protein. Our data extend this interconnection further by showing that the S. aureus c-di-AMP phosphodiesterase enzyme GdpP is inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by ppGpp, which itself is not a substrate for this enzyme. Altogether, these findings add a new layer of complexity to our understanding of nucleotide signaling in bacteria as they highlight intricate interconnections between different nucleotide-signaling networks

Compte rendu de Kago, Kastom and Kalja: The Study of Indigenous Movements in Melanesia Today, de Marc Tabani et Marcellin Abong (eds)

L’ouvrage, suite à deux sessions asao en 2009 et 2010, se propose de faire le point sur le concept, assez imprécis, de « cargo cult » – dont on a dit qu’il n’était ni cargo, ni culte et que plusieurs auteurs proposent de mettre entre guillemets inversés ou même de l’écrire en le barrant –, et sur les tendances récentes de ces « mouvements » (nous les appelons ainsi pour rester « neutres ») après plusieurs décennies d’indépendance et de modernisation (Tabani). L’origine du terme est l’article..

From colonial categories to local culture: Evolving state practices of ethnic enumeration in Oceania, 1965-2014

Numerous scholars have examined how governments in particular times and places have classified their populations by ethnicity, but studies that are both cross-national and longitudinal are rare. Using a unique database of census questionnaires, we examine state practices of ethnic enumeration over a 50-year period (1965–2014) in the 24 countries and areas that comprise Oceania. The region’s extraordinary linguistic and cultural diversity, combined with its complex colonial history and indigenous politics, make it an ideal site for comparative analyses. We find a shift from biological conceptions of difference to a more cultural understanding of group identity, exemplified by a sharp rise in language questions and the decline of race-based inquiries. While local identity labels have largely displaced colonial categories, the imprimatur of previous regimes still lingers, particularly in Melanesia. These shifts in official constructions of ethnoracial differences reflect a gradual lessening of colonial influences on demographic practices

Retour sur les notions de « rééquilibrage » et « décolonisation »

Les accords de Matignon (1988) visaient à corriger les déséquilibres socioéconomiques entre communautés, héritage de la colonisation. Mais, après l’accord de Nouméa (1998), le gouvernement de Nouvelle-Calédonie s’est détourné de cet objectif avec le retrait de la question sur l’appartenance communautaire des statistiques (2003-2009) qui permettait d'en évaluer les résultats et de définir les politiques adéquates. Les programmes de réduction des écarts de qualification et d’accès à l’emploi sont devenus accessibles sur la base de la citoyenneté calédonienne, souvent attribuée hors des conditions requises. Le transfert des compétences sur l’enseignement primaire, secondaire et l’emploi s’est accompagné d’un très faible accès des Kanak aux diplômes universitaires et aux professions supérieures. Leur taux d’inactivité et de chômage restent plusieurs fois supérieurs à ceux des autres communautés. Le processus de décolonisation a été enrayé, laissant les Kanaks au bas de la société calédonienne.The “Accords de Matignon” (1988) aimed to redress inter-community socioeconomic imbalances inherited from colonization. However, after the “Accords de Noumea” (1998), New Caledonia’s government moved away from this goal, ceasing to collect statistical information on “communities” from 2003 to 2009, making it impossible to estimate gaps and design “affirmative action” policies. Programs to reduce education and employment gaps became accessible on the basis of Caledonian citizenship, often granted when required conditions were not met. The French government devolved powers in primary and secondary education and employment policies to the local government, resulting in very low proportions of Kanaks holding university degrees and accessing higher occupations. The unemployment rate among Kanaks continues to be several times that of other communities. The halting of the decolonization process has left the Kanaks at the bottom of New Caledonian society