Fertility-relevant social networks: composition, structure, and meaning of personal relationships for fertility intentions

Although the relevance of social interactions or social networks for fertility research has been increasingly acknowledged in recent years, little is known about the channels and mechanisms of social influences on individuals� fertility decision making. Drawing on problem-centred interviews and network data collected among young adults in western Germany the authors show that qualitative methods broaden our understanding of social and contextual influences on couples� fertility intentions, by exploring the phenomenon, taking into account subjective perceptions, analysing interactions within networks as well as the dynamics of networks. Qualitative methods allow for the collection and analysis of rich retrospective information on network dynamics in relation to life course events. This also can be helpful both to complement the still rare longitudinal data on social networks and to develop parsimonious and efficient survey instruments to collect such information in a standardized way.Germany, fertility, qualitative methods, social network

Who is relevant? Exploring fertility relevant social networks

Based on the analysis of qualitative interviews in western Germany we argue that social relationships have a strong impact on individuals´ and couples´ fertility intentions and behavior. We identify relevant others and mechanisms of influences. The core family is an important factor of influences but we are also able to show that social relationships beyond the core family of parents and siblings need to be considered when taking social influence on the family formation of individuals into account.Germany, fertility, influence, social network

Intergenerational support and reproduction of gender inequalities: a case study from Eastern and Western Germany

Social support is often described as an exclusively positively acting factor. Its absence is said to mean negative consequences for individuals. This article shows that the supply and dependence of inter-generational social support can have negative consequences and pertains to persisting unequal gender roles and a gendered division of labor in relationships. Based on qualitative interviews, conducted in eastern and western Germany, with young adults (28-30 years old) and their parents, we hypothesize, that the bigger supply of inter-generational support of grandparents for their children and grandchildren and an alleged dependence on these transfers is especially responsible for impeding the modernization of traditional role models assigning women to the role as a mother and housewife. However, less availability and dependence on this kind of social support in eastern Germany, contribute to a more flexible form of role allocation in a relationship

Places That Bond and Bind: On the Interplay of Space, Places, and Social Networks

Social networks of socially disadvantaged individuals can help them in coping with everyday life and avoiding social exclusion. At the same time, social ties also have the power to bind an individual to their disadvantageous situation, perpetuating the risks of social exclusion. One mechanism through which ties can be established are “foci”: extra‐network structures around which common interactions occur (e.g., family, workplace, clubs) that usually have spatial anchor points (places) where joint interactions happen. To better understand this interplay of places and networks, we use a methodological novelty that connects a person’s everyday places with their ego‐centred network (two‐mode network). We analyse in depth two cases (elderly women living alone) from a mixed‐methods study conducted in rural peripheries in eastern Germany, and we combine data from GPS tracking, qualitative interviews, and egocentric networks. A central finding of our analysis is that tie formation in places is more successful if ego has certain resources (e.g., cultural, financial, or time resources) that allow them to utilise places as foci—hence, ego and places must “match” in their characteristics. Beyond that, the existing foci (and their spatial anchoring as places in everyday life) in which ego is integrated must be considered as structures. Even if a person has enough resources and easy access to places with characteristics that promote contact, this does not automatically mean that they will form ties in such places, as the person’s network plays a major role in whether they frequent these places and establish new ties there

Wie modern ist die heutige extreme Rechte? Einige vorläufige Überlegungen

"In der sozialwissenschaftlichen und historiographischen Forschung zur extremen Rechten in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland haben Fragen nach deren Periodisierung bisher nur eine untergeordnete Rolle gespielt. Während weitgehend anerkannt wird, dass dieses politische Spektrum verschiedene Phasen durchlaufen hat, bleibt die Charakterisierung des Gesamtphänomens oder einzelner Strömungen (sog. 'Neue Rechte') mit Attributen wie 'neu', 'modern' oder 'modernisiert' umstritten. Während einige Autoren eher die Kontinuitäten in Ideologie und Auftreten der extremen Rechten betonen (z.B. Knorr), verweisen andere auf die Dimension der Modernisierung als Wechsel der Anknüpfungspunkte an veränderte cleavages (Leggewie), auf Modernisierung als allgemeine Abwendung vom Nationalsozialismus (Brodkorb) oder sehen diese in der Aufnahme neoliberaler Ideologieelemente vollzogen. Der Beitrag diskutiert die verschiedenen Perspektiven, unter denen in der sozialwissenschaftlichen Forschung zum Rechtsextremismus der Frage seiner 'Modernität' Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt wurde, plädiert auf der Grundlage einer kritischen Diskussion der bisherigen Ergebnisse für eine synchron und diachron angelegte komparative Analyse der verschiedenen Entwicklungsphasen und Strömungen der extremen Rechten unter Verwendung eines systematisierten Kriterienkataloges (Programmatik, Ideologie, Praxeologie, Propagandatechniken, Struktur der Mitgliedschaft und des Elektorats) und schlägt eine alternative Begriffsverwendung vor." (Autorenreferat

Reseña: Sylvia Keim (2003). "So richtig deutsch wird man nie sein ..." – Junge Migrantinnen und Migranten in Deutschland. Zwischen Integration und Ausgrenzung ["Nunca vas a ser aleman de veras ..." – Migrantes jóvenes en Alemania. Entre la integración y la exclusión]

Sylvia KEIM untersucht in ihrer Studie wie junge Migrantinnen und Migranten in Deutschland mit Fremdenfeindlichkeit und Ausgrenzungserfahrungen umgehen und zurechtkommen. Dafür wurden fünf Interviews mit Angehörigen der zweiten Einwanderergeneration geführt. Die Interviewten können nach allen Kriterien als in die deutsche Gesellschaft integriert gelten, dennoch berichten sie alle von Diskriminierungen, die ihr Lebensgefühl und ihre Identitätsfindung belasten. KEIM analysiert die Interviews unter dem Gesichtspunkt des von GOFFMAN eingeführten Konzepts der Stigmatisierung und arbeitet verschiedene Formen des Stigma-Managements, den Strategien mit Ausgrenzungserfahrungen umzugehen, heraus. Angesichts der öffentlichen Diskussion und der Vorwürfe einer "mangelnden Integrationsbereitschaft" der in Deutschland lebenden Ausländer bietet die Arbeit von KEIM ein wichtiges Korrektiv für allzu einseitige Schuldzuweisungen. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0403131Young Migrants in Germany have to face multiple forms of xenophobia and exclusion. Sylvia KEIM deals with the effects that these have on young migrants' lifeworld and identity formation. She conducted qualitative interviews with five members of the second generation of migrants. Despite their formal "integration", they are often marginalized by their foreign background and, therefore, treated as second class citizens, strongly affecting their self-esteem. KEIM analyses these experiences using the concept of stigmatization which was introduced by Erving GOFFMAN. The interviewees have found several ways of stigma-management: first of all, to ignore the stigma, which is—superficially at least—quite effective, second to correct or hide the stigma by trying to behave and look like "normal" Germans, and third, to distance themselves from German society, resulting in a vicious circle of exclusion and self-exclusion. KEIM's study represents a pioneer work in a widely ignored field of research. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0403131Los jóvenes migrantes en Alemania enfrentan formas múltiples de xenofobia y exclusión. Sylvia KEIM investiga los efectos de esto sobre el mundo de vida de los migrantes jóvenes y su formación de identidad. KEIM realizó entrevistas cualitativas con cinco miembros de segunda generación de migrantes. A pesar de su "integración" formal muchas veces son marginados por su pasado extranjero y por eso tratados como ciudadanos de segunda clase lo cual afecta bastante su autoestima. KEIM analiza estas experiencias usando el concepto de estigmatización que fue propuesto por Erving GOFFMAN. Los entrevistados han encontrado varias posibilidades de manejo del estigma: en primer lugar, ignorar el estigma lo cual es – al menos superficialmente – bastante efectivo; en segundo lugar, corregir o esconder el estigma tratando de actuar y aparecer como Alemanes "normales"; y en tercer lugar, distanciarse de la sociedad alemana, lo cual resulta en un circulo vicioso de exclusión y auto-exclusión. El estudio de KEIM representa un trabajo pionero en un campo de investigación durante mucho tiempo ignorado. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs040313

The low importance of marriage in eastern Germany - social norms and the role of peoples' perceptions of the past

<b>Background</b>: Eastern Germany is a region with one of the world's highest percentages of non-marital births. Marriage and childbearing seem to be decoupled. This brings into question people's views on the institution of marriage. <b>Objective</b>: This paper examines eastern Germans' views on cohabitation, marriage, and childbearing. It argues that historical, social, and political contexts shape the social norms of marriage and non-marital childbearing. <b>Methods</b>: This paper presents data from eight qualitative focus group interviews with 74 women and men aged 25-40 in Rostock, a medium-sized city in eastern Germany. <b>Results</b>: The respondents often compared their own motives and incentives for marriage with those which existed in the socialist German Democratic Republic (GDR) and held true for their parents. Many of them stated that having children was important for them as individuals and for their partnership. However, they treated the decision to get married and the decision to have children as two separate issues. Respondents often referred to the past and said that the strong legal and financial incentives to marry in the past regime in the socialist GDR no longer exist. Today's incentives were seen as minor, or as irrelevant to their personal situations

Reseña: Wolfgang Frindte & Jörg Neumann (Eds.) (2002). Fremdenfeindliche Gewalttäter. Biografien und Tatverläufe [Perpetradores xenófobos. Biografías y crímenes]

Die vorliegende sozialpsychologische Studie über fremdenfeindliche Gewalttäter von Wolfgang FRINDTE und Jörg NEUMANN untersucht vor allem die biographische Entwicklung der Täter. In der biographischen Analyse soll geklärt werden, wie "aggressionsbezogene Wissensstrukturen" aufgebaut werden. Die Untersuchung bestätigt im Wesentlichen die Befunde bereits vorliegender Studien, hervorzuheben ist aber die Kombination qualitativer und quantitativer Methoden, die ansonsten nicht all zu häufig anzutreffen ist. Ausführliche qualitative Interviews (ergänzt durch einen Fragebogen) mit 101 verurteilten männlichen Straftätern stellen die Datenbasis dar. Die weitgehende Quantifizierung der qualitativen Daten bringt es allerdings mit sich, dass die Tiefe der neu gewonnenen Einsichten begrenzt bleibt. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs030332This empirical study of FRINDTE and NEUMANN deals with xenophobic perpetrators in a unified Germany. It follows a social-psychological approach and focuses on the biographical development of the perpetrators. The main question is: how are knowledge structures related to aggression developed. The study's data is based on qualitative interviews (supplemented by a questionnaire) with 101 male (ex-) prisoners, who were convicted for xenophobic violence. This study re-validates already known findings on xenophobic perpetrators, but is unique in its combining of quantitative and qualitative methods. Regretfully, the quantification of the qualitative data is too far reaching and thus limits new insights into the world of xenophobic perpetrators. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs030332Este estudio empírico de FRINDTE y NEUMANN aborda a los perpetradores xenófobos en la Alemania unificada. Sigue un enfoque sociopsicológico y se concentra en el desarrollo biográfico de los perpetradores. La principal pregunta es: ¿cómo están relacionadas las estructuras de conocimiento a la agresión desarrollada? Los datos del estudio se fundamentan en entrevistas cualitativas (complementados con un cuestionario) a 101 hombres ex prisioneros que fueron condenados por violencia xenófoba. Este estudio revalida hallazgos ya conocidos sobre perpetradores xenófobos, pero es único en cuanto a la combinación que hace de métodos cuantitativos y cualitativos. Lamentablemente, la cuantificación de los datos cualitativos está lejos de lograrse lo que limita nuevos descubrimientos acerca del mundo de los perpetradores xenófobos. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs03033