The ‘ins and outs’ of work – diversity or homogeneity in New Zealand women’s employment patterns?

New Zealand has experienced sustained increases in women’s labour force participation since the post-war period. The Census of Population and Dwellings and the Household Labour Force Survey provide aggregate-level insights into labour force behaviour, relying on the compilation of cross-sectional data to provide indicators of long-term trends to women’s employment. What these data sources do not offer are clear pictures of the sequencing of women’s employment across the life course, in terms of periods in and out of work. These patterns have however been identified as key factors influencing women’s capacity to save and the persistence of gendered occupational status and earnings disparities. When observed across time, work patterns also provide insights to the changing overall lifetime attachment of women to the labour market. Using data from the 1995 sample survey New Zealand Women: Family, Employment, Education, we present descriptive findings on the work patterns of women born between 1936 and 1965, and use graphical techniques to depict these patterns in terms of spells in and out of work. A cohort perspective is taken. We then proceed to summarise the details of these individual work histories using summary measures which can then be corelated with potential explanatory factors

Solidarity across generations in New Zealand: Factors influencing parental support for children within a three-generational context

Interest in ascertaining the nature and extent of intergenerational exchanges between those in mid-life, and members of their kinship network has arisen because demographic, social and policy changes have brought into question the ability of individuals in this stage of the family and individual life course to respond to what may be the conflicting support needs of older and younger generations. Trends of delayed childbearing for example, suggest that at mid-life, individuals are increasingly likely to be involved in parenting roles. At the same time, as they contemplate their own pre-retirement needs, they may also be more involved with the caring needs of ageing parents who are living longer. It has thus been argued that the mid-life period carries the potential for complex, and perhaps competing intergenerational requirements for support and care, compromising the ability of those in this life stage to show their solidarity towards both younger and older kin. Research on intergenerational relations has focused mainly on the adult child and elderly parent dyad in the context of population ageing and much less work has been done to understand the nature of intergenerational exchanges in the context of more complex structures extending beyond dyads to include triads of three co-surviving generations. This paper addresses this lacuna by establishing whether, in the context of a kinship structure of three co-surviving generations, the likelihood of a child receiving assistance from their mid-life parent is influenced by the characteristics of an ascending generation, the mid-life respondent’s own ageing parent. Empirical investigation draws on the theoretical framework of micro-level, inter-generational solidarity developed by Bengtson and others, in which exchanges of assistance are conceptualised as bonds of functional solidarity. Underlying the analysis is therefore an investigation of the premise that mid-life individuals are at the centre of competing inter-generational requirements. Data are from the 1997 New Zealand survey ‘Transactions in the Mid-Life Family’, a sample of 750 males and females aged between 40 and 54. Analysis is based on a sub-population of 310 respondents with at least one surviving ageing parent or in-law and one child aged over 15, none of whom live together. Multivariate logistic regression techniques are used and the dependant variable of functional solidarity is represented as a three-category variable of emotional, in-kind and financial support. Findings indicate that when an ageing parent’s bond with the mid-life respondent is characterised by emotional support, this also enhances the child’s chances of benefiting from all dimensions of parental support. Likewise, children are more likely to benefit from in-kind help if their own grandparents also receive it. Results do not clearly suggest that a greater number of elderly members in a kin network necessarily represent a drain on the mid-life respondent’s resources, at least not those of an emotional nature. Life-course specific support requirements of younger and older generations may mean that mid-life individuals in fact respond to complementary rather than competing needs

New Zealand women’s employment patterns: Diversity or homogeneity?

New Zealand has experienced sustained increases in women’s labour force participation since the post-war period. When observed across time, work patterns provide insights to the changing overall lifetime attachment of women to the labour market. Using data from the 1995 sample survey New Zealand Women: Family, Employment, Education, we present descriptive findings on the work patterns of women born between 1936 and 1965, and depict these patterns in terms of spells in and out of work. A cohort perspective is taken. We then proceed to summarise the details of these individual work histories using summary measures which can then be correlated with potential explanatory factors. The results show that by the age of 30, successive birth cohorts have experienced: (i) increasing complexities in their work and non-work trajectories; (ii) childbearing continues to depress women’s engagement in paid work across time; and (iii) the influence of educational attainment and ethnicity seems to be changing

The New Zealand population: A synopsis of trends and projections 1991 - 2016

Although there are many excellent documents and online resources available on New Zealand population trends, it is useful to highlight some key trends in one short document. This paper provides a synopsis of trends with respect to population size and age structure, sub-national population size and change, international migration, ethnicity, families and generations, fertility and mortality, and education and work

Politique des lois en Europe - La filiation comme modèle de comparaison

Comparer les processus de production des lois en Europe ? C'est l'enjeu sociologique que cet ouvrage souhaite relever à partir d'une enquête menée sur le domaine crucial de la filiation dans plusieurs Etats d'Europe occidentale. Les cultures juridiques et les traditions gouvernementales de pays proches sont mises en perspective pour esquisser un modèle d'appréhension de la politique des lois, averti de ce que, comme l'écrit Jean Carbonnier, " pour légiférer, il n'est pas besoin de beaucoup d'intelligence : tout est donné par les précédents du passé et les demandes d'un présent où s'amorce le futur " [ in Jean Carbonnier " Le code civil ", in Pierre Nora (sous la direction de), Les lieux de mémoire, II. La Nation, volume 2, Paris, Gallimard, 1986, P. 296 ] Par le constat de disparités surprenantes et l'analyse de convergences inattendues est esquissé un cadre théorique faisant apparaître de grands types de régulation. Une voie nouvelle est ainsi ouverte dans le sens d'une sociologie politique comparative des évolutions du droit, que l'étude d'autres pays et d'autres domaines devra enrichir. (Résumé éditeur

Solidarity across generations in New Zealand: factors influencing parental support for children within a three-generational context

Interest in ascertaining the nature and extent of intergenerational exchanges between those in mid-life, and members of their kinship network has arisen because demographic, social and policy changes have brought into question the ability of individuals in this stage of the family and individual life course to respond to what may be the conflicting support needs of older and younger generations. Trends of delayed childbearing for example, suggest that at mid-life, individuals are increasingly likely to be involved in parenting roles. At the same time, as they contemplate their own pre-retirement needs, they may also be more involved with the caring needs of ageing parents who are living longer. It has thus been argued that the mid-life period carries the potential for complex, and perhaps competing intergenerational requirements for support and care, compromising the ability of those in this life stage to show their solidarity towards both younger and older kin. Research on intergenerational relations has focused mainly on the adult child and elderly parent dyad in the context of population ageing and much less work has been done to understand the nature of intergenerational exchanges in the context of more complex structures extending beyond dyads to include triads of three co-surviving generations. This paper addresses this lacuna by establishing whether, in the context of a kinship structure of three co-surviving generations, the likelihood of a child receiving assistance from their mid-life parent is influenced by the characteristics of an ascending generation, the mid-life respondent’s own ageing parent. Empirical investigation draws on the theoretical framework of micro-level inter-generational solidarity developed by Bengtson and others, in which exchanges of assistance are conceptualised as bonds of functional solidarity. Underlying the analysis is therefore an investigation of the premise that mid-life individuals are at the centre of competing inter-generational requirements. Data are from the 1997 New Zealand survey ‘Transactions in the Mid-Life Family’, a sample of 750 males and females aged between 40 and 54. Analysis is based on a sub-population of 310 respondents with at least one surviving ageing parent or in-law and one child aged over 15, none of whom live together. Multivariate logistic regression techniques are used and the dependent variable of functional solidarity is represented as a three-category variable of emotional, in-kind and financial support. Findings indicate that when an ageing parent’s bond with the mid-life respondent is characterised by emotional support, this also enhances the child’s chances of benefiting from all dimensions of parental support. Likewise, children are more likely to benefit from in-kind help if their own grandparents also receive it. Results do not clearly suggest that a greater number of elderly members in a kin network necessarily represent a drain on the mid-life respondent’s resources, at least not those of an emotional nature. Life-course specific support requirements of younger and older generations may mean that mid-life individuals in fact respond to complementary rather than competing needs.mid-life; solidarity; intergenerational relations; New Zealand

The ‘Ins and Outs’ of Work – Diversity or Homogeneity in New Zealand Women’s Employment Patterns?

New Zealand has experienced sustained increases in women’s labour force participation since the post-war period. The Census of Population and Dwellings and the Household Labour Force Survey provide aggregate-level insights into labour force behaviour, relying on the compilation of cross-sectional data to provide indicators of long-term trends to women’s employment. What these data sources do not offer are clear pictures of the sequencing of women’s employment across the life course, in terms of periods in and out of work. These patterns have however been identified as key factors influencing women’s capacity to save and the persistence of gendered occupational status and earnings disparities. When observed across time, work patterns also provide insights to the changing overall lifetime attachment of women to the labour market. Using data from the 1995 sample survey New Zealand Women: Family, Employment, Education, we present descriptive findings on the work patterns of women born between 1936 and 1965, and use graphical techniques to depict these patterns in terms of spells in and out of work. A cohort perspective is taken. We then proceed to summarise the details of these individual work histories using summary measures which can then be co-related with potential explanatory factors.New Zealand; Work Spells; Women’s Employment Patterns

Politique des lois en Europe - La filiation comme modèle de comparaison

Comparer les processus de production des lois en Europe ? C'est l'enjeu sociologique que cet ouvrage souhaite relever à partir d'une enquête menée sur le domaine crucial de la filiation dans plusieurs Etats d'Europe occidentale. Les cultures juridiques et les traditions gouvernementales de pays proches sont mises en perspective pour esquisser un modèle d'appréhension de la politique des lois, averti de ce que, comme l'écrit Jean Carbonnier, " pour légiférer, il n'est pas besoin de beaucoup d'intelligence : tout est donné par les précédents du passé et les demandes d'un présent où s'amorce le futur " [ in Jean Carbonnier " Le code civil ", in Pierre Nora (sous la direction de), Les lieux de mémoire, II. La Nation, volume 2, Paris, Gallimard, 1986, P. 296 ] Par le constat de disparités surprenantes et l'analyse de convergences inattendues est esquissé un cadre théorique faisant apparaître de grands types de régulation. Une voie nouvelle est ainsi ouverte dans le sens d'une sociologie politique comparative des évolutions du droit, que l'étude d'autres pays et d'autres domaines devra enrichir. (Résumé éditeur

L’articulation des politiques publiques du vieillissement et du logement en France et au Royaume-Uni

L’habitat et le logement ont longtemps occupé une place périphérique dans les politiques du vieillissement. En même temps, les politiques du logement qui prennent en compte l’effet des transformations démographiques sont encore relativement récentes. En examinant les actions et les recommandations des plans nationaux dévolus aux questions du logement et du vieillissement, cet article observe aussi comment les représentations de la vieillesse en France et au Royaume-Uni orientent les politiques publiques. En France, la vision médicalisée d’une vieillesse dépendante est encore omniprésente tandis que le Royaume-Uni, après avoir longtemps embrassé le même schéma, cherche à réhabiliter l’image des personnes âgées, pour « repenser » la vieillesse autrement. En s’appuyant sur une concertation intergouvernementale le Royaume-Uni s’efforce de promouvoir une politique du logement destinée à l’ensemble de la population. Cette nécessité de reconsidérer la question de l’habitat et du logement de façon à s’adresser à tous, sans critère d’âge, commence aussi à se manifester en France.Housing and the environment have for a long time occupied a secondary place in policies orientated towards ageing. At the same time, housing policies that incorporate the dimensions of demographic transformations are relatively recent. Using the recommendations and actions in terms of housing and ageing in the national plans of two countries, France and the United Kingdom, this paper shows how different visions and representations of ageing influence social policy. In France, a medicalised approach that represents older people as dependent is highly influential, whilst in the UK, attempts are being made to rethink old age and the process of ageing. Through inter-governmental ministry cooperation, the UK is currently engaging in a housing policy that is relevant for the whole population, and not directed solely towards older people. The need to reconsider the place of housing and the environment without age barriers is also beginning to emerge in France