MAPLES: A general method for the estimation of age profiles from standard demographic surveys (with an application to fertility)

In this paper we present MAPLES (Method for Age Profiles Longitudinal EStimation), a general method for the estimation of age profiles that uses standard micro-level demographic survey data. The aim is to estimate smoothed age profiles and relative risks for time-fixed and time-varying covariates. MAPLES is implemented through a data processing routine and a series of regressions using GAM (Generalized Additive Models). Although the approach has been developed to be applied for living arrangements and fertility, MAPLES may be used for any kind of life event. In fact, it can be applied to every setting in which micro-level data on transitions are available from a large-scale representative survey (e.g., Demographic and Health Surveys; Fertility and Family Surveys; Generations and Gender Surveys). MAPLES is a R software package containing a set of commands that can be easily applied and that may constitute a useful tool box for demographers and social scientists. The package is available in the CRAN library http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/MAPLES.age profiles, fertility and living arrangements, general additive models, smoothing procedure, transition rates

Living arrangements of adult children of immigrants in selected European countries

The living arrangements of adult children of immigrants are shaped across Europe by both the dominant norms of mainstream society and the intergenerational transmission of values and practices. The paper describes the heterogeneous scenario across Europe in three specific living arrangements (living with parents, in a partnership, and, among those living with a partner, being in nonmarital cohabitation) by developing a multiple-origin/multipledestination analysis based on migratory generation and by questioning adaptation and socialization hypotheses. The 2014 ad hoc module of the EU Labour Force Survey provides significant insights on young adults aged 20 to 34 in eight EU countries. The propensity to experience the three specific behaviors is estimated through logit models aiming at comparing southern and northwestern Europe. Adult children of immigrants mostly tend to resemble the majority groups in the different destination contexts. Nevertheless, contextual factors cannot explain the whole intra-European heterogeneity. Results are not fully consistent with the expected gradual adaptation across migratory generations, and some differences based on the area of origin persist in all destination areas, especially for the decision to experience a nonmarital cohabitation. Young adults originating from South and East Asia and sub- Saharan Africa show stronger influence of their cultural inheritance than the other groups

Correction to: The nexus between education and fertility in six European countries

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article

Migrant entry channels and family - related migratory patterns in Europe: a theoretical and empirical investigation

Despite the quantitative relevance of family-related migration in most European countries, few studies have attempted to shed light on how migration policies affect family-level migration strategies. The nature of this knowledge gap is both theoretical and empirical. Conceptually, framing the intersections between the macro-level institutional frameworks underpinned by immigration policies, the meso-level functioning of social networks and the micro-level family decision-making is a challenging task. From an empirical perspective, sound analysis of the family and migratory patterns vis-à-vis the institutional frameworks regulating admission, settlement and the right to family reunification is jeopardised by the lack of data sources that keep track of immigration status on entry (and the subsequent status changes), of the family history prior to migration, and of the patterns and timing of household formation in the country of destination. This paper attempts to address these knowledge gaps. Its overarching aim is to contribute to a better understanding of how admission channels shape household composition and the patterns and timing of family migratory processes. The paper begins with a conceptual review and synthesis of the links between immigration policies, migratory processes and household decision-making strategies. The following empirical analysis is based on the 2008 Ad-Hoc Module on migrant workers of the EU Labour Force Survey for eleven EU receiving countries (Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and United Kingdom). A set of indicators is used to describe the migrant household composition and timing of families’ migratory pattern. Results reveal distinctive family-related migration patterns and migrant household composition by route of entry, suggesting that selective admission policies define the composition of the migrant families at different stages of the migratory experience, disrupting the cohabitation of spouses and, even more often, of different generations. One major feature of the association is its strong gendered connotation

Labour Market Participation and Fertility in Seven European Countries: A Comparative Perspective

Although evidence suggests a correlation between fertility and employment, comparative studies on this topic are relatively scarce, particularly when considering the diverse ways in which the two variables interact in different countries. The aim of this article is to analyse the relationship between the employment and reproductive behaviours of women born between 1940 and 1979 in seven European countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Georgia, Italy, and Lithuania). Using data from the second wave of Generation and Gender Surveys (GGS) and the Istat survey Famiglia e Soggetti Sociali (FSS) in Italy, we estimated the propensity of first and second childbirth through multi-process modelling. The article’s contribution is both theoretical and methodological. First, this research aims to investigate the correlation between employment and the timing of first and second births in a comparative perspective challenging the traditional East-West divide in Europe and the potential convergence in the impact of employment on fertility behaviours across European countries. Furthermore, the study asks whether the relationship between employment and fertility is changing similarly across European countries or whether differences tend to persist over time. The results are discussed considering women’s emancipation in different institutional settings, highlighting how women’s participation in labour markets affects reproductive behaviour. In particular, the relationship between employment and fertility behaviour is examined in relation to the opposing macro-level thesis, which suggests that the association between employment and fertility changed from negative to positive after the mid-80s. The second contribution of the article is a methodological one. It involves using simultaneous models with three equations to account for potential unobserved factors that influence the timing of the first and second childbirth and the potential endogeneity of employment status on fertility behaviour. The three equations include two log-Hazard equations for the transitions to the first and second birth order and an additional probit model to estimate the probability of being currently employed over the life course. By using this approach, we aim to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between employment and fertility, while controlling for potential confounding factors. Results suggest relevant national differences. On the one hand, the three Western countries considered in the analysis, France, Germany, and Italy, show a clear incompatibility of work and childbearing. However, in the first two, younger cohorts seem to be less affected by employment, likely because they benefitted from family policies introduced after the mid-1980s. On the other hand, the post-socialist countries are highly heterogeneous. In this area, we can find three different models. First, in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic employment is largely compatible with fertility choices resulting in a higher propensity of having the first and the second childbirth among working women. Second, in Lithuania the positive impact of employment for the first childbirth turns negative for the second one. Third, in Georgia we found a clear postponement of childbirth among working women for both birth orders. Overall, our results show deep differences across countries, suggesting that some European countries are far from demonstrating convergence in the relationship between employment and fertility

Do the descendants of immigrants become adults sooner or later than native-born? Evidence from the French Generations and Gender Survey

- The French Generations and Gender Survey contains detailed information to study the exit from parental home and family formation processes among children of immigrants born in France. The longitudinal information contained in this data allows to trace the main events experienced in the early stages of the life course. Moreover, it contains information about the year of arrival in the host country and the characteristics of parents.- The timing in the transition to adulthood for the second generation from European countries is close to the transition of native French individuals.- Second generations from Maghreb leave the parental home and live with a first spouse – married or not – later than French natives, but only those with two immigrant parents

Surfing or drowning? Student nurses’ Internet skills

The ability to use the Internet is an essential skill for nursing students, both to support their studies, especially as nursing students spend a lot of their time in placements away from the university campus, and to support their development of skills in using what is becoming an increasingly essential tool for professionals. A study at Bournemouth University, England, found that new student nurses had poor Internet skills and were not frequent users prior to starting the course. No link was found between the students’ ages and their Internet use or skills. A clear link was however found between ability and frequency of use, except in relationship to the students’ ability to conduct an effective search. Almost half of the respondents said that they find far too much irrelevant information when searching for information on the Internet. Given the importance of Information and Technology skills to nurses, both as lifelong learners and as competent practitioners and to nursing students throughout their pre-registration education, the inclusion of a programme to ensure that they develop these skills during their pre-registration education is essential

Surfing or drowning? Student nurses’ Internet skills

The ability to use the Internet is an essential skill for nursing students, both to support their studies, especially as nursing students spend a lot of their time in placements away from the university campus, and to support their development of skills in using what is becoming an increasingly essential tool for professionals. A study at Bournemouth University, England, found that new student nurses had poor Internet skills and were not frequent users prior to starting the course. No link was found between the students’ ages and their Internet use or skills. A clear link was however found between ability and frequency of use, except in relationship to the students’ ability to conduct an effective search. Almost half of the respondents said that they find far too much irrelevant information when searching for information on the Internet. Given the importance of Information and Technology skills to nurses, both as lifelong learners and as competent practitioners and to nursing students throughout their pre-registration education, the inclusion of a programme to ensure that they develop these skills during their pre-registration education is essential

Risorse individuali e scelte di primo matrimonio in Italia

none1no-noneImpicciatore, RobertoImpicciatore, Robert

Traces in the shadow: Occupational outcomes of previously undocumented migrants in Italy

Using a representative sample of currently legal third-country immigrants in Italy, obtained from the Social Condition and Integration of Foreign Citizens survey, this article examines the long-term labour market consequences of previous undocumented spells. First, formerly undocumented immigrants are identified using retrospective information on respondents' legal status. Second, immigrants are classified according to the duration of irregular spells before the achievement of the first residence permit. Third, current labour market outcomes are investi-gated to account for the endogeneity underlying the previous undocumented history. Results show that even though formerly undocumented immigrants are more likely to participate in the labour market, they are more likely to be employed in underqualified occupations than continuously legal immigrants. The duration of the irregular experience affects occupational qualification negatively, among both men and women. The lack of legal entry channels and policies to plan and regulate migration to Italy may reinforce labour market segmentation, exposing migrants to long-term occupational downgrade