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07 CAHIERS QUEBECOIS DE DEMOGRAPHIE, Autumn 1998, Vol. 27, N° 2
"Malthus", Editor: Richard Marcoux
The moral values of Malthus [Les valeurs morales de Malthus].
More than his other writing, Malthus' first "Essay on the Principle of Population" is a militant text, its arguments based more strongly on moral positions than scientific data. It is not difficult to discern in this text the main elements in the system of values underlying the author's thinking, whether they be a code of ethics for science, religious faith, freedom, equality, charity or justice. In Malthusian demographic theory, "vice" and "moral constraint", factors in human behaviour, play a fundamental role that is indissociable from their moral significance. With his primary concern to preserve human freedom, but torn between his tendency toward idealism and his demand for realism, Malthus developed a pragmatic morality, a morality of the lesser evil, today described as "Malthusian pessimism".
French - pp. 181-198.
E. Vilquin, Institut de démographie, Université catholique de Louvain, 1 place Montesquieu, boîte 17, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
vilquin@demo.ucl.ac.be.
(MALTHUSIAN THEORY, ETHICS, VALUE SYSTEMS.)
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Neo-Malthusian leagues in France from 1896 to 1939: A right-wing ideology under the cloak of a workers' ethos [Les ligues néo-malthusiennes françaises de 1896 à 1940 : idéologie de droite sous un manteau ouvriériste].
Although they claim to be socialists and are presented as such by Francis Ronsin in his book La grève des ventres, the leaders of neo-Malthusian leagues in France (1896-1939), especially Paul Robin, offer a truncated vision of Malthus' ideas in presenting his "law of population" as a natural law imposed on all social regimes. Under the cover of virulent attacks against the pronatalist Right, they clearly show the right-wing influence of the English Malthusian League, to the point of relegating the revolutionary utopia and the anti-capitalist struggle to the background. This assertion is based on a highlighting of the close relationship between the texts of their four periodicals and those of the two monthly journals of the Malthusian League on a number of topics related to the ills of overpopulation and the only effective remedy, i.e. adapting individual behaviour -- through contraception -- to the inevitable determinism of the law of population.
French - pp. 199-219.
A. Lux, Département de sociologie, Université Laval, Sainte-Foy, Québec G1K 7P4, Canada.
(FRANCE, UNITED KINGDOM, MALTHUSIAN THEORY, ANTINATALISM, IDEOLOGIES,POLITICS.)
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Global population growth and the environment: A review of the issues [Croissance de la population mondiale et environnement : les enjeux].
This article reviews the hypothesized effects of global population growth on the environment and considers their policy implications. The presentation focuses on five points: (1) an assessment of the environmental consequences of population growth must be founded on prior ethical considerations; (2) the extreme complexity of the environment limits our understanding of the determinants and pace of many aspects of environmental change; (3) the adverse effects of population growth are concentrated on renewable, rather than nonrenewable, resources; (4) while non-coercive efforts to slow population growth can have only a limited, cumulative effect on population size, these should nevertheless be an integral part of a broader set of environmental policies; and (5) difficult-to-resolve political and administrative problems are likely to seriously delay the development and implementation of many non-demographic policies needed to address global environmental issues.
French - pp. 221-252.
T. LeGrand, Département de démographie, Université de Montréal, C. P. 6128, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada.
legrand@ere.umontreal.ca.
(WORLD POPULATION, POPULATION GROWTH, ENVIRONMENT, POPULATION POLICY, ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY.)
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Feminist discourse and neo-Malthusianism: The adverse effects of a misalliance [Discours féministe et néo-malthusianisme : les effets pervers d'une mésalliance].
In recent years, we have seen what appears to be an alliance between feminists and neo-Malthusians on the issue of family planning. This article presents some thoughts on an association which can be termed a "misalliance" -- since the two discourses stem from disparate viewpoints and offer differing interpretations -- and may produce adverse effects. This misalliance may in fact make feminist demands for the recognition of women's right to make reproductive choices politically meaningless; it may obscure the social relationships that shape action in the area of family planning; and it may encourage a shift in feminist discourse toward eugenics. Other detrimental effects of this "tactical alliance" are linked to the representation of women as victims of their fertility. On the other hand, this strategy makes it possible to address the urgent needs felt by many women who are without access to family planning services.
French - pp. 253-265.
M. De Koninck, Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Université Laval, Sainte-Foy, Qué. G1K 7P4, Canada.
maria.dekoninck@msp.ulaval.ca.
(ANTINATALISM, WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS, WOMEN'S RIGHTS, WOMEN'S EMANCIPATION, WOMEN'S LIBERATION MOVEMENTS, IDEOLOGIES.)
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The impact of linguistic mobility on the demographic evolution of Quebec Francophone [L'impact de la mobilité linguistique sur l'évolution démographique des francophones du Québec].
The aim of this article is to examine to what extent a growing linguistic mobility toward French would be able to curb, or even reverse, the effects of the slow growth rate of Quebec's Francophone population. To answer this question, a large number of hypotheses on the future evolution of linguistic behaviour, all very favourable to the Francophone group, were combined with various demographic contexts. The results of all the scenarios tend toward the same conclusion: the impact of linguistic mobility is marginal, so that a decline in the number and relative importance of the Francophone group seems inevitable. This conclusion applies especially to the Island of Montréal, where the decrease in the number of Francophones has already begun and where Francophones will become a minority in roughly ten years.
French - pp. 267-294.
M. Termote, INRS-Urbanisation, Université du Québec, 3465, rue Durocher, Montréal, Québec H2X 2C6, Canada.
marc_termote@inrs-urb.uquebec.ca.
(CANADA, LINGUISTIC GROUPS, POPULATION DYNAMICS, TRENDS, CULTURAL CHANGE, LANGUAGES.)
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00.07.06 - DANSEREAU, Francine; MONGEAU, Jaël.
Conversion of low-income housing for the elderly into mixed low-income housing: Residents' viewpoints [La conversion de HLM pour personnes âgées en HLM mixtes : le point de vue des résidants].
This article presents the findings of a 1996 survey of elderly low-income housing residents designed to study the impacts of the conversion of low-income housing for the elderly into mixed housing, open to families and low-income individuals under 55 years of age. The survey focused on three Montréal neighbourhoods, and two low-income housing complexes in each neighbourhood, one of which was homogeneous from an age standpoint (reserved for the elderly), and the other mixed. A comparative analysis of the living environments reserved for the elderly and for mixed clienteles showed significant differences and enabled us to note that mixed housing involves not only age differences, but also more profound disparities in terms of lifestyles, life courses and social positions.
French - pp. 295-315.
F. Dansereau and J. Mongeau, INRS-Urbanisation, 3465, rue Durocher, Montréal, Québec H2X 2C6, Canada.
jael_mongeau@inrs-urb.uquebec.ca.
(CANADA, METROPOLIS, AGED, HOUSING CONDITIONS, HOUSING POLICY.)
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07 CAHIERS QUEBECOIS DE DEMOGRAPHIE, Spring-Autumn 1999, Vol. 28, N° 1-2
"Cohabitation", Editor: Evelyne Lapierre-Adamcyk
00.07.07 - BURCH, Thomas K.; BELANGER, Danièle.
Studying marriage, cohabitation, and other non-ephemeral sexual unions: Cross-sectional categories versus multidimentional continua and process [L'étude des unions en démographie : des catégories aux processus].
This paper argues that unions in contemporary society are too varied and too fluid to be studied using the standard demographic approaches and tools for the study of marriage and the family. Emphasis on process, rather than on status and membership in a category, would give greater recognition to the fact that states such as marriage or cohabitation need to be seen as part of over-lapping life-course sequences. The meaning of a given union depends in part on what has preceded and what follows in the sequence. Attention to process also requires greater attention to the individual and joint decision making that underlies movement along well-defined demographic statuses. In defining and studying sexual unions, greater use needs to be made of modern quantitative classification techniques, including cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling, and the logic of fuzzy sets as well. Methods of qualitative analysis are particularly relevant for the study of process and meaning. The greatest progress will come from a conscious blending of quantitative and qualitative models.
French - pp. 23-52.
T. K. Burch and D. Bélanger, Population Studies Centre, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
burch@julian.uwo.ca; dbelang@julian.uwo.ca.
(CONSENSUAL UNION, LIFE CYCLE, METHODOLOGY, METHODS OF ANALYSIS.)
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00.07.08 - QUILODRÁN, Julieta.
Cohabitation in Latin America: Recent characteristics of an old-age phenomenon [L'union libre en Amérique latine : aspects récents d'un phénomène séculaire].
Cohabitation is an old and widespread form of conjugality in Latin America. It could even be said to be the most distinctive form of nuptiality on this subcontinent. However, its persistence over the centuries and its recent evolution require that we analyze it in greater depth. The main purpose of this study is to present the characteristics of "traditional" cohabitation in Latin America, and particularly in Mexico, as they have emerged since 1950. Population studies over the past 25 years highlight the common features of a phenomenon that shows spatial and temporal variations: couples who are cohabiting seem to have begun to do so at an earlier age and are less stable than couples who have chosen to marry. They are also less educated and perform less specialized jobs.
French - pp. 53-80.
J. Quilodrán, El Colegio de México, Mexico City, Mexico.
jquilo@colmex.mx.
(LATIN AMERICA, MEXICO, NUPTIALITY, CONSENSUAL UNION, TRENDS.)
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00.07.09 - THIRIAT, Marie-Paule.
Cohabitation in sub-Saharan Africa [Les unions libres en Afrique subsaharienne].
Attempting to apply the concept of cohabitation to Africa increases the ever-present risk of ethnocentrism for researchers examining the area of marriage and the family. And yet, the fundamental issue in cohabitation involves compromises between the aspirations of the individual and the couple, on the one hand, and community and legal constraints, on the other. In Togo, the development of premarital sexuality, the growing tendency for individuals to choose their own spouses, and changes in the procedures involved in entering into a conjugal union testify to a gradual weakening of familial control over the conclusion of unions. The increase in informal unions, where the partners often do not cohabit, is probably one of the effects of the economic crisis and the fragility of the social structure. But this crisis is not the only aspect involved. Access to school, to work outside the family sphere and to the media and city life are all factors that are enabling women to acquire a certain degree of autonomy, as evidenced in these behavioural changes. The latter are also signs of a change in relationships between men and women.
French - pp. 81-115.
M.-P. Thiriat, CEPED, 15, rue de l'Ecole de médecine, F-75006 Paris, France.
(AFRICA SOUTH OF SAHARA, TOGO, CONSENSUAL UNION, TRENDS, WOMEN'S STATUS, WOMEN'S EMANCIPATION.)
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European couples: Attitudes and values based on marital status [Les couples européens : qui sont-ils ?]
In 1993, the Commission of the European Communities conducted a survey, dubbed Eurobaromètre, within its twelve member states on the attitudes of European men and women regarding the couple and the family. The author analyzes the answers to some of the questions posed. The survey results show that most of the 12,800 individuals queried felt that mutual respect and love were necessary for couples to live together happily. As for Europeans' attitudes on cohabitation and the rights of homosexuals to live as a couple, marry, adopt children and inherit property, one finds a fairly clear demarcation line between two generations: the older generation tends to oppose the idea of couples not marrying and that of different types of couples, and places more importance on the homogamous values underlying conjugal unions in the past. The younger generation places less emphasis on these values and more on the conditions that best fulfill individual aspirations. Finally, the questions dealing with the rights of married and unmarried couples in the area of family allowances, taxation, etc. reveal Europeans' lack of knowledge on the legal situations of the two types of couples.
French - pp. 117-149.
N. Malpas, NM Consultants, 26, rue Wilmart, 4032 Chênée-Liège, Belgium.
nmconsultants@pophost.eunet.be.
(WESTERN EUROPE, OPINION SURVEYS, FAMILY, COUPLE, MARRIAGE, CONSENSUAL UNION, GENERATION EFFECT.)
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From legalized union to legalized birth: The changing link between marriage and a first child in Switzerland [De l'union légalisée à la naissance légalisée : évolution du lien entre mariage et premier enfant en Suisse].
In the variety of forms of conjugal life, Switzerland shows many traits in common with other Western countries: a decline in fertility and the marriage rate, marriages occurring at a later age, and an increase in cohabitation. Switzerland also shows some interesting characteristics of its own, particularly a low fertility level outside marriage. The author uses her analysis of a 1994-1995 study on the family to describe the links between marriage and a first child, and to interpret the persistence of a high level of births in the context of marriage at a time when the number of common-law unions is on the rise. The findings show that premarital conceptions are frequent but almost always followed by marriage. These conceptions, once more often seen in women not living with the child's father, are now largely occurring among women in a situation of cohabitation. Once seen as a remedy for an unwanted pregnancy, marriage is becoming associated with the desire to have a child.
French - pp. 151-172.
L. Charton, 22, rue de Rosheim, F-67000 Strasbourg, France.
LCharton@aol.com.
(SWITZERLAND, NUPTIALITY, MARRIAGE, CONSENSUAL UNION, FIRST BIRTH, PREMARITAL CONCEPTIONS, LEGITIMATION.)
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00.07.12 - BELANGER, Alain; TURCOTTE, Pierre.
The influence of socioeconomic characteristics on Quebec women's initial entry into conjugal life [L'influence des caractéristiques sociodémographiques sur le début de la vie conjugale des Québécoises].
Based primarily on data from the 1995 General Social Survey (GSS), this study assesses the impact of demographic and socioeconomic factors on Quebec women's likelihood of entering into a first cohabitation or marriage. After a brief descriptive analysis, the authors present the results of a multivariate analysis, which is especially helpful in assessing the changing influence of characteristics linked to the "independence hypothesis", i.e. education level and activities such as working or attending school. The analysis did not entirely confirm the hypothesis: women who are working or attending school generally show a greater tendency to cohabit and are less likely to marry, which concurs with the hypothesis, but the effect on first marriages only applies to Quebec women born before 1951. Moreover, a higher education level does not reduce the likelihood of entering into a first marriage for all generations of Quebec women studied. It is also clear that cohabitation was initially popular among the most highly educated Quebec women. All this seems to indicate that education and the massive entry of Quebec women into the labour market are not obstacles to the formation of a first union, but rather encourage greater freedom in terms of the form this union may take.
French - pp. 173-197.
A. Bélanger, Statistique Canada, Division de la démographie, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6, Canada.
belaala@statcan.ca; turcpie@statcan.ca.
(CANADA, PROVINCES, WOMEN, FIRST MARRIAGE, CONSENSUAL UNION, LEVELS OF EDUCATION, FEMALE EMPLOYMENT.)
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00.07.13 - LAPIERRE-ADAMCYK, Evelyne; LE BOURDAIS, Céline; MARCIL-GRATTON, Nicole.
Living as a couple for the first time: The significance of the choice of cohabitation in Quebec and Ontario [Vivre en couple pour la première fois : la signification du choix de l'union libre au Québec et en Ontario].
Inspired by authors who suggest that cohabitation is a form of union that appears to better correspond to the sensibility and mentality of recent generations -- for whom personal growth represents the ultimate criterion for behaviour -- the authors examine the significance of cohabitation in relation to the values associated with it, by contrasting the behaviours and attitudes of Quebec and Ontario men and women regarding the formation of conjugal unions and families. The findings, based on Statistics Canada's 1995 General Social Survey, show that young couples opting for cohabitation rather than marriage are more likely to exhibit attitudes that tend to redefine what conjugal union represents: less stress is placed on living as a couple and on children, marriage itself is given very little importance as a source of happiness, and less significance is assigned to the stability of the couple. In this regard, Quebec couples seem to be ahead of Ontario couples.
French - pp. 199-227.
E. Lapierre-Adamcyk, Département de démographie, Université de Montréal, C. P. 6128, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada.
lapiera@ere.umontreal.ca; nicole.marcil-gratton@umontreal.ca; celine.lebourdais@inrs-urb.uquebec.ca.
(CANADA, PROVINCES, CONSENSUAL UNION, MARRIAGE, VALUE SYSTEMS.)
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00.07.14 - DUBREUIL, Christianne.
De facto unions in Quebec: Nonexistence in the Quebec Civil Code [L'union de fait au Québec : inexistence dans le Code civil].
In this brief overview, the author looks at the status of de facto unions in the Quebec Civil Code. She concludes that this form of union does not exist in the Code, despite its growing popularity and the fact that it has been recognized in many pieces of social legislation. The consequences of this situation are described for cohabiting spouses and their children, compared to the situation for married couples.
French - pp. 229-236.
C. Dubreuil, Faculté de droit, Université de Montréal, C. P. 6128, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada.
(CANADA, PROVINCES, CONSENSUAL UNION, LEGAL STATUS, CIVIL LAW.)
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The demographic situation of the innu in Quebec, from 1973 to 1993 [Conjoncture démographique des Innus du Québec, 1973 à 1993].
The Innu are one of the eleven Aboriginal peoples living in Quebec. Their ancestral territory encompasses the current regions of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and the Lower and Upper North Shore up to the boundaries of the Inuit and Cree territories in Northern Quebec. How has the Innu population listed in the Indian Register and living on the reserves in this territory changed from 1973 to 1993? How does its general profile shape up compared to the Quebec population as a whole? Using adjusted data from the Register as well as data from Health and Welfare Canada's medical services directorate, the author calculates the main demographic indicators for the Innu Nation.
French - pp. 237-269.
S. Hudon, Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE), Canada.
(CANADA, PROVINCES, NATIVE RESERVATIONS, DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILES, POPULATION GROWTH.)
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Immigration regulations and strategies of illegal migrants [La législation canadienne sur l'immigration et les stratégies des immigrants clandestins].
This article examines selected pieces of immigration legislation which the author feels are most pertinent in demonstrating how illegal migrants use their perceptions of immigration regulations in devising their strategies and tactics for remaining in Canada. The analysis proceeds from an investigation of immigration legislation and then summarizes the accounts of experience of twenty illegal migrants.
French - pp. 271-297.
(CANADA, IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.)
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Population aging and the elderly's participation in funding health and social expenditures [Vieillissement démographique et participation des personnes âgées au financement des dépenses de santé et des dépenses sociales].
The contribution of the elderly in funding social expenditures is far from negligible in countries where this funding is largely drawn from general government coffers. In Quebec, the average contribution of an elderly person was half that of a person of working age in 1993, and this contribution is on the rise. It could however stabilize if wages resume a growth trend. Depending on the size of this contribution (0.5 or 0.65 times that of a person of working age), the increase in social expenditures due to population aging will shrink from 19% to 12% or 8% by 2016, and from 67% to 44% or 35% by 2041. Expenditures for health and long-term care will represent half of this increase. Aside from changes related to the nature of such programs, their unit costs and their funding method, the main factors that will affect this evolution are the indexing method for government transfers, economic growth, the financial resources of the elderly, and the retirement age.
French - pp. 299-329.
M. Rochon, Ministère de la Santé et des services sociaux, Canada.
(CANADA, PROVINCES, ECONOMIC DEMOGRAPHY, AGED, FINANCING, RETIREMENT PENSIONS, SOCIAL SECURITY, WAGE LEVEL, PROJECTIONS.)
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