DEMOGRAPHISCHE INFORMATIONEN, 2001
On the motivation of the desire for children. Critical observations on the causality of reasons for or against having children [Zur Motivation des Kinderwunsches. Kritische Bemerkungen zur Kausalität von Gründen für oder gegen Kinder].
In fertility studies questionnaires often contain the reasons for or against having a (further) child. It is assumed that there is a causal relationship between these reasons and the desire for children which, although not specifically theoretically prove, remains a significant factor in the construction of these indicators. This "implicit" causality is called into question using data from the "Population and Family in Upper Austria" study. The data contain an assessment of the occupational obstacles (restrictions) involved in a life with children.
This causality only applies to persons with at least two children. For childless women and men, the data support the assumption that the desire for children influences the view taken of these obstacles and that the causal effect thus tends to be in the opposite direction. The desire for children of women and men with one child is not dependent on the perception of these restrictions but on their career ambitions.
The findings suggest that indicators of the conditions or consequences of a life with children should not be prematurely presented as "reasons" but should rather be developed in the framework of a theory of the perception and definition of the situation such as that offered by sociology and cognitive psychology.
(AUSTRIA, DESIRED FAMILY SIZE, FERTILITY DETERMINANTS, FAMILY SIZE, OCCUPATIONS, OCCUPATIONAL CHOICE, DIFFERENTIAL FERTILITY, FERTILITY MEASUREMENTS, INDICATORS, DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH).
German - pp. 5-14.
D. Bichlbauer, Institute for Demography, Austrian Academy of Science, Prinz Eugen-Straße 8, A-1040 Vienna, Austria.
dieter.bichlbauer@oeaw.ac.at
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Factors influencing first births in Austria. Educational patterns and "catch-up effects" [Einflussfaktoren für die Geburt eines ersten Kindes in Österreich. Bildungsspezifische Muster und "Aufholeffekte"].
The timing of a woman's first birth is influenced by various factors like age, social background and union status but also by her educational attainment and her educational level. The purpose of this paper is to analyse entry into motherhood, concentrating on various educational aspects. Apart from the influence of educational enrolment, the effect on entry into motherhood of the time elapsed since the completion of the last educational period is analysed.
Basing our study on the Austrian Fertility and Family Survey, we model the intensity of the conception of a first child in an event history analysis. We find that a woman's educational level and the time elapsed since completion of an educational period significantly influence entry into motherhood. The current study reveals an interesting pattern in first-birth conception intensities. Women with a higher-level secondary education have very low first-conception intensities during the first two years after the completion of their education; but after four years they reach the same level as women with basic education or women who have learned a trade. Women with a higher education try to avoid child-bearing immediately after the completion of their education. The opportunity costs of child-bearing may be higher early in their career than somewhat later. Women with a tertiary education decide to have a child quite soon after the completion of their studies. This phenomenon can be interpreted as a "catch-up effect": better educated women do not intend to have a child immediately after the completion of their formal education, but in general they then get pregnant quite quickly.
(AUSTRIA, FIRST BIRTH, MATERNAL AGE, EDUCATION OF WOMEN, LEVELS OF EDUCATION, SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS, MARITAL UNION, OCCUPATIONS, COST OF CHILDREN, EVENT HISTORY ANALYSIS).
German - pp. 15-29.
I. Buber, Institute for Demography, Austrian Academy of Science, Prinz Eugen-Straße 8, A-1040 Vienna, Austria.
isabella.buber@oeaw.ac.at
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Buber, Isabella; Kytir, Josef.
Experience of parenthood and desire for children. Findings for 20-40 year-old mothers and fathers in Upper Austria [Erfahrungen mit Elternschaft und Kinderwunsch. Ergebnisse für 20- bis 40-jährige Mütter und Väter in Oberösterreich].
On behalf of the Upper Austrian government, the Institute for Demography carried out a study on the desire for children in Upper Austria in 1998/99. One of the aims was to analyse parents' experiences with their youngest child and possible consequences for the desire to have a further child. It was shown that more than half of all parents in Upper Austria experienced financial restrictions after the birth of their youngest child. The consequences for the desire for a further child are as expected, but only a few effects are statistically significant. Analysis of the assumed circumstances in the case of a further child among young parents in Upper Austria reveals a clear relationship between the anticipated situation and the desire for a further child. The expected economic consequences and effects on the employment situation significantly decrease the desire for a further child among parents in Upper Austria.
(AUSTRIA, PARENTHOOD, DESIRED FAMILY SIZE, REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR, CHOICE, COST OF CHILDREN, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS).
German - pp. 30-38.
I. Buber, J. Kytir, Institute for Demography, Austrian Academy of Science, Prinz Eugen-Straße 8, A-1040 Vienna, Austria.
isabella.buber@oeaw.ac.at
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Tazi-Preve, Irene M.; Roloff, Juliane.
Abortion in Europe. Factors influencing women and their behaviour patterns in case of unintended pregnancies [Schwangerschaftsabbruch in Europa. Einflussfaktoren und Verhaltensweisen von Frauen bei einer ungewollten Schwangerschaft].
This paper presents the factors that might influence the behaviour of women in the case of unwanted pregnancies in those European countries taking part in the "Family and Fertility Survey" in the 1990s. The aim is to throw light on the phenomenon of abortion by firstly identifying the social background in which women make their decisions and secondly presenting the personal motives tending to favour a decision to abort in cases of unwanted pregnancies. In a brief description of the legal framework of the individual countries, obstacles are referred to and a typology drawn up. For the respective legal provisions themselves present restrictions which may also result from the implementation of the national legal framework. The public debate and the way it is conducted ideologically prove to be a decisive criterion. Contraceptive practices are another factor influencing women's behaviour. In Eastern Europe the lack of family planning measures and acute economic problems are a major contributory factor in abortion becoming the main form of family planning. The frequency of abortions and data on possible behaviour patterns in cases of unwanted pregnancies both suggest that abortion meets a much higher level of acceptance in Eastern Europe than in Western Europe. An analysis of the empirical data reveals the factors which most influence women at the personal level on whether to decide on the abortion of an unwanted pregnancy. These include the intensity of church links, the status of the partnership, the number of previous children and whether or not women participate in the labour market. Analysis of the Austrian data also confirms the hypothesis that the woman's partner's attitude towards the sharing of family duties also has an influence on her decision.
(EUROPE, UNWANTED PREGNANCY, ABORTION, ATTITUDE, CHOICE, CONTRACEPTIVE USAGE, LEGAL ABORTION, RELIGION, FEMALE EMPLOYMENT, SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS, FAMILY SIZE).
German - pp. 39-58.
I. M. Tazi-Preve, Institute for Demography, Austrian Academy of Science, Prinz Eugen-Straße 8, A-1040 Vienna, Austria; J. Roloff, Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung (BIB), Wiesbaden, Germany.
Irene.tazi@oeaw.ac.at.
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Ageing seen from a socio-demographic perspective. Observations on the links between demography and sociology [Altern aus bevölkerungssoziologischer Perspektive. Anmerkungen zur Verschränkung von Demographie und Soziologie].
The demographic ageing process has far-reaching consequences for the state and for society. Three major assumptions underpin this view: firstly, the ageing of the population is an irreversible and long-term process in which the profound changes in the age structure are accompanied by a decline in the population and changing socio-demographic structures. Secondly, the process of demographic ageing can only be examined properly by an orientation of the total social context in its complex effects. And thirdly, a differentiated picture of the consequences of demographic ageing can only be acquired by means of an interdisciplinary perspective. Thus a sociology of ageing will have to reconsider its role in the framework of social gerontology and the possibilities of using an interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological approach.
Insofar as the future of aging is linked with social change, it is not only to be seen as an individual and social problem but also as one affecting society as a whole. To this extent a sociology of ageing which sees itself at the crossroads of interdisciplinary research cannot just be part of social gerontology. As a person's life history and the age structure can only be understood in the context of the social organisation of labour, there is a need for a sociology of ageing which takes into account the work-oriented society and the types of social structure linked with this, so that the social dimensions of the problems associated with ageing can be adequately examined. The further development of the sociology of ageing requires consideration of a theory of society and of research contexts which take into account the macro perspective of ageing. To this end interdisciplinarity is to be conceptualised as including a "Demography of Ageing".
(SOCIAL DEMOGRAPHY, SOCIOLOGY, GERONTOLOGY, DEMOGRAPHIC AGEING, SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES, SOCIAL CHANGE, AGE DISTRIBUTION, SOCIAL STRUCTURE, INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH).
German - pp. 59-68.
P. Schimany, Institute for Demography, Austrian Academy of Science, Prinz Eugen-Straße 8, A-1040 Vienna, Austria.
Peter.Schimany@oeaw.ac.at
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Prskawetz, Alexia; Carter, Lawrence R.
A study of structural breaks in mortality developments in Austria based on the Lee-Carter method [Untersuchung struktureller Brüche in der Mortalitätsentwicklung in Österreich unter Benutzung der Lee-Carter-Methode].
We present an extension of the Lee-Carter method of modeling mortality to examine structural shifts of mortality over time. Age-specific mortality rates for Austria from 1947 to 1999 are each subdivided into thirty 24-year submatrices. Using singular value decomposition, we decompose the submatrices into three component submatrices: (1) an index of mortality kt to which each respective age-specific death rate is linearily related; (2) the average shape across age of the log of mortality schedules over time; (3) the sensitivity of the log of mortality at each age x to variations is the elements of the index of mortality kt. We refer to these components of the submatrices to locate structural changes in mortality patterns. A comparison between the observed and estimated life expectancy favours the extended Lee-Carter method, particularly for life expectancies at higher ages. We conclude by projecting life expectancy at birth up to 2050. Applying the Lee-Carter method to the whole time series of mortality rates from 1947 to 1999, we see that life expectancy at birth increases from 81 (75) up to 88 (82) years for women (men). In comparison, an application of the Lee-Carter method to the latest subsample from 1976 to 1999 implies an increase in life expectancy at birth for women (men) up to 89,4 (85,7) years.
(AUSTRIA, MORTALITY TRENDS, MODEL LIFE TABLES, DEATH RATE, AGE-SPECIFIC RATE, LIFE EXPECTANCY, DIFFERENTIAL MORTALITY, DEMOGRAPHIC MODELS, DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH).
German - pp. 69-80.
A. Prskawetz, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Doberaner Strasse 114, D-18057 Rostock, Germany; L. R. Carter, Department of Sociology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1291, U.S.A.
lcarter@oregon.uoregon.edu.
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Interregional migration in Austria from 1996 to 1998 [Binnenwanderung in Österreich 1996 bis 1998].
The results of the migration analysis show that both natural population have been strengthened by interregional migration. Positive net migration occur particularly in the structurally-strong centres of Austria and in the neighbouring areas surrounding them. Here the immigration of foreigners and Austrians come together. These migration trends conceal selective age-specific processes. In both absolute and relative terms suburban regions and cities show large increases in internal migration. The federal capital, Vienna, and the provincial capitals display high negative migration which are compensated to some extent by international migration gains through foreigners. Adaptation of these changes by regional development policy measures is not easy because regional planning can only partially take into account detailed migration analyses. But in certain infrastructure areas conflicts of aims with the demands on social policy are inevitable. For finally the development of educational facilities in the peripheral areas of Austria leads to emigration and strengthens migration selection. And since educational institutions lead to further educational opportunities, well-qualified labour force remain concentrated in the medium-sized and larger urban areas. Interregional migration must therefore be seen as a relevant regional factor in a socio-economic context.
(AUSTRIA, REGIONS, INTERNAL MIGRATION, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, MIGRATION TRENDS, URBAN AREAS, SUBURBAN AREAS, URBAN ATTRACTION, CITY SIZE, SELECTIVE MIGRATION, REGIONAL PLANNING, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT).
German - pp. 81-92.
G. Lebhart, Institute for Demography, Austrian Academy of Science, Prinz Eugen-Straße 8, A-1040 Vienna, Austria.
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Austrian society for population policy (and welfare), 1917-1938. A society with socio-political aims in Vienna in the inter-war period [Die Österreichische Gesellschaft für Bevölkerungspolitik (und Fürsorgewesen)" (1917-1938) - eine Vereinigung mit sozialpolitischen Zielsetzungen im Wien der 20er une 30er Jahre].
The article describes the aims and activities of the "Österreichische Gesellschaft für Bevölkerungspolitik" between 1918 and 1938, as they were expressed in the society's review - one of very few existing sources. Between 1918 and 1938 sixteen editions appeared which reported on the meetings of the society. At these meetings issues of social policy and public health were discussed, like measures against widespread diseases (tuberculosis, syphilis) and infant mortality, welfare and the education of children and young people and the declining birth rate - one of the most important demographic issues of the day.
The active members of the society were for the most part leading experts from Viennese hospitals, government offices and institutions for the education and upbringing of children and young people. In addition, many (female) social workers took part in the discussions. At that time Vienna had a Socialist government. Responsible for public health was the municipal councillor Julius Tandler, one of the founders of the ÖGBP. The ÖGBP supported Tandler's aims of improving the social and sanitary conditions of the Viennese population.
(AUSTRIA, HISTORICAL DEMOGRAPHY, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, POPULATION POLICY, SOCIAL POLICY, HEALTH POLICY).
German - pp. 93-107.
G. Exner, Institute for Demography, Austrian Academy of Science, Prinz Eugen-Straße 8, A-1040 Vienna, Austria.
Gudrun.Exner@oeaw.ac.at.
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