1,721,065 research outputs found
Population change and housing across the lifecourse: demographic perspectives, methodological challenges and emerging issues
No full textThe aim of this working paper is to promote dialogue between population researchers and housing researchers. We explore the complex inter-relationships between population change and the housing system, highlighting demographic perspectives and methodological issues. We draw on previous work and published data to consider age-related household trends and housing demand, and argue that an understanding of the dynamics of change must consider both period and cohort effects. We discuss the implications of de-standardised, or fluid, life courses and critically evaluate the potential of sequence analysis as a method for capturing heterogeneity and informing predictions of future housing demand. We also argue that more could be done to extend socio-spatial understandings of residential mobility as ‘the engine of the housing market’ (Clark 2012a). In the final section, we consider two emerging issues – intergenerational equity and socio-spatial age segregation – to illustrate our arguments. We conclude by identifying questions for further discussion, which we hope will contribute to the development of a more integrated agenda for future researc
Intergenerational exchanges, children's education and parents' longevity in Europe
No full textThe link between children’s health and the education of their parents, especially mothers, is now well established. However, far less is known about the possible influence of the educational attainment of adult children on the health of their parents. This study investigates the relationship between the education of adult children and the longevity of older parents using individual-level longitudinal data for 11 countries from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Of particular interest is whether having well-educated adult children is associated with a health benefit for their parents. Cox proportional hazard models predict the risk of death for mothers and for fathers as a function of (a) adult children’s education, and (b) the difference between the educational attainment of child and parent. Regional variation across Europe is also examined. The results indicate that adult children’s educational attainment is independently related toparental mortality after controlling for possible confounders, and that having children with upper secondary or tertiary levels of education is associated with a significantly reduced risk of mortality if the parents do not have tertiary education. Further, a similar pattern of association is found across regions with different levels of welfare provision, family formsand regimes of help and care. Although the analyses cannot determine the causal direction of the intergenerational exchange, we argue that the results suggest upward health transfers from adult children to their parents and thus support an intergenerational approach to health policy interventions
Fertility change in the context of economic recession in Italy and Spain
No full textItaly and Spain are two low fertility countries with similar welfare systems and, prior to the economic crisis of 2008, similar fertility trajectories. Since 2008 both have experienced decreases in fertility but the decline has been more dramatic in Spain. By ‘decomposing’ national fertility rates to examine both fertility change among population groups and changes in the composition of these groups, we reveal why fertility has declined more in Spain than in Italy
Geographical variations in the likelihood and timing of having children in Britain
No full textGeographical variations in fertility rates have been noted within several European countries, including Britain. Lower rates of those having children are seen in the centres of large cities, while there are pockets of relatively high fertility in the surrounding peri-urban fringes. Some, but not all, of this variation can be explained by the composition of the population living in particular areas. So what other factors are at play? The research summarised here argues that local variations in fertility rates will influence an individual’s fertility behaviour through social learning, resulting in local ‘cultures’ of fertility. Findings suggest that individual reproductive life paths respond to a variety of social influences: networks of family and friends, local socio-cultural influences and more widely-shared ideas about the spacing between births. These influences vary depending on the number of children a woman already has but tend to reinforce local geographical variations in fertility rates
To downsize or not? Household changes and housing consumption among older adults in Scotland
No full textWhat sort of housing moves are older adults making? And are they more likely to upsize or downsize? In what circumstances do older people downsize? Can we rely on the older generation moving out of bigger family homes to release the housing stock for younger families and relieve Scotland’s housing crisis? This study investigates the influence of household changes on the residential moves of older adults in Scotland. It compares the 1990s and the 2000s, and examines the moves of those aged 55 to 69 at the beginning of each decade
(Un)Affordable housing and the residential separation of age groups
No full textResidential age segregation in England and Wales has been growing in recent decades, with older and younger adults increasingly living in different neighbourhoods. Our research has found that age segregation is higher in areas where housing is least affordable, revealing a new concerning consequence of the housing crisis. The spatial separation of older and younger adults is a potential source of intergenerational tension and raises questions about social cohesion in the UK.<br/
Who gets on to the property ladder in Scotland? Changing transitions to home ownership among young adults over two decades
No full textYoung adults in Scotland, as elsewhere in the UK, are now experiencing greater difficulties getting onto the property ladder than they did in the 1990s. This study examines the characteristics and family background of those who left the parental home and became homeowners between 2001 and 2011. It then compares their experiences with the experiences of young adults in the previous decade. The findings indicate that the advantage associated with higher education has increased but so has the influence of family background, whereas securing professional employment is less of an advantage for getting onto the property than it was in the past. Thus there is a risk of inherited inequalities becoming entrenched and further reducing the social mobility of young adults in the futur
Differences in mental health between adults in stepfamilies and 'first families'
Get PDFThis study used longitudinal data from the UK National Child Development Study (N = 5844) to examine whether mental health measured at age 42 was associated with living in a stepfamily. Accounting for the potential selection of those with mental health problems at the onset of family formation (at age 23) into, or out of, stepfamilies we show that stepparents, their partners and particularly those in dual stepparent families all had worse mental health than parents in ‘first families’. It was also found that the mental health of men was worse if they were a stepparent than if they were the partner of a stepparent, while the reverse was the case for women
Migrant parents and the psychological well-being of leftbehind children in South-East Asia
No full textSeveral million children currently live in transnational families, yet little is known about impacts on their health. We investigate the psychological well-being of left-behind children in four Southeast Asian countries. Data are drawn from the CHAMPSEA study. Caregiver reports from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) are used to examine differences among children under age 12 by the migration status of their household (N = 3,876). We find no general pattern across the four study countries: Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Multivariate models show that children of migrant fathers in Indonesia and Thailand are more likely to have poor psychological well-being, compared to children in nonmigrant households. This finding is not replicated for the Philippines or Vietnam. The paper concludes by arguing for more contextualized understandings
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