Progress of Low Fertility in Japan and Other Asian Countries: A Theoretical Framework

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Shigeki Matsuda
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Asian Countries

scholarly journals Young Men’s Employment and Their Marriage: A Comparison among Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the UK, France, and Sweden

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-228
Author(s):  
Shigeki Matsuda
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Fertility Rates ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Marriage Rates ◽  
Low Incomes ◽  
Regular Employment ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Old Men ◽  
Married Male

Abstract In Europe, falling fertility rates are regarded as part of a second demographic transition precipitated by changing values. Low fertility rates in developed Asian countries, however, are thought to be due to decreasing marriage rates, as a result of worsening young men’s employment. This study proposes the hypothesis that men in non-regular employment – those with low incomes and those who are unemployed – have lower probabilities of getting married. Male employment was analyzed using a logistic regression of micro data for 20- to 49-year-old men in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the UK, France, and Sweden. The study’s findings generally supported the hypothesis and clearly confirmed that there is a relationship between employment and marriage in Asian countries, and especially in Japan.

scholarly journals Identifying the most Influential Groups in Determining Singapore's Fertility

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
MENGNI CHEN ◽  
PAUL S. F. YIP ◽  
MUI TENG YAP
Keyword(s):  
Single Women ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Childbearing Age ◽  
Target Groups ◽  
Childless Women ◽  
Integrated Policy ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn recent years, various pro-natalist policies have been adopted in Singapore and other high-income Asian countries with low fertility, aiming at raising fertility rates. Previous studies were mainly focused on the impact or outcome of the policies. This paper, however, aims to identify the most influential groups in determining Singapore's total fertility rate (TFR) and evaluate the targeting of pro-natalist measures adopted by the government. We first reveal the changing age-parity-and-marital-status composition of women at childbearing age, and further conduct an elasticity analysis to assess the roles of different subgroups of women in changing the TFR. Our results show that compared to other groups, the 20–29-year-old single women and the married childless women aged 30–34 (‘married’ throughout this paper includes women who are or have been married) are more influential in determining the TFR and should be the potential pro-natalist target groups. However, Singapore's pro-natalist policies are more in favour of third and higher-order births. Such mismatch indicates that, if more efforts are devoted to facilitating marriage and first births in these potential groups, the TFR may be increased effectively. In order to achieve a long-term and significant fertility reversal, it calls for a long-term and integrated policy package.

DETERMINANTS OF LOW FERTILITY IN SINGAPORE: EVIDENCE FROM A HOUSEHOLD SURVEY

2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (04) ◽  
pp. 1350023 ◽  
Author(s):  
AAMIR RAFIQUE HASHMI ◽  
WEN JIE MOK
Keyword(s):  
Household Income ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Age At Marriage ◽  
Current Fertility ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Household Incomes ◽  
Rich Countries ◽  
The Relationship

Below-replacement fertility is a common problem among the rich countries with far-reaching economic and social implications. The problem is more acute in some economically fast-growing Asian countries where the fertility decline has been more rapid and the current fertility rates have reached levels that are unprecedented in recent history. In this paper, data from a unique household survey have been used to understand the determinants of low fertility in one such country: Singapore. The total fertility rate in Singapore has dropped from 4.7 children per woman in 1965 to 1.2 in 2011. This is well below the replacement level of 2.1 and one of the lowest in the world. The authors identify three key determinants of fertility in Singapore: (1) age at marriage; (2) household income; and (3) number of siblings' children. They find that fertility is negatively related to age at marriage and positively related to the number of siblings' children. The relationship between fertility and household income is U-shaped: the relationship is negative for household incomes of up to S$21 000 (in 2010 Singapore dollars) and positive for higher incomes.

scholarly journals HAVING A SECOND CHILD AND ACCESS TO CHILDCARE: EVIDENCE FROM EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hippolyte d’Albis ◽  
Paula E. Gobbi ◽  
Angela Greulich
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Important Determinant ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Second Child ◽  
Subsidized Childcare

AbstractThis paper shows that differences in fertility across European countries mainly emerge due to fewer women having two children in low-fertility countries. It further suggests that childcare services are an important determinant for the transition to a second child to occur. The theoretical framework we propose suggests that (i) in countries where childcare coverage is low, there is a U-shaped relationship between a couple’s probability of having a second child and the woman’s potential wage, whereas (ii) in countries with easy access to childcare, this probability is positively related with the woman’s potential wage. Data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) confirm these implications when estimating a woman’s probability of having a second child as a function of education. This implies that middle-income women are the most affected ones by the lack of access to formal and subsidized childcare.

scholarly journals Acceptability of assisted reproductive technologies in Hong Kong, a very low fertility Asian city

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
J H Kim ◽  
S Y S Wong ◽  
R Chan ◽  
R Y Chan ◽  
T S Sumerlin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Heterosexual Couples ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Western Countries ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks

Abstract Background Although advances in medical technologies now allow greater reproductive options, the social acceptance of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has not been examined in East Asian countries which currently have the lowest fertility rates in the world and highly prohibitive regulations. Methods A cross-sectional telephone surveys interviewed 990 among Hong Kong Chinese adults (>18 years of age) in 2015 who were asked about their knowledge and attitudes towards various ART and their inclination to use ART. A focus group was conducted (n = 30) on physicians to examine the perceived barriers and benefits of integrating ART as routine offerings. Results Although nearly all adults (>92.0%) were familiar with ART procedures such as in vitro fertilization, sperm banking, and gestational surrogacy, attitudes supporting the use of these services and the inclination to use these services varied widely by socio-demographic attributes. Nearly one-third (31.5%) of women said that they would consider cryopreservation of their oocytes or embryos if they could afford it and 21.9% would encourage their female family members to do so. Although respondents considered sperm donation and embryo preservation to be well-accepted practices, support for these services was noticeably lower than in Western countries for unmarried individuals and homosexuals. Also, the vast majority of respondents were much more disinclined to use anonymous donor gametes than in Western countries. Among medical practitioners, the primary barriers to routine offering of these services to their clients was the perceived lack of cultural acceptance of these types of services. Conclusions Public support of assisted reproductive services for genetic offspring is well-accepted for heterosexual couples. Main Messages: Asian countries with sub-replacement fertility levels may consider integrating ART into their mainstream health services and updating their regulatory frameworks. Key messages Public support for assisted reproductive technologies is high for married couples only in Hong Kong. Given the sub-replacement fertility levels, cities in East Asia should consider updating regulatory frameworks to allow expansion of ART services.

Mind wandering as data augmentation: How mental travel supports abstraction

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myrthe Faber
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Data Augmentation ◽  
Mental Content ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Important Addition

Abstract Gilead et al. state that abstraction supports mental travel, and that mental travel critically relies on abstraction. I propose an important addition to this theoretical framework, namely that mental travel might also support abstraction. Specifically, I argue that spontaneous mental travel (mind wandering), much like data augmentation in machine learning, provides variability in mental content and context necessary for abstraction.

Sex Differences in Mass Media Preferences Across Four Asian Countries

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 186-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malini Ratnasingam ◽  
Lee Ellis
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
The United States ◽  
Female Students ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Evolutionary Explanation ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
The World ◽  
Media Preferences

Background. Nearly all of the research on sex differences in mass media utilization has been based on samples from the United States and a few other Western countries. Aim. The present study examines sex differences in mass media utilization in four Asian countries (Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore). Methods. College students self-reported the frequency with which they accessed the following five mass media outlets: television dramas, televised news and documentaries, music, newspapers and magazines, and the Internet. Results. Two significant sex differences were found when participants from the four countries were considered as a whole: Women watched television dramas more than did men; and in Japan, female students listened to music more than did their male counterparts. Limitations. A wider array of mass media outlets could have been explored. Conclusions. Findings were largely consistent with results from studies conducted elsewhere in the world, particularly regarding sex differences in television drama viewing. A neurohormonal evolutionary explanation is offered for the basic findings.

Adaptive and Maladaptive Neural Plasticity Due to Facial Nerve Palsy

2016 ◽  
Vol 224 (2) ◽  
pp. 102-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carsten M. Klingner ◽  
Stefan Brodoehl ◽  
Gerd F. Volk ◽  
Orlando Guntinas-Lichius ◽  
Otto W. Witte
Keyword(s):  
Facial Nerve ◽  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Cortical Plasticity ◽  
Brain Plasticity ◽  
Motor Nerve ◽  
Predictive Coding ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Cortical Reorganization ◽  
Nerve Lesion ◽  
Peripheral Facial Palsy

Abstract. This paper reviews adaptive and maladaptive mechanisms of cortical plasticity in patients suffering from peripheral facial palsy. As the peripheral facial nerve is a pure motor nerve, a facial nerve lesion is causing an exclusive deefferentation without deafferentation. We focus on the question of how the investigation of pure deefferentation adds to our current understanding of brain plasticity which derives from studies on learning and studies on brain lesions. The importance of efference and afference as drivers for cortical plasticity is discussed in addition to the crossmodal influence of different competitive sensory inputs. We make the attempt to integrate the experimental findings of the effects of pure deefferentation within the theoretical framework of cortical responses and predictive coding. We show that the available experimental data can be explained within this theoretical framework which also clarifies the necessity for maladaptive plasticity. Finally, we propose rehabilitation approaches for directing cortical reorganization in the appropriate direction and highlight some challenging questions that are yet unexplored in the field.

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