scholarly journals Uncertainty in fertility intentions from a life course perspective: Which life course markers matter?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Kristin Kuhnt ◽  
Lara Minkus ◽  
Petra Buhr
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Biological Clock ◽  
Fertility Intentions ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Fertility Decision ◽  
Reproductive Life ◽  
Reproductive Life Span

Objective: The aim of this study is to extend our knowledge about uncertainty in fertility intentions from a life course perspective. We want to find out if life course markers such as economic circumstances, relationship status, family size, and the so-called “biological clock” (getting older) influence uncertainty in fertility intentions. Uncertainty in fertility intentions is the state in which individuals are not sure whether they will have (more) children. Background: Determining what drives uncertainty in fertility intentions may lead to a better understanding of fertility decision-making and its outcomes. Method: We use German panel data (German Family Panel, pairfam) for three birth cohorts (1971-73, 1981-83, 1991-93), and employ multinomial fixed-effects logit models as well as bivariate analyses based on waves 1 to 11. Results: Uncertainty in fertility intentions is volatile across an individual’s life course, serving as a transitional phase between certainly intending and not intending to have any (more) children. Approaching the end of the reproductive life span (getting older), separating from a partner, having two or more children, and, for men, subjective economic fears increase the odds of being uncertain. Conclusion: By showing that uncertainty in fertility intentions is a volatile concept and that relevant life course markers shape this volatility, we provide new insights into the process of fertility decision-making.

scholarly journals A Longitudinal Study of Allostatic Load in Later Life: The Role of Sex, Birth Cohorts, and Risk Accumulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 419-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana van Deurzen ◽  
Bram Vanhoutte
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Body ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Wear And Tear ◽  
The Life Course

Are challenging life courses associated with more wear and tear on the biological level? This study investigates this question from a life-course perspective by examining the influence of life-course risk accumulation on allostatic load (AL), considering the role of sex and birth cohorts. Using biomarker data collected over three waves (2004, 2008, and 2012) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing ( N = 3,824) in a growth curve framework, AL trajectories over a period of 8 years are investigated. Our results illustrate that AL increases substantially in later life. Men have higher AL than women, but increases are similar for both sexes. Older cohorts have both higher levels and a steeper increase of AL over time. Higher risk accumulation over the life course goes hand in hand with higher AL levels and steeper trajectories, contributing to the body of evidence on cumulative (dis)advantage processes in later life.

USING A REPRODUCTIVE LIFE COURSE APPROACH TO UNDERSTAND CONTRACEPTIVE METHOD USE IN AUSTRALIA

2009 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
EDITH GRAY ◽  
PETER McDONALD
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Contraceptive Method ◽  
Contraceptive Use ◽  
Intrauterine Device ◽  
Oral Contraceptive Pill ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Fertility Intentions ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Reproductive Life ◽  
Contraceptive Practice

SummaryThis paper examines contraceptive method use at different stages of the reproductive life course. Previous research on contraceptive practice in developed countries typically applies age as a proxy for reproductive history. While age is an essential and useful life course measure for understanding contraceptive use, investigations of contraceptive practice should also consider parity and fertility intentions, as they may be more accurate measures of reproductive life course stage. Analysis is based on data collected in the 2005 Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, a nationally representative sample of women of reproductive age (18–44). For women at risk of pregnancy, the most commonly used methods are easily reversed methods such as the oral contraceptive pill (30%) and condom (23%), medium-term methods such as the intrauterine device and implantation (5%) and permanent methods (7% tubal ligation and 9% vasectomy of partner). Logistic regression models are used to investigate the use of four popular contraceptive methods by parity, age and fertility intentions controlling for socio-demographic factors. The main findings indicate that the use of these methods varies substantially by the stage of a woman's reproductive life course: age, parity and fertility intentions are all associated with method use.

Retirement Satisfaction for Retirees and their Spouses

2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah B. Smith ◽  
Phyllis Moen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Multivariate Logistic Regression ◽  
Retirement Decision ◽  
Joint Retirement ◽  
Spousal Influence

This study investigates factors related to retirees’ and their spouses’ individual and joint retirement satisfaction using decision-making theory and a life course perspective. The sample includes 421 retired respondents (ages 50 to 72) and spouses from the Cornell Retirement and Well-Being Study. Although 77% of retirees report retirement satisfaction, only 67% of their spouses are satisfied; even fewer couples (59%) report joint satisfaction. Multivariate logistic regression analyses reveal that retirees’ and spouses’ individual and joint reports of retirement satisfaction are related to perceptions of spousal influence on the retirement decision, with effects varying by gender. Those couples most likely to report being satisfied with retirement, individually and jointly, are retired wives and their husbands where wives reported that their husbands were not influential in their retirement decision. The results underscore the importance of regarding retirement as gendered and as both an individual- and a couple-level experience.

Crisis or Chronic Strain?

2017 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Vignes
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Recovery Period ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Age Difference ◽  
Spousal Loss ◽  
The Impact

This population-based study ( N = 908,468) examines the effects of spousal loss on being absent from work due to illness or injury (sickness absence) among employed individuals in Norway. Fixed-effects models capturing antecedent and short- and long-term effects of spousal loss over a 15-year period were estimated to explore gender and age differences in the impact of widowhood. The crisis model, the social-role model, and the life course perspective are discussed. Furthermore, the study calls into question whether parenthood explains the gendered age gradient of the widowhood effect. The results show that the theoretical relevance of the crisis and social-role models is best understood in dialogue with a gendered life course approach. The results show that the crisis response is especially high among young widowers, whereas the recovery period is markedly prolonged among young widows. Parenthood at the time of widowhood explains much of the age difference among widowers and widows.

scholarly journals Timing and determinants of age at menarche in low-income and middle-income countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. e003689
Author(s):  
Tiziana Leone ◽  
Laura J Brown
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Age At Menarche ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Fertility Survey ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries

IntroductionUnderstanding the timing and determinants of age at menarche is key to determining potential linkages between onset of puberty and health outcomes from a life-course perspective. Yet, we have little information in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) mainly due to lack of data. The aim of this study was to analyse trends in the timing and the determinants of menarche in LMICs.MethodsUsing 16 World Fertility Survey and 28 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) from 27 countries, we analysed cohort trends and used fixed-effects models for DHS surveys to investigate sociodemographic and regional effects in the timing of age at menarche.ResultsTrends of the mean age at menarche across time within and between countries show a declining or stalling path. Results of the determinant modelling show the relationship with wealth changes over time although not consistently across countries. We see a shift from poorer women having earlier menarche in earlier surveys to richer women having earlier menarche in later surveys in Indonesia, the Philippines and Yemen, while in Egypt, the reverse pattern is evident.ConclusionsThere is a considerable gap in both literature and data on menarche. We see a trend which is declining rapidly (from 14.66 to 12.86 years for the 1932 and 2002 cohorts, respectively), possibly at a faster pace than high-income countries and with a strong link to socioeconomic status. This study calls for menarche questions to be included in more nationally representative surveys and greater use of existing data because of its impact on life-course health in fast-ageing settings. Further studies will need to investigate further the use of the age at menarche as an indicator of global health.

scholarly journals Using a life course perspective to understand early labor market exits for people in their late 50s living in the UK

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Jon Swain ◽  
JD Carpentieri ◽  
Samantha Parsons ◽  
Alissa Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Birth Cohort Study ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

This paper explores the reasons why people exit the UK labor market early and some of the barriers working against them returning. The specific focus is a qualitative exploration of three out of work individuals, approaching the age of 60, each of whom had experienced poverty and periods of worklessness during their lifetime. The fieldwork took place in 2016 and was part of a wider mixed methods study about retirement, which used data from the 1958 birth cohort study. Researchers used narrative interviews to uncover the lived experiences and realities of these three people’s lives, and applied a life course perspective to understand how the accumulation of advantages and disadvantages during their lives shapes their attitudes and expectations. The data also show the effects of money, health, and previous employment on their decision making, and how structures such as social class, gender, and poverty are represented in and through the stories they tell.

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