Agnese Vitali

Diffusion of Childbearing Within Cohabitation

The article analyzes the diffusion of childbearing within cohabitation in Norway, using municipality data over a 24-year period (1988–2011). Research has found substantial spatial heterogeneity in this phenomenon but also substantial spatial correlation, and the prevalence of childbearing within cohabitation has increased significantly over time. We consider several theoretical perspectives and implement a spatial panel model that allows accounting for autocorrelation not only on the dependent variable but also on key explanatory variables, and hence identifies the key determinants of diffusion of childbearing within cohabitation across space and over time. We find only partial support for the second demographic transition as a theory able to explain the diffusion of childbearing within cohabitation. Our results show that at least in the first phase of the diffusion (1988–1997), economic difficulties as measured by increased unemployment among men contributed to the diffusion of childbearing within cohabitation. However, the most important driver for childbearing within cohabitation is expansion in education for women.

Living Arrangements of Second-Generation Immigrants in Spain: A Cross-Classified Multilevel Analysis

Vitali A. and Arpino B. Living arrangements of second-generation immigrants in Spain: a cross-classified multilevel analysis, Regional Studies. This paper analyses the living arrangements of second-generation immigrants in Spain. Cross-classified multilevel models and micro-census data enable two sources of heterogeneity to be taken into account simultaneously: the country of origin and the province of residence, while considering all main immigrants groups. Results show that the cultural heritage of the country of origin plays an important role in living arrangement decisions of second-generation immigrants; the province of residence effect is not negligible, even though less pronounced than that the country effect. This paper demonstrates how research on immigrants can benefit from multilevel cross-classified modelling.

Comparing Living Arrangements of Immigrant Young Adults in Spain and the United States

How and with whom young adults live is associated with their socioeconomic status. Migration experience further shapes preference and opportunity in choosing one’s living arrangement. Given limited literature on immigrant young adults living arrangements especially in a comparative perspective, this paper investigates the issue comparing Spain and the United States. Based on the 2000 US Census and the 2001 Spanish Census, the paper compares four forms of living arrangements (living alone, living with parents, living with a partner/spouse, and living in an extended family) between immigrants and the native-born and among immigrants in the two destination contexts. We focus on the role of age at migration and country of birth in living arrangements. The sample includes young adults aged 18–35 years and in the case of immigrants: those who migrated at age 1–16 years (n = 518,882 natives and 7,620 immigrants in Spain; 1,836,401 natives and 192,205 immigrants in the United States). Using multinomial logistic regression and controlling for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, it is found that immigrants’ living arrangements are more similar to those of the natives than to those of the same immigrant group in the other destination country. Immigrant young adults in Spain have more similar living arrangements to the native-born in Spain than to their fellow immigrants in the United States. There remains however substantial variation by age at migration and country of birth, with those migrated at young age and those born in Western Europe having the most similar living arrangements to the natives both in Spain and the United States.

Women as Main Earners in Europe

This paper conducts a cross-sectional empirical research aimed at documenting that couples with women as main earners represent a non-negligible share of the European populations today. We identify the socio-demographic characteristics of couples with women as main earners in comparison to couples with men as main earners and couples with equal-earners. We undertake a comparative and cross-temporal approach using micro-level survey data for 18 European countries from the European Social Survey and two years, 2004 and 2010, covering the period before and during the economic crisis.