Christoph Bühler

Learning from others and receiving support: the impact of personal networks on fertility intentions in Poland

ABSTRACT Research about fertility has focused in the main on studying separately the influence of communication networks and social capital on reproductive behavior, but it has rarely tried to integrate both network properties theoretically or analytically. We therefore discuss a general model of purposeful behavior that perceives individuals’ subjective perceptions of the utilities of different courses of action to be affected by structures of interpersonal influence. Resources needed to realize desired goals are furthermore shaped by exchange relationships that build social capital. These considerations are empirically applied to explanations of the intentions of 758 Polish men and women ever to have a first, second, or third child. Personal networks are especially relevant for the considerations to have a first or second child. The intentions of childless respondents are positively influenced by network partners who are at a similar stage of their reproductive biographies or who have already taken the step of having a first child. However, respondents with one child have a higher probability of intending to have a second child the more they have access to fertility-related social capital.

Social Networks and Fertility

Social networks receive an increasing emphasis in theories of fertility change. In contexts where modern family planning constitutes an innovation, interaction in social networks can affect the spread of new ideas and methods of fertility limitation through the processes of social learning, joint evaluation, and social influence. This article first explores the theoretical arguments that explain why social networks are relevant for understanding fertility behavior. It then presents evidence that social networks exhibit important influences on contraceptive behavior and fertility, and it discusses the implications of social networks for understanding fertility dynamics.

The demography of Europe

Over the past decades Europe has witnessed fundamental changes of its population dynamics and population structure. Fertility has fallen below replacement level in almost all European countries, while childbearing behavior and family formation have become more diverse. Life expectancy has increased in Western Europe for both females and males, but has been declining for men in some Eastern European countries. Immigration from non-European countries has increased substantially, as has mobility within Europe. These changes pose major challenges to population studies, as conventional theoretical assumptions regarding demographic behavior and demographic development seem unfit to provide convincing explanations of the recent demographic changes.This book, derived from the symposium on “The Demography of Europe” held at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany in November 2007 in honor of Professor Jan M. Hoem, brings together leading population researchers in the area of fertility, family, migration, life-expectancy, and mortality. The contributions present key issues of the new demography of Europe and discuss key research advances to understand the continent’s demographic development at the turn of the 21st century.

Der Einfluss starker Beziehungen auf die Nutzung moderner Kontrazeptiva in Kenia / The Influence of Strong Ties on the Use of Modern Contraceptives in Kenya

Zusammenfassung Der nachhaltige Rückgang der Geburtenentwicklung in Kenia ist neben fortschreitenden gesellschaftlichen Prozessen der Modernisierung und Urbanisierung auch auf die vermehrte Nutzung moderner Verfahren der Familienplanung zurückzuführen. Die wachsende Akzeptanz moderner Kontrazeptiva in der kenianischen Gesellschaft ist das Ergebnis eines fortschreitenden Diffusionsprozesses. Informelle kommunikative Beziehungen nehmen in diesem Prozess eine Schlüsselrolle ein, indem Akteure, die bereits moderne Kontrazeptiva nutzen, andere Akteure im Rahmen alltäglicher Kommunikation beeinflussen, diese Methoden ebenfalls zu verwenden. Der Grad dieser Beeinflussung hängt unter anderem davon ab, wie weit Nutzer und potenzielle Nutzer über starke Beziehungen miteinander verbunden sind. Starke Beziehungen sind in Prozessen interpersonaler Beeinflussung von Bedeutung, da sie zum einen Strukturen normativer Handlungserwartungen schaffen und zum anderen Quellen zuverlässiger Informationen sind. Daten über 740 mündlich befragte Kenianische Frauen, die im Rahmen des Kenyan Diffusion and Ideational Change Project gewonnen wurden, stützen die Bedeutung starker Beziehung im Kontext individueller Entscheidungen, moderne Kontrazeptiva zu nutzen oder nicht zu nutzen. Die empirischen Ergebnisse zeigen signifikante Assoziationen zwischen der Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass eine Befragte moderne Kontrazeptiva verwendet, und starken Beziehungen zu Nutzern und Nichtnutzern moderner Kontrazeptiva in ihren kommunikativen Netzwerken. Hierbei ist aber von Bedeutung, zu welchem Personenkreis starke Beziehungen existieren. Starke Beziehungen zu Freunden oder Mitgliedern der Ursprungsfamilie besitzen einen größeren Einfluss als starke Beziehungen zu Personen des unmittelbaren häuslichen Umfelds. Summary The persistent decline of fertility in Kenya has been attributed to increasing modernization and urbanization as well as to the increased use of modern family planning methods. The growing acceptance of modern contraceptives in Kenya is the result of a diffusion process. Informal communication networks are a key factor in this process because as part of day-to-day interaction and communication participants, who already use modern contraception influence others to use these methods. This influence depends - among other things - on the extent to which users of modern contraceptives and potential users of these methods are connected by strong ties. In particular, such ties are relevant for social influence because they create structures of normative expectations and constitute sources of reliable information. This paper is based on data from 740 women participating in the Kenyan Diffusion and Ideational Change Project, and our analyses support the role of strong ties for women’s decisions to employ modern contraceptives. In particular, the empirical results show significant associations between a woman’s probability of using modern contraception and strong ties to users and non-users in her social network. Moreover, our analyses also reveal the particular relevance of the social relationships associated with strong ties. For instance, strong ties to friends or members of the parental family exert a greater influence on contraceptive decisions than strong ties to persons in the immediate household.