David Lucas

Branch migration and the international dispersal of families.

This paper discusses the dispersal of facilities where family members migrate to different destination countries. Terminology for internationally dispersed families is proposed, and the term branch migration is suggested for the migration of related people from the same source country to different destination countries. Data from two 1993 surveys of senior secondary students show that 22% of Sydney students and 20% of Hong Kong students have relatives in two or more other countries. The data suggest that many Asian migrant families have branched between the US, Canada, Australia and other migrant-receiving nations. The causes and implications of the international dispersal of families are discussed.

Australian family planning surveys: some problems of comparability.

Recently, extremely high levels of pill use in New South Wales, Australia in 1972-73 were reported. However, these levels were considered implausible, partly because they were far higher than would be expected from the results, not only from the 1971 Melbourne Survey, but also from American, Canadian and British experience. This controversy reflects the problems of comparability of Australian data on family planning. Because of the uneven distribution of Australias population and its overall low population density of about 2 persons/square kilometer, national surveys are expensive and researchers tend to concentrate on specific parts of the country. This means that comparison has to be attempted between surveys with differing methods, populations, and geographical coverage. Because of the rapid changes in contraceptive technology, and in the legal constraints on birth control methods, comparability over time is difficult. This paper concentrates on 6 sample surveys taken in Australia in the 1970s. The 1971 Melbourne Family Survey was the 1st major survey of fertility and family planning in Australia. In 1972 fertility and family planning surveys were begun in New South Wales and in Victoria. In 1978, 2 surveys were conducted: a follow-up to the 1972 Victoria Survey and the Canberra Population Survey. In 1980 Consensus Research Pty. Ltd. undertook the analysis of a national survey on behalf of the Australian Womens Weekly. Among the marked demographic changes in the early 1970s were a delay in the 1st birth after marriage, a trend towards smaller families, a delay in marriage and greater sexual freedom before marriage. 1 limitation of the 1971 Melbourne and 1972-74 New South Wales surveys is that the results relate only to currently married women. The New South Wales survey has the lowest proportion (14%) using methods other than the pill and the highest proportion (42%) of nonusers. Because the proportions of nonusers in the 1971 Melbourne survey and 1972-73 New South Wales survey are so close (37% against 42%), the percentages associated in Melbourne with the reasons for nonuse (trying to become pregnant, pregnancy, and infecundity) are equally applicable to New South Wales. Comparison with the rates of nonuse in the Victoria samples is not possible because of exclusion of persons not considered sexually active by the general practitioner. 3 surveys--the Voice of the Australian Woman, the 1977 Melbourne follow-up and the 1978 Canberra Population Survey--indicate that women with higher education are less likely to be sterilized. Partly as a result of its nonparticipation in the World Fertility Survey, Australia is at a considerable disadvantage because of its lack of national family planning data. However, the switch from oral contraceptives to sterilization is well marked. Whereas the IUD has maintained its popularity, natural methods are shown to be of declining importance.

A note on the mortality of british troops in Australia and New Zealand 1788–1864

TheMonthly Returns to the War Office in London are used to calculate death and sickness rates for British troops in Australia and New Zealand. In the first half of the century death rates peak in 1835–39 before declining, and are generally lower than for troops stationed in Britain. The sickness rates show no clear trend, apparently because of the impact of epidemics and war.

Sterilization in Canberra

The discussion in this article uses data from the 1979 Canberra Population Survey to assess the degree and nature of the resistance to the use of sterilization, particularly male sterilization. In the 1979 Canberra Population Survey, respondents were asked what methods of contraception they would recommend to a couple who had completed their family. About 2/3 recommended sterilization, with vasectomy a more popular 1st choice, particularly for male respondents, than tubal ligation. Compared to 20% of the 1978 sample, 27% of the 1979 sample reported use of sterilization; the increase may reflect not only the increasing popularity of sterilization, but also improved reporting. The 1979 survey provides some confirmation of the forecast that 60% of Australian couples would use contraceptive sterilization as a method of birth control in their fertile lifetime. However, the forecast that the importance of vasectomy may come to equal that of tubal ligation seems highly unlikely, even though there seems to be some recognition by Canberra respondents that vasectomy is simple, safe and reliable. Data from the Canberra survey shows that although a majority of respondents would use sterilization, female sterilization would be preferred largely because men were more resistant to the idea than females. Other researchers have commented on the feeling that fertility decisions and contraception are ultimately the wifes concern. Respondents born outside Australia, the United Kingdom, and Eire were more resistant to the idea of sterilization, but reported higher use of tubal ligation. It is presently suggested that the choice of vasectomy or tubal ligation, or resistance to these methods, may in fact be important indicators of the assimilation of immigrants and of husband-wife communication of Australia. Future studies of sterilization in Australia might profit from focusing on sterilizationas an independent rather than a dependent variable.

Australian demography at the millennium

This paper looks backwards over the last ten years to see what topics might concern Australian demographers in the future. The possibility of convergence or ’sameness’ is considered, but not proven. The main areas considered are historical demography, mortality, fertility, marriage, fertility regulation, internal migration, international migration, human resources, ageing, forecasting, the family life cycle, policy, and gender.

Fertility and family planning in Papua New Guinea a comment.

This paper comments on the use of contraceptives by the rural and urban women of Papua New Guinea. Agyei found that modern methods of contraception (pill injection loop condom) were currently used by 13% of rural and 20% of urban Papua New Guinea women. This is substantially more than the estimate given in the final draft of the National Health Plan 1986-90 of 7% of women of childbearing age using any method. An explanation for this difference could be that the official estimate is based on service statistics which understate contraceptive use. Another is that Agyeis single stage sample design may have over-represented current users. Because some provinces were not included in his sample more details of the selection of 65 cluster units are needed. Unpublished tabulations from the 1980 sample census indicate that only 5% of the urban women aged 15-49 were employed in professional and technical occupations compared with 10% in professional occupations alone in Agyeis sample. Agyeis unemployed category must refer to persons with no occupation or to persons not employed. It is not indicated whether either the rural or urban sample includes the census category rural village. The 1971 census found that 73% of all women aged 15 and over had never attended school while the 1980 census found that 83% of all Papua New Guinea females aged 5 years and over and not at school had no education. In Agyeis sample only 37% of rural women and 23% of urban women had no education. Overall there appears to be some indication that Agyeis sample may overrepresent women with some education and with higher status occupations. This could explain why Agyeis usage rates are substantially higher than other estimates.