Dimiter Philipov

Soon, later, or ever? The impact of anomie and social capital on fertility intentions in Bulgaria (2002) and Hungary (2001)

We use survey data from Bulgaria and Hungary to investigate the determinants of whether women intend to have a first or a second child and, if so, whether they intend to have the child within the ensuing 2 years or later. These determinants differ significantly by the order and timing of the intended birth. The variables used include measures of anomie and social capital and these appear to be among the factors that determine both whether to have a child and when. There is some evidence that these measures and economic factors are relatively more important in Bulgaria than in Hungary, and that ideational factors are more important in Hungary, particularly in the case of voluntary childlessness.

Family-related Gender Attitudes

This article discusses gender attitudes of adults aged below 40 towards the division of labour in the family. It presents a comparative analysis of ten European countries. Three dimensions of gender attitudes are considered: gender-role ideology, family consequences and economic consequences of women’s participation in work. The results indicate that modern gender roles, as described by the “gender ideology” dimension, are less prevalent in the former socialist CEE countries, as compared to Western European countries. Modern gender roles are least prevalent in familistic Italy, where the family consequences dimension is considered. Factors that have an effect on attitude formation do not reveal an explicit international pattern. Decreasing religiosity, higher education and women in work correlate positively with increasing preference in modern gender roles, but the results are not equal for the three dimensions. Intentions to become a parent seem to be correlated with the “gender ideology” and to a lesser extent with the “family consequences” dimension. In general, the gender-ideology dimension seems to best represent gender attitudes.

Reproductive Decision-Making in a Macro-Micro Perspective

This book provides new insights into the significant gap that currently exists between desired and actual fertility in Europe. It examines how people make decisions about having children and demonstrates how the macro-level environment affects micro-level decision-making. Written by an international team of leading demographers and psychologists, the book presents the theoretical and methodological developments of a three-year, European Commission-funded project named REPRO (Reproductive Decision- Making in a Macro-Micro Perspective). It also provides an overview of the research conducted by REPRO researchers both during and after the project. The book examines fertility intentions from quantitative and qualitative perspectives, demonstrates how the macro-level environment affects micro-level decision-making, and offers a multi-level analysis of fertility-related norms across Europe. Overall, this book offers insight into how people make decisions to have children, when they are most likely to act on their decisions, and how different social and policy settings affect their decisions and actions. It will appeal to researchers, graduate students, and policy advisors with an interest in fertility, demography, and life-course decision making.

Reproductive decision-making in a macro-micro perspective: A conceptual framework

This chapter lays the theoretical and methodological foundation for the book, Reproductive decision-making in a macro-micro perspective. It introduces the issues addressed in the book and the European Commission Seventh Framework funded collaborative research project, REPRO, on which it is based. A brief overview of the recent trend toward low fertility in Europe and the gap between desired and achieved family size at national levels (known as the fertility gap) is provided. The theoretical argument which follows is that, to understand macro-level trends in fertility, a thorough knowledge of micro-processes and how the macro- and micro-levels are interrelated, is necessary. A model of relationships between macro- and micro-levels is presented before a brief discussion of macro-level modelling which, in addition to its benefits, is at risk of errors arising from compositional effects and the ecological fallacy. The social psychological Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the framework adapted for micro-level modelling in this book, is presented here in a form specific to reproductive decision making. The chapter also includes discussion of issues associated with satisfactory integration of macro- and micro-level information, focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of comparative micro-studies and multi-level modelling.

Migration and Settlement in Bulgaria

This paper examines the recent evolution of Bulgarias population. It is part of IIASAs comparative study of migration and settlement patterns in its member nations. The paper presents a multiregional demographic analysis of fertility, mortality, and internal migration for a seven-region disaggregation of the Bulgarian state. The results give a detailed view of current spatial population dynamics in the country and offer valuable insights useful for the improvement of national population policy.

Reproductive decision-making: a milestone, and the road ahead

This chapter provides an overview of the main achievements of the REPRO project as reported in this volume and in other related publications by members of the REPRO team. It also considers limitations and discusses opportunities for future research that arise and are still to be addressed. Last but not least the chapter discusses the relevance of the REPRO approach for drawing policy implications.