Michael Feldhaus

Family Research from the Life Course Perspective

This article presents an argument for overcoming some of the limits of current family research. To start, some major research questions concerning the future challenges of demographic change and its implications for modern welfare states are addressed. The authors propose an agenda for making progress in this field via two interrelated steps. First, they propose an integration of theoretical approaches explaining family dynamics and design a conceptual framework to model couples and family dynamics as a process of purposeful individual action and decision-making over the life course. Second, methodological requirements of family research from this theoretical perspective are identified. Conclusions are drawn with regard to longitudinal data collection covering all dimensions of couples and family dynamics and not just the structural dimensions.

Living Apart Together and Living Together Apart: Impacts of Partnership-Related and Job-Related Circular Mobility on Partnership Quality

This article focuses on a better understanding of the influence of partnership and job mobility on the quality of partnerships. Different types of job-related mobility (short-time commuter, long-time commuter, non-mobiles) and three types for partnership-related mobility (overnighters, short-distance relationships, and long-distance relationships) are included for analyzing the impacts on partnership quality, using data from the first wave of the German Family Panel. Among men faced with more demanding job-related mobility we found a positive effect on partnership quality and a negative of living in a long distance relationship. Among women, both effects are negative, but not significant. Furthermore, we analyzed variables that have been emphasized in previous research as important mediating factors (such as sexual satisfaction, conflicts, relatedness, autonomy, and commitment). Looking at these mediating variables the results show that among individuals with partnership-related mobility, sexual satisfaction, conflicts, relatedness, and autonomy have positive indirect effects for men and women on partnership quality. With regard to job-related mobility, we find a positive indirect effect of reduced conflicts for long-distance commuting men, and a positive indirect effect among long-time commuting women with regard to relatedness and autonomy. The results support the interpretation that living apart together matters more than living together apart.

Fortsetzungsfamilien in Deutschland: Theoretische Überlegungen und empirische Befunde

In den letzten Jahrzehnten hat sich die strukturelle und distributive Vielfalt familialer Lebensformen in Deutschland erheblich verandert. Steigende Trennungs- und Scheidungsquoten sowie sich daran anschliesende neue Partnerschaften und Wiederverheiratungen haben dazu gefuhrt, dass das traditionelle Modell der Familie an Dominanz verloren hat und sich in vielfaltiger Hinsicht Fortsetzungsfamilien gebildet haben. Der vorliegende Beitrag diskutiert zunachst die begrifflichen Schwierigkeiten, die im Kontext der Bezeichnung von Fortsetzungsfamilien auftreten, bevor daran anschliesend die einzelnen spezifischen familialen Subtypen definiert werden. Im empirischen Abschnitt wird die Verbreitung von Fortsetzungsfamilien und die damit auftretende Komplexitat ihrer Messbarkeit dargestellt. Ein Ausblick auf die bisherige Forschung zu Fortsetzungsfamilien und einige Anmerkungen zu weiteren offenen Forschungsfragen runden dieses Kapitel ab.

Does music help children grow up? Parental views from a longitudinal panel study:

Previous research has identified families as hubs for musical development, but little is known about the reciprocal effects on familial dynamics. Here, we address the long-term associations between familial music and parental perceptions of their children’s personality. To these ends, we analysed a subset of data from the German Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics study, a longitudinal cohort study. A total of 839 data sets from parents with their children, covering four waves over a period of six years, served as our database. The frequency of engagement in Singing and Playing Musical Instruments, Reading Books or Storytelling and Shopping represented independent measures, whereas the ratings of Prosocial Behaviour, Intimacy, Admiration, and Conflicts served as dependent measures in the panel regression models. A substantial decline in everyday activities was noted as children grew older, with the exception of Shopping. Parental education, but not family net income, was found to be correlated with familial music activities. These activities were correlated with three facets of children’s personality, Prosocial Behaviour, Intimacy, and Admiration, based on both fixed- and random-effects models. The correlations, however, were partially weakened when Reading or Storytelling and Shopping were entered into the models. Our findings suggest that familial music activities may exert long-term and causal influences on familial dynamics, as reflected through important facets of children’s personality.

Veränderte Konstellationen von Elternschaft in der Gegenwart

Zusammenfassung: Der vorliegende Artikel zeigt die hohe Komplexität gegenwärtiger Elternschaftskonstellationen und Familienstrukturen auf, bei denen sich eine besondere Dynamik insbesondere infolge der Trennung der Eltern bzw. deren Wiederverheiratung zeigt. Im Beitrag wird diskutiert, welche Herausforderungen solche Neukonstellationen insbesondere für Eltern und Kinder mit sich bringen. Darüber hinaus wird untersucht, ob sich unterschiedliche Familientypen im Blick auf Rollenerwartungen, Familiennormen und Eltern-Kind-Beziehungen voneinander unterscheiden. Hierbei zeigen sich insbesondere für Stieffamilien und Alleinerziehende deutliche Unterschiede.

Fertility intentions and residential relocations

This research addresses the question of whether fertility intentions (before conception) are associated with residential relocations and the distance of the relocation. We empirically tested this using data from two birth cohorts (aged 24–28 and 34–38 in the first survey wave) of the German Family Panel (pairfam) and event history analysis. Bivariate analyses showed that coupled individuals relocated at a higher rate if they intended to have a(nother) child. We found substantial heterogeneity according to individuals’ age and parental status, particularly for outside-town relocations. Childless individuals of average age at family formation—a highly mobile group—relocated at a lower rate if they intended to have a child. In contrast, older individuals who already had children—the least-mobile group—relocated at a higher rate if they intended to have another child. Multivariate analyses show that these associations are largely due to adjustments in housing and other living conditions. Our results suggest that anticipatory relocations (before conception) to adapt to growing household size are importantly nuanced by the opportunities and rationales of couples to adjust their living conditions over the life course. Our research contributes to the understanding of residential mobility as a by-product of fertility decisions and, more broadly, evidences that intentions matter and need to be considered in the analysis of family life courses.

„Hartz“ oder Herz?

Die sozialpolitische Diskussion um die Auswirkungen der Arbeitsmarktreform von 2005 und der Einführung des Arbeitslosengelds II auf partnerschaftsbezogene Dynamiken wird selten mittels empirischer Daten fundiert. Anhand der Daten des deutschen Beziehungs- und Familienpanels (pairfam) ist erstmals eine Analyse der Einflüsse sozialstaatlicher Regelungen, struktureller Faktoren und partnerschaftlicher Indikatoren auf partnerschaftliche Prozesse möglich. Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht, ob die Vermutung dass Arbeitslosengeld-II-Beziehende aufgrund der Anrechnung von Partnereinkommen eher nicht mit einem Partner oder einer Partnerin zusammen ziehen, tatsächlich zutrifft oder nicht, und welche weiteren Faktoren hierbei mit in die Analysen einbezogen werden sollten. Die Daten bestätigen einen negativen signifikanten Zusammenhang zwischen dem Bezug von Arbeitslosengeld II und der Intention zum Zusammenzug mit dem Partner/ der Partnerin. Allerdings zeigt sich auch, dass diese Effekte an Bedeutung verlieren, wenn weitere partnerschaftliche Indikatoren (Bildung Partnerschaftsdauer, Partnerschaftszufriedenheit, Unabhängigkeit, traditionelle Werteinstellungen, Commitment, Intimität und Vertrautheit) berücksichtigt werden.