This study offers a comprehensive international overview of children from separated families across 13 countries, with an emphasis on the European context. We investigate changes in the number of children experiencing parental separation over birth cohorts (1960–1989) and changes in their social composition using data from the Generations and Gender Survey and official statistics. Results on absolute

Age differences within couples are of considerable importance for the power relations between partners. These age differences become particularly relevant when couples transition to having a(nother) child, as such an event often results in a renegotiation of the gendered division of labor. Surprisingly, the literature on female empowerment and fertility postponement has so far paid little attention

The European Union's migration policy, as it plays out, is far from a coherent, deliberated program designed in Brussels or Strasbourg. But nor is it an amalgam of the separate policies on admission and residence, varying in effectiveness, of autonomous member states. Between these two figments, however, there is a widely held depiction of the EU reality: that of a North-South migration policy divide

In 2023, the Earth experienced unprecedented high temperatures and endured the hottest summer documented since 1880. The extreme temperatures coincided with the publication of Jeff Goodell's The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet. The book is essential and accessible reading on the dangers presented by heat for human populations, a guide to the actions needed to reduce these

An Epidemic of Uncertainty is a multicourse gourmet meal for demographers. It is a book to settle into, chew on, and ruminate over with good friends. Empirically dense, theoretically rich, and analytically smart, the book moves the reader effortlessly between sophisticated quantitative analyses and everyday village and town life in and around Balaka, Malawi. And it brings demography, in all its interdisciplinary

Individuals age at vastly different rates resulting in significant within-population heterogeneity in health and aging outcomes. This diversity in health and aging trajectories has rarely been investigated among low-income aging populations that have experienced substantial hardships throughout their lifecourses. Utilizing 2006–2019 data from the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health and

Heatwaves are among the most important global public health challenges of our time. Yet we know little about how exposure to heatwaves (as opposed to hot days) affects health at birth, which is a key contributor to health, development, and well-being in later life. This study addresses this shortcoming by investigating the relationship between in utero exposure to heatwave and birthweight by assessing

Studies on mothers’ time allocation and fertility have predominantly accentuated the importance of paid work for fertility decisions and, in consequence, of policies that allow combining paid work and family life. In this view, work time is typically seen as the time taken away from the family and vice versa. This paradigm does not recognize that mothers may need time for rest and leisure, and that

Assessments of countries’ longevity and its variability around the globe often rely on life expectancy (LE) but tend not to differentiate between the years spent in “good” or “less-than-good” health. We explore how the evolution of the healthy and unhealthy components of LE has shaped the composition of LE within countries, and the extent of LE inequality between countries. Using data from the Global

This paper presents new evidence on the interaction between demographic and occupational change in Europe over the last 25 years. We use data from the European Union Labour Force Survey covering six European countries. The analysis is based on a cross-sectional comparison between the population and employment distributions in 1995 and 2019. This strategy allows us to study the changing demographic

The refugee system is never static. Today's hosts can become tomorrow's refugees. (p. 248) The quote above—the very last sentence of this book—well represents the main message of the book. That is if we want to fully understand the world of refugees both for policy making and knowledge production, a systems approach is needed. Unlike the siloed approach, the systems approach analyzes the entire system

Partnering behavior is central to understanding fertility. Influential concepts, including singlehood, serial monogamy, and multiple-partner fertility, are frequently used to analyze partnering and childbearing dynamics. These concepts are evoked to understand individual and population-level patterns but are mainly analyzed at the individual level. We propose a measure for gauging the interplay between

The U.S. Census has grappled with public concerns about privacy since the first enumeration in 1790. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, census officials began responding to concerns about privacy with promises of confidentiality. In recent years, escalating concerns about confidentiality have threatened to reduce the usability of publicly accessible population data. This paper traces the history

How individuals perceive raising children varies across countries. Researchers seeking to explain this have tended to focus on variation in family policies across countries, arguing that having children is perceived more negatively in terms of cost and disturbance to parents’ freedom and careers in countries where less policy support for families is provided. In this study, I add to the literature

Skewed sex ratios have been found to increase crime and spread of diseases, as well as influence fertility decisions, gender roles, and economic development. I document the extent to which international and internal migration shape national and subnational sex ratios among young adults (SRYA). For this purpose, I analyze the data from the United Nations’ Urban and Rural Population by Age and Sex and

Previous studies explore the role of birth order in children's and adults’ outcomes. This literature usually provides evidence of disadvantage of children with higher birth order. A narrow strand of this literature explores the association between birth order and old-age mortality. This study re-visits the birth-order-longevity relationship using US data. We employ Social Security Administration death

Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs, which link transfers to investment in human capital in poor families, have spread around the world over the past two decades. This paper studies the medium-term effects of Progresa, the pioneering Mexican CCT program, on fertility using nationwide vital statistics combined with administrative data on program receipt. The effects of CCTs are likely to vary by

In response to the increasingly complex and heterogeneous immigrant communities settling in Europe, European countries have adopted various civic integration measures. Measures aiming to facilitate language acquisition are considered crucial for integration and cooperation between immigrants and natives. Simultaneously, the rapid expansion of social media usage is believed to change the factors affecting

The laws of history have nothing in common with a pedantic schematism. (28) –Leon Trotsky, 1930, The History of the Russian Revolution

Worldwide, children are enrolled in primary school in greater numbers than ever before. Nonetheless, school dropout rates are significant in many countries. A crucial factor in a child's education and potential for leaving school is their family's economic insecurity. Low-income households, in particular, are highly sensitive to food prices, and increases in the cost of food staples can force families

We use census microdata for Spain and the United States to examine gender differences in cross-national heterosexual couples (marriages and cohabitating unions involving natives and immigrant spouses). We examine whether native men and native women in cross-national couples exhibit similar patterns regarding the country of birth, age, and educational attainment of their international partners. Countries

Recognizing the prolonged, uneven, and evolving nature of the Covid-19 pandemic, this study provides one of the first dynamic, multilevel perspectives of women's fertility intentions in response to the pandemic and its multifaceted impacts. We examine how evolving individual- and community-level Covid-19 risk mechanisms and socioeconomic and life-course conditions are associated with continuity and

Only children's uniqueness has intrigued researchers for decades, but many gaps in knowledge remain as to whether only children differ from children who have siblings. We use data from four British birth cohorts (born in 1946, 1958, 1970, 2000–2002) to investigate cross-cohort differences in the composition of only child families and whether the association between being an only child and cognitive

This paper focuses on nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to explain fertility dynamics during the pandemic, while considering countries’ institutional context. We argue that containment policies disrupted people's lives and increased their uncertainty more in countries with weak welfare support systems, while health-related and economic support NPIs mitigated such disruptions much more there, as

We use monthly birth data collected by the Human Fertility Database to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on birth trends until September 2022 in 38 higher-income countries. We also present estimates of the monthly total fertility rate adjusted for seasonality. Our analysis reveals that the pandemic led to distinct swings in births and fertility rates. The initial pandemic shock was associated

This paper brings a new perspective to the population growth implications of the low fertility levels of European countries. For years between 2009 and 2018, whether constant fertility, mortality, and net migration would generate long-run population growth or population decrease is indicated simply and visually by comparison of the total fertility rate (TFR) to a migration-adjusted replacement level

While researchers provided insights on the impact of the pandemic on childbirths, there is limited research on how the aftermath of the pandemic has shaped thoughts about family formation in the medium to long term. Our analysis explores perceived consequences of the pandemic on individuals' family plans. We focus on Austria, a high-income country, characterized by a history of stable and low fertility

In times of crisis, real-time data mapping population displacements are invaluable for targeted humanitarian response. The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, forcibly displaced millions of people from their homes including nearly 6 million refugees flowing across the border in just a few weeks, but information was scarce regarding displaced and vulnerable populations who remained inside

An understanding of whether and how childbearing desires have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is key for explaining subsequent fertility patterns and fertility behavior in general, but empirical information is still lacking. Using a quasi-experimental cohort design and unique panel survey data collected before and after the outbreak of COVID-19, this study examines whether childbearing desires

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected gender inequalities in time spent on paid and unpaid work globally. Few studies outside of the Western context (i.e., countries in Australasia, Europe, or the Americas) have used longitudinal data to compare time use before and during the pandemic, focused on potential mechanisms through which the pandemic affects gender inequalities in time use, or examined the heterogeneous

Recent evidence suggests that women in high-income countries desired to delay or forgo childbearing due to COVID-19, yet there remains insufficient evidence of COVID-19's impact on fertility desires in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We examined how quantum and tempo of fertility intentions changed in the first year of COVID-19 and assessed the impact of

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted questions about individuals’ fertility intentions and decisions during such a large-scale, drawn-out crisis. In this paper, I ask how women who have not (yet) had children and who are nearing the end of their timeline for parenthood are making sense of the pandemic. Drawing on novel in-depth interview data conducted during the pandemic with over 100 women aged 35–50

Since the middle of the twentieth century, the global population has experienced rapid improvements in its quality of life. Incomes, wealth, life expectancy, and educational attainment have risen at historically unprecedented high rates, and poverty and hunger have declined. However, one dimension of human welfare has not improved: contemporary global income inequality is similar to the level estimated

Immigrant flows, settlement, and integration are shaped by nation-states, but Immigrant Agency: Hmong American Movements and the Politics of Racialized Incorporation by Sao Xiong Yang, reminds us that this is not always a one-way relationship. Laws and policies can also be shaped by immigrants. Typically, nations regulate population flows into and out of their territories, make and enforce laws about

In this entertaining but seriously argued book, the Covid-19 pandemic is cast as a stress-test for Britain's post-Thatcher society, a test which the country is found to have conspicuously failed. Written barely more than a year into the pandemic, the depiction of the country's Covid response as ill-prepared and ill-led might seem premature, but the authors' judgment does not seem to have been disproven

Extensive demographic scholarship shows that the population-level implications of mortality crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic extend beyond mortality dynamics to affect fertility and family-formation strategies. Using novel municipality-level data from Chile covering all births that occurred between January 2017 and December 2021, this study explores trends in fertility and implications of the COVID-19

This study examines the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on fertility in Norway at the individual level. Studies using data at the macrolevel have found a positive short-term effect of the pandemic on the fertility level in Norway, but women's fertility response to the pandemic may differ depending on their life situation. We use the first lockdown on March 12, 2020, as a marker of the pandemic and

We examine the joint consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for fertility and birth outcomes by drawing on full population administrative data from Spain. We find a surprising improvement in birth outcomes in November and to a less extent in December 2020 (eight to nine months after the first wave of the pandemic) compared with monthly trends in the 10 previous years (2010–2019). The improvement in

Single motherhood has increased throughout Europe. Single mothers assume the dual role of provider and caregiver and often need external support from public policies or kin to meet their needs. Research has focused primarily on public policies, disregarding the role of kin support—and of multigenerational coresidence in particular. This study provides the first detailed description of single mothers’

Child marriage and early childbearing severely impact maternal and child health as well as long-term economic outcomes. Given their continued high incidence, analyzing the feasibility of effective national interventions remains crucial. While cross-sectional surveys and a few small-scale randomized experiments suggest delays in marriage and childbearing associated with secondary schooling, the impact

The aim was to examine the mental and physical health trajectories of mothers, fathers, and children before and after union dissolution. Register data covering the entire Norwegian population, and including information on consultations with general practitioners in 2006–2018, were used. Constant unobserved characteristics were controlled for with individual fixed effects. As judged by the number of

In the post-Recession era, U.S. fertility rates have continued to fall. It is unclear if these declines are driven by shifts in fertility goals or growing difficulty in achieving goals. In this paper, we construct synthetic cohorts of men and women to examine both cross-cohort and within-cohort changes in fertility goals using multiple cycles of the National Survey of Family Growth. Although more recent

Not only whether but also when a union ends and how long individuals remain unpartnered subsequently is consequential for social and demographic outcomes. However, in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), information about the timing of union dissolution and the reproductive time “lost” due to union dissolution is lacking. We close this gap by applying standard indirect demographic techniques in a novel way to

As the title indicates, this large, edited volume is in the style of an encyclopedia: relatively brief chapters on a wide range of topics, with each chapter providing a straightforward overview of existing research literature and/or available empirical data. There are 45 chapters in total, organized in 10 sections: demographic training and research; marriage, fertility, SRH; gender; environment, health

Education is widely recognized as a top development priority by researchers and policy makers. Education raises human capital, incomes, employability, and economic growth and equips students with the skills they need to lead healthy, productive, and meaningful lives. Families around the world make great sacrifices to keep their children in good schools, and governments everywhere invest massively in

Motivated by the rise in premature mortality among working-age adults, we examine the association between adult familial deaths and the transition to motherhood. Although many deaths can be disruptive, deaths that occur sooner than expected and to certain family members (e.g., mothers) may prompt changes in resources, time available for parenting, or psychological understandings in ways that change

Indirect effects of conflict on mortality of vulnerable groups are as important, or more important, than the direct effects. However, data limitations and methodological challenges hinder the estimation of excess deaths produced by conflict, and few studies explore the mechanisms by which conflict harms civilian populations. We estimate the impact of the Malian conflict on child mortality over the

Between 2000 and 2015, the U.S. deported unprecedented numbers of Mexican immigrants. During the same period, the population of U.S.-born children living in Mexico doubled in size. This study estimates the number of U.S.-born children who emigrated to Mexico from the United States in order to accompany a deported parent: de facto deported children. The data come from the Mexican National Survey of

This article corrects: Revising the FP Quality of Care Framework in the Context of Rights-based Family Planning. Volume 47, Issue 3, 749–780, September 2021, article first published online 21 July 2021. In the article 12426 by Timothy W. Guinnane and Jochen Streb, the word ‘Marriages’ was replaced by ‘Births’ in the y-axis of figure 3 and the corrected figure is provided below

We live in an age of population alarmism. As of this writing, worries regarding population decline are increasing, both in the policy world and the public sphere. Media discourse on the subject ranges from predictable yet well-reasoned articles accompanying each annual release of the UN World Population Prospects, to Twitter histrionics from Elon Musk about the imminent demise of Japan and Italy. However

Prior research on early-life exposures to famine has established in utero development as a critical period of vulnerability to malnutrition. Yet, previous research tends to focus narrowly on this stage, at the expense of a more comprehensive examination of childhood. As a result, the literature has yet to compare the severity of the consequences of exposure to malnutrition across developmentally salient

Demography is a discipline with a relatively well-specified focus.11  https://iussp.org/en/about/what-is-demography On the other hand, sociology, as described by the editors of Handbook of Sociological Science: Contributions to Rigorous Sociology is “fragmented” since it lacks a common core of methodological basics for theoretical and empirical work. In fact, there are as many as 57 research committees

In the introduction to this handbook, the editors define population ethics as “the investigation of various ethical issues that arise when we consider how our actions affect both who is born and how many people are born” (p. 1). The field considers the number of people who exist, their well-being, and their characteristics. Since demography also covers these concepts, it would seem that population

During the present century, sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will experience more population growth than any other major region. There is intense debate about the consequences—for economic growth, for human development, for environmental degradation, and climate change—of the addition of several billion persons to a region that on average scores lower than other major regions on standard indicators of well-being

Published estimates of 2050 food demand exhibit an enormous range of values. This paper projects a 50–60 percent increase in total global food demand between 2019 and 2050. Our analysis indicates a substantial slowing of rice demand, a growing share of palm oil in world fats and oils markets, and a continued shift to poultry as the dominant form of meat consumption. In contrast to most existing food

The United States has experienced a sustained fertility decline, with those currently in their childbearing years facing unique constraints. Drawing from the Theory of Conjunctural Action and the Narratives of the Future framework, this work considers how objective and subjective socioeconomic conditions, psychosocial characteristics, and perceptions of well-being are linked to mothers’ and childless

This article examines the meaning of health among middle-aged and older adults in a rural South African setting, where 72 percent of adults aged 40 and over are living with a major chronic condition, and 81 percent report good or very good health. We draw on a unique mixed-methods dataset that includes a population-based survey with disease biomarkers (hypertension, diabetes, HIV), self-assessments

Why is maternal employment higher in rural than in urban India? Among the relevant supply-side factors, previous research has emphasized that rural work is more compatible with childcare. Results from the Indian Time Use Survey of 2019 show that hours of active maternal childcare are only slightly lower in rural areas, but the temporal and spatial flexibility of paid employment is much greater, making

This study examines how population aging shapes a crucial aspect of mental health and social well-being: loneliness. Drawing on theories of demographic metabolism, United Nations population estimates and projections, and survey data covering approximately 50 percent of the world's population aged 50 and above living in 27 countries, we estimate the role of population aging in shaping cross-national

International Handbook of Population and Environment is a thoughtfully constructed volume and an excellent introduction to a topic that demographers have been delinquent in addressing but which is now at the top of many research agendas. Following a helpful introduction by the editors, the volume begins with chapters on theoretical perspectives (both macro and micro), and data and methods. It then