Journal of Family Research

Editorial: The ongoing internationalization of the Journal of Family Research

2023-12-08T14:49:28+00:00

Objective: To share notes and empirical developments of the internationalization of the Journal of Family Research.

Background: The Journal of Family Research underwent several transformations over the last couple of years, most notably, it shifted its focus toward the international research community.

Method: We describe the internationalization of authorship and of the countries under study using data extracted from JFR's published articles between 2015 and 2023.

Results: Both the authorship and the countries under study have internationalized over the observation period.

Conclusion: The internationalization of the Journal of Family Research is proceeding successfully.

Needing a child to be fulfilled? The relevance of social norms around childbearing desires in collective orientations and individual meanings

2024-01-17T06:23:47+00:00

Objective: This study examines collective orientations and individual meanings regarding a fulfilled life with the aim of answering the questions of which social norms around childbearing become relevant in the biographical fertility decisions of women and men, and how they do so.

Background: While the normative expectations of social networks have been found to be highly relevant for individuals who are in the process of deciding for or against childbearing, the findings are inconsistent and fragmented. This study contributes to the knowledge on this topic by examining social norms as normative and empirical expectations.

Method: In a qualitative approach, data from five focus groups (n=22) were triangulated with biographical interviews (n=9) with women and men of different ages and different family statuses across Austria. The in-depth analysis facilitated the reconstruction of collective orientations around childbearing desires and individual meanings.

Results: The desire for childbearing was identified as a gendered social norm, both in collective orientations and individuals’ meanings, long before and after fertility decisions were made. Strong relationalities to social norms around gendered responsibilities for (expectant) parents also shaped individual desires, particularly women’s.

Conclusion: The relationalities of childbearing desires and persistent gendered parenting norms entail gendered challenges. They are related to individual self-optimization and self-responsibility, and have the potential to hamper childbearing decisions.

The social stratification in parent-child relationships after separation: Evidence from Italy

2024-01-25T08:47:21+00:00

Objective: We investigate the association between parental separation during childhood and later parent-child contact frequency and whether it varies according to parental gender and education.

Background: Separated parents, particularly fathers, have fewer contacts with their adult children than partnered parents. However, recent research suggests that highly educated parents are more involved, as they invest more in children before and after union dissolution.

Method: Using data on young adult children (18-40) from two Italian surveys, random intercept models adjusted for sample selection bias were adopted to analyse the association between parental separation and later parent-child contact frequency.

Results: Our findings show that adult children who experienced parental separation have less frequent face-to-face and phone contact with their parents. The negative association is stronger among fathers, but mother-child face-to-face interactions are also affected. Higher education does not reduce the effect of separation but even worsens it, at least with regard to face-to-face contact frequency.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that in a country like Italy, characterised by a limited occurrence of separations and a traditional division of gender roles, particularly within the analysed parental cohorts, higher parental education does not mitigate the negative effects of divorce on parent-child relationships but may even exacerbate them.

Gender and policies on paid family care: Overview of debate and theoretical reflections

2024-02-05T06:27:41+00:00

Objective: This article discusses the implications of systematically including policies on paid family care in the concept of care policy for older people for theorizing the relationship between such policies and gender inequality.

Background: In theoretical debates about the relationship between gender and care policy, most welfare state researchers agree that policies that support extra-familial care promote women’s participation in formal, paid work and can thus reduce gender inequality. By contrast, the role of policies that offer pay and elements of social security for family care in promoting gender equality is up for debate.

Method: This article addresses the aforementioned debates’ key arguments by discussing the relationship between gender equality and care policies that actively support family caregivers. The argument is contextualized with examples of empirical findings from the literature.

Results: We argue that, to some degree and under specific conditions, new policies on paid family care have the potential to reduce gender inequality.

Conclusion: The article contributes to theoretical debates about gender and care policy by evaluating the implications of systematically including policies on paid family care in the study of care policy. This inclusion could clarify the circumstances under which policy support for family caregivers can contribute to fostering gender equality.

New forms of family care in cultural and institutional contexts. Introduction to the Special Collection

2024-02-05T06:32:35+00:00

Objective: This special collection aims to contribute to theory and research on the cultural and institutional contexts of care and on the relationship between care policies, gender and the family.

Background: Since the 1990s, many European welfare states have not only extended social rights and infrastructure related to extra-familial care, but have also expanded support for care by family members. So far, research on family care in the context of contemporary care policies remains scarce.

Method: The special collection’s seven articles present theoretical debates related to family care and apply research on cross-national differences and intergroup differences using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods.

Results: By taking a multidimensional perspective on family care for older people, the special collection offers new insights into institutional and cultural family care contexts, the social risks and scope of action connected with family care and the consequences of the development of care policies for the relationship between family, gender and care.

Conclusion: The special collection demonstrates that the systematic analysis of the development of family care in its institutional and cultural contexts, as well as the consequences for the development of social risks and scope of action connected with family care, enhances our understanding of the changing relationship between family, gender and care.

Parents' hourly wages in female same-sex and different-sex couples: The role of partner's gender and employers

2024-03-21T06:04:09+00:00

Objective: This research article investigates the relationship between parenthood and wages, considering the partner's gender and the influence of employers on wage trajectories for birth and non-birth mothers and fathers.

Background: It offers a novel examination whether the gender of the partner affects the wage outcomes for birth mothers and explores the differential impact of employers on wages for birth and non-birth mothers, using Dutch register data.

Method: Utilizing OLS regression, Heckman selection, and fixed-effects models, this study focuses on all Dutch couples who had their first child between 2008 and 2014 in the Netherlands, from two years prior to the birth until two years after birth.

Results: Consistent with human capital theory, the findings reveal a consistent and unfavourable wage development for birth mothers, regardless of whether they are in same-sex couples or different-sex couples. The wage development for non-birth mothers in female same-sex couples resembles that of fathers, showing a more positive trajectory compared to birth mothers. Furthermore, the analysis indicates that employers do not differentiate in their treatment of birth and non-birth mothers, suggesting that biological constraints associated with motherhood impact wages of birth mothers, while both their male and female partners’ wages do not decline.

Conclusion: The study contributes to the existing literature in family sociology, highlighting the need for policies and interventions that address the specific challenges faced by birth mothers in the labor market.

Change in maternal well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Did pre-pandemic social support and parenting stress buffer or aggravate mental health disparities among lone and partnered mothers in Germany?

2024-03-22T05:48:26+00:00

Objective: Our study aims to examine whether and how pre-pandemic conditions shaped change in well-being among partnered and lone mothers in Germany.

Background: The lives and daily routines of parents changed dramatically because of the pandemic, which affected their mental health. Particularly mothers reported increased psychological distress during the pandemic, which is likely related to the higher load of care responsibilities mothers shouldered to compensate for pandemic-related childcare and school closures. Yet mixed findings emerged on the pandemic’s impact on lone mothers, who were already suffering from poorer mental health compared to partnered mothers.

Method: We use longitudinal data from a probability sample surveyed before and during the pandemic to examine changes in maternal well-being (i.e., subjective psychological well-being and general life satisfaction), and differences between lone and partnered mothers in Germany (N = 3,578; 14.3% lone mothers at baseline).

Results: Socioeconomic status was positively associated with changes in maternal well-being, but no difference emerged between lone and partnered mothers. Although levels of pre-pandemic social support and parenting stress did not affect changes in maternal well-being among partnered mothers, these factors were associated with a less pronounced decline in maternal well-being among lone mothers.

Conclusion: The lack of differences between lone and partnered mothers could be due to implemented institutional safety nets for lone mothers, and increased relationship strain for partnered mothers, during the pandemic.

Do parenthood worries impede the birth of a second child? Differences according to the parent’s gender and spousal support in Finland

2024-04-22T07:38:38+00:00

Objective: This study examines the extent to which the experience of parenthood worries among Finnish first-time parents predicts the probability of a second birth, and whether the associations differ according to the parent’s gender or the sufficiency of spousal support in parenting.

Background: First-time parents’ withdrawal from having a second child has been connected to declining fertility rates in Finland and many other high-income countries; consequently, more understanding is needed about why parents potentially refrain from subsequent childbearing.

Method: We utilize longitudinal survey data collected from Finnish parents (N = 544) in three waves (2016–2020).

Results: The results show that experiencing parenthood worries significantly predicts the probability of a second birth. Specifically, the accumulation of parenthood worries predicted a lower probability of a second birth, and each additional worry decreased the probability significantly more for fathers compared to mothers. Although we found no gender differences regarding the associations between specific parenthood worries and the probability of a second birth, our results showed that fathers who worried about loneliness or having sole responsibility for parenting were less likely to have a second child than fathers with no such worries. In terms of the sufficiency of spousal support in parenting, we found, first, that among parents who received insufficient spousal support, those who worried about their parenting skills adequacy had a lower probability of a second birth than those with no such worries. Second, among parents with sufficient spousal support, worrying about their own ability to cope was associated with decreased probability of a second birth compared to those who did not experience such worry.

Conclusion: Our findings provide new insights into the potential influence of parenthood worries experienced by first-time parents and the role of spousal support in subsequent childbearing.