Previous studies register a trend toward more egalitarian attitudes since 70s. However little cha... more Previous studies register a trend toward more egalitarian attitudes since 70s. However little changes are observed after the mid-1990. The same stall is observed in women and men domestic hours. Some authors posit the emergence of a “new cultural frame”: egalitarian principles had been interiorized, while prioritization of children makes the couples to choose a more traditional framework concerning the division of domestic labour. This hypothesis is difficult to test with quantitative data. Our first aim is to explore the existence of an “egalitarian essentialism” at individual level trough a qualitative analysis of 18 in-depth interviews. The questions asked are particularly suitable to this purpose as they measure women’s and men’s gender attitudes, together with prioritization of children. In a second step, man’s and woman’s gender attitudes will be related to their fertility intentions. Introduction Individual gender attitudes are of overall importance for a change toward a grea...
Delaying the start of childbearing raises the issue of fertility postponed versus fertility foreg... more Delaying the start of childbearing raises the issue of fertility postponed versus fertility foregone. One of the limits of previous studies of ``How late can you wait?'' is the difficulty of controlling for sexual activity. Data on the frequency and timing of intercourse within a menstrual cycle are uncommon. We use such data from the Menstrual Cycle Fecundability Study to study ``Can we wait until the early 30s?''. We model the effect of age on conditional fecundability, i.e., the probability of conception given that the couple is not sterile, simultaneously controlling for the effect of primary sterility and the frequency and timing of intercourse in each menstrual cycle. Can we wait until the early 30s for a first birth? Our evidence is yes (providing you are not already sterile) as the increase in the mean waiting time to conception is very modest and of little practical importance.
BACKGROUND Previous studies have shown that nonmarital cohabitation is socially diffused. However... more BACKGROUND Previous studies have shown that nonmarital cohabitation is socially diffused. However, to our knowledge, no studies exist on spatial aspects of the diffusion. This article examines the spatial diffusion process of nonmarital cohabitation in Belgium. OBJECTIVE This study aims to answer the following questions: What is the spatial diffusion pattern of nonmarital cohabitation in Belgium? In which areas did nonmarital cohabitation increase first, and which areas are resistant to this demographic change? How has this diffusion taken place geographically?
Demographers, epidemiologists and clinicians have long been interested in the estimation of age-s... more Demographers, epidemiologists and clinicians have long been interested in the estimation of age-specific fecundability. With the progressive postponement of age at family formation in Western countries, this topic has recently become the focus of renewed attention. In order to correctly estimate the effect of biological ageing on fecundability it is crucial to collect detailed information through a rigorous study design and to apply suitable models for analysing time to pregnancy data. In this article we discuss some methodological problems concerning the study of fecundability and its dependence on biological ageing. We also present the Multinational Study in Daily Fecundability which has produced a very rich database with detailed behavioural and physiological information prospectively collected on every cycle. Finally, we review some results on age effects obtained from these data. Our findings show that the decline in fecundability from age 28 to age 33 is not statistically significant and very modest. The results presented here do not appear to be particularly alarming with regard to the postponement of conception of the first child from age 28 to 33. This postponement could however lead to attempts to conceive a second child after age 35, when fecundability starts to decrease rapidly and when the risk of genetic disorders increases.
Topics in Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 2016
The paper analyzes the impact of life course events, and in particular of parenthood, on the paid... more The paper analyzes the impact of life course events, and in particular of parenthood, on the paid and unpaid working activity of dual-earner couples in Italy. To this purpose, we use the panel dataset provided by the 2003--2007 Istat Multipurpose Survey. To correct misspecification due to unobserved variables, we adopt a difference-in-differences specification of simultaneous equations of market and domestic work supply. Our results show that the negative effect of transition to parenthood on female paid work supply is stronger than the positive effect of wages.
BACKGROUND Strong relationships with relatives may alleviate the consequences of stressful experi... more BACKGROUND Strong relationships with relatives may alleviate the consequences of stressful experiences, but the evidence documenting such 'buffering effect' during parenthood is scarce. OBJECTIVE This paper investigated the buffering effect of relationships with relatives during parenthood in Switzerland. We tested whether relationships with relatives (network size, frequency of contact, and availability of practical and emotional support) were activated in response to parenthood, and if people who had stronger relationships with their relatives experienced more positive trajectories of life satisfaction during parenthood. METHODS We used Swiss Household Panel data for the years 2000-2011, and fixed effect regression models. RESULTS The birth of a first child was associated with an increase in mothers' contact with nonresident relatives. Moreover, parents with at least two children who had better access to support from relatives experienced more increase and less decline in life satisfaction during parenthood than parents who had less access to relatives' support. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that the support of relatives is a resource for parents having two or more children and that it improves the experience of parenthood even in a relatively wealthy society.
The objective of the paper is to shed light on mechanisms behind Italian women’s satisfaction wit... more The objective of the paper is to shed light on mechanisms behind Italian women’s satisfaction with the division of domestic work with partner. Using a two-wave panel dataset (2003 and 2007) corresponding to the Italian version of Generations and Gender Surveys (GGS), we are interested to ascertain the impact of life course events, such as transition to motherhood and transition from cohabitation to marriage on women’s satisfaction. In addition, we will focus on impact of changes in hours of housework and in hours of employment of partners. Changes in formal and informal external support both in care and domestic work and their impact on satisfaction will be also taken into account. We assume that women having a baby are on average more satisfied than women who have not a baby. Because of this selection effect, previous studies underestimate the negative effect of parenthood on woman’s satisfaction with division of domestic work. With reference to the years immediately after the birth of a child, the difference-in-differences (DID) parameterization lets us to disentangle the selection effect and the motherhood effect. Our results show that happier women are more likely to experience motherhood in the 2003-2007 time interval, but we also find a strong negative net effect of transition to motherhood on woman’s satisfaction. This negative effect is even emphasized for those women who share with their partners a more egalitarian gender ideology and for women residing in the South of Italy.
The paper analyzes the impact of life course events, as transition to parenthood, on paid and unp... more The paper analyzes the impact of life course events, as transition to parenthood, on paid and unpaid working activity of employed and married (or cohabiting) women and their partners in Italy. To this purpose Istat Multipurpose Panel Survey in the years 2003 and 2007 is used. The methodological approach here proposed to correct misspecification effects is a Difference-in-Differences specification of simultaneous equations of market and domestic work supply. Estimation results show that the negative effect of transition to parenthood on female paid work supply is stronger than the positive effect of wage.
Abstract The aim of this study is to assess the gender attitudes influence on the partners’ alloc... more Abstract The aim of this study is to assess the gender attitudes influence on the partners’ allocation of both paid and unpaid work hours when they experienced the transition to parenthood. To this purpose, we use a cluster-based classification of couples according to gender attitudes. The classification gives dummies that are added as explanatory variables in a Difference-in-Differences estimation procedure. We adjust for endogeneity of fertility on working activities by introducing a specific instrumental variable. For the empirical analysis we use data on Italian married and cohabiting couples provided by the Istat Multipurpose Panel Survey in the years 2003 and 2007.
The effect of transition to parenthood on the labour division of Italian couples is estimated ado... more The effect of transition to parenthood on the labour division of Italian couples is estimated adopting a Difference-in-Differences specification of simultaneous equations of paid and unpaid work. In addition, a cluster-based classification of couples is provided to identify the influence of gender and familistic beliefs on partners’ division of labour. For the empirical analysis we use data on Italian couples provided by the Istat Multipurpose Panel Survey in years 2003 and 2007.
The aim of this study is to assess the gender attitudes influence on the partners' allocation of ... more The aim of this study is to assess the gender attitudes influence on the partners' allocation of both paid and unpaid work hours when they experienced the transition to parenthood. To this purpose, we use a cluster-based classification of couples according to gender attitudes. The classification gives dummies that are added as explanatory variables in a Difference-inDifferences estimation procedure. We adjust for endogeneity of fertility on working activities by introducing a specific instrumental variable. For the empirical analysis we use data on Italian married and cohabiting couples provided by the Istat Multipurpose Panel Survey in the years 2003 and 2007.
Recently there has been increasing interest in the estimation of age-specific fecundability as a ... more Recently there has been increasing interest in the estimation of age-specific fecundability as a result of the progressive postponement of age at family formation in Western countries. It must be noted, however, that the possible negative effects of the postponement could act not only on the physiological component of the ability to conceive but also on the behavioural component (i.e., sexual activity). The main aim of our study was to verify if, the desire to have a child being equal, the coital frequency decreases in one's 30s as compared to the 20s. For our analysis we used the data from the Multinational Study in Daily Fecundability (MSDF), which has produced a very rich database with behavioural and physiological information prospectively collected on every cycle. We found empirical evidence that the desire to have a child only partially compensates for the decline of coital frequency with age.
Background In November 2009 the Research Center on Demography and Societies (Centre de Recherche ... more Background In November 2009 the Research Center on Demography and Societies (Centre de Recherche en Démographie et Societies, Louvain-la-Neuve) organized its 35 th Quetelet seminar. The main theme was" Population Policies in Europe and North America."
SummaryPostponing the start of childbearing raises the question of fertility postponed versus fer... more SummaryPostponing the start of childbearing raises the question of fertility postponed versus fertility foregone. One of the limitations of previous studies of ‘How late can you wait?’ is that any observed decline in the probability of conception with age could be due to a decline in fecundability with age or due to a decline in coital frequency with age or due to both factors. Using data from a multinational longitudinal study conducted to determine the daily probability of conception among healthy subjects, a discrete-time event history model with long-term survivors (sterile population) is used to study the relationship between age and fecundability for childless women, while controlling for the pattern of intercourse within a menstrual cycle. The findings suggest that women can wait until their early thirties to try for a first birth, providing that they are not already sterile, as the magnitude of the decline in fecundability is very modest and of little practical importance.
Individual data on menstrual cycles of noncontracepting women living in Western countries were us... more Individual data on menstrual cycles of noncontracepting women living in Western countries were used in order to verify whether the biological seasonality of conception persists after sexual behavior is controlled for. Episodes of intercourse were recorded daily, and the time of ovulation was detected by a marker. We find that the seasonality of conception changes with woman’s age and frequency of episodes of sexual intercourse. In particular, for women aged 27–31 having only one act of intercourse during the six most fertile days of the menstrual cycle, the seasonality of fecundability is stronger. In this age group in the Northern Hemisphere, if seasonality of acts of sexual intercourse is controlled, the monthly distribution of probability of conception is bimodal, with two maxima (September and January) and two minima (December and March). When unobserved characteristics of the couples are considered, this seasonal pattern of conception persists.
Previous studies register a trend toward more egalitarian attitudes since 70s. However little cha... more Previous studies register a trend toward more egalitarian attitudes since 70s. However little changes are observed after the mid-1990. The same stall is observed in women and men domestic hours. Some authors posit the emergence of a “new cultural frame”: egalitarian principles had been interiorized, while prioritization of children makes the couples to choose a more traditional framework concerning the division of domestic labour. This hypothesis is difficult to test with quantitative data. Our first aim is to explore the existence of an “egalitarian essentialism” at individual level trough a qualitative analysis of 18 in-depth interviews. The questions asked are particularly suitable to this purpose as they measure women’s and men’s gender attitudes, together with prioritization of children. In a second step, man’s and woman’s gender attitudes will be related to their fertility intentions. Introduction Individual gender attitudes are of overall importance for a change toward a grea...
Delaying the start of childbearing raises the issue of fertility postponed versus fertility foreg... more Delaying the start of childbearing raises the issue of fertility postponed versus fertility foregone. One of the limits of previous studies of ``How late can you wait?'' is the difficulty of controlling for sexual activity. Data on the frequency and timing of intercourse within a menstrual cycle are uncommon. We use such data from the Menstrual Cycle Fecundability Study to study ``Can we wait until the early 30s?''. We model the effect of age on conditional fecundability, i.e., the probability of conception given that the couple is not sterile, simultaneously controlling for the effect of primary sterility and the frequency and timing of intercourse in each menstrual cycle. Can we wait until the early 30s for a first birth? Our evidence is yes (providing you are not already sterile) as the increase in the mean waiting time to conception is very modest and of little practical importance.
BACKGROUND Previous studies have shown that nonmarital cohabitation is socially diffused. However... more BACKGROUND Previous studies have shown that nonmarital cohabitation is socially diffused. However, to our knowledge, no studies exist on spatial aspects of the diffusion. This article examines the spatial diffusion process of nonmarital cohabitation in Belgium. OBJECTIVE This study aims to answer the following questions: What is the spatial diffusion pattern of nonmarital cohabitation in Belgium? In which areas did nonmarital cohabitation increase first, and which areas are resistant to this demographic change? How has this diffusion taken place geographically?
Demographers, epidemiologists and clinicians have long been interested in the estimation of age-s... more Demographers, epidemiologists and clinicians have long been interested in the estimation of age-specific fecundability. With the progressive postponement of age at family formation in Western countries, this topic has recently become the focus of renewed attention. In order to correctly estimate the effect of biological ageing on fecundability it is crucial to collect detailed information through a rigorous study design and to apply suitable models for analysing time to pregnancy data. In this article we discuss some methodological problems concerning the study of fecundability and its dependence on biological ageing. We also present the Multinational Study in Daily Fecundability which has produced a very rich database with detailed behavioural and physiological information prospectively collected on every cycle. Finally, we review some results on age effects obtained from these data. Our findings show that the decline in fecundability from age 28 to age 33 is not statistically significant and very modest. The results presented here do not appear to be particularly alarming with regard to the postponement of conception of the first child from age 28 to 33. This postponement could however lead to attempts to conceive a second child after age 35, when fecundability starts to decrease rapidly and when the risk of genetic disorders increases.
Topics in Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 2016
The paper analyzes the impact of life course events, and in particular of parenthood, on the paid... more The paper analyzes the impact of life course events, and in particular of parenthood, on the paid and unpaid working activity of dual-earner couples in Italy. To this purpose, we use the panel dataset provided by the 2003--2007 Istat Multipurpose Survey. To correct misspecification due to unobserved variables, we adopt a difference-in-differences specification of simultaneous equations of market and domestic work supply. Our results show that the negative effect of transition to parenthood on female paid work supply is stronger than the positive effect of wages.
BACKGROUND Strong relationships with relatives may alleviate the consequences of stressful experi... more BACKGROUND Strong relationships with relatives may alleviate the consequences of stressful experiences, but the evidence documenting such 'buffering effect' during parenthood is scarce. OBJECTIVE This paper investigated the buffering effect of relationships with relatives during parenthood in Switzerland. We tested whether relationships with relatives (network size, frequency of contact, and availability of practical and emotional support) were activated in response to parenthood, and if people who had stronger relationships with their relatives experienced more positive trajectories of life satisfaction during parenthood. METHODS We used Swiss Household Panel data for the years 2000-2011, and fixed effect regression models. RESULTS The birth of a first child was associated with an increase in mothers' contact with nonresident relatives. Moreover, parents with at least two children who had better access to support from relatives experienced more increase and less decline in life satisfaction during parenthood than parents who had less access to relatives' support. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that the support of relatives is a resource for parents having two or more children and that it improves the experience of parenthood even in a relatively wealthy society.
The objective of the paper is to shed light on mechanisms behind Italian women’s satisfaction wit... more The objective of the paper is to shed light on mechanisms behind Italian women’s satisfaction with the division of domestic work with partner. Using a two-wave panel dataset (2003 and 2007) corresponding to the Italian version of Generations and Gender Surveys (GGS), we are interested to ascertain the impact of life course events, such as transition to motherhood and transition from cohabitation to marriage on women’s satisfaction. In addition, we will focus on impact of changes in hours of housework and in hours of employment of partners. Changes in formal and informal external support both in care and domestic work and their impact on satisfaction will be also taken into account. We assume that women having a baby are on average more satisfied than women who have not a baby. Because of this selection effect, previous studies underestimate the negative effect of parenthood on woman’s satisfaction with division of domestic work. With reference to the years immediately after the birth of a child, the difference-in-differences (DID) parameterization lets us to disentangle the selection effect and the motherhood effect. Our results show that happier women are more likely to experience motherhood in the 2003-2007 time interval, but we also find a strong negative net effect of transition to motherhood on woman’s satisfaction. This negative effect is even emphasized for those women who share with their partners a more egalitarian gender ideology and for women residing in the South of Italy.
The paper analyzes the impact of life course events, as transition to parenthood, on paid and unp... more The paper analyzes the impact of life course events, as transition to parenthood, on paid and unpaid working activity of employed and married (or cohabiting) women and their partners in Italy. To this purpose Istat Multipurpose Panel Survey in the years 2003 and 2007 is used. The methodological approach here proposed to correct misspecification effects is a Difference-in-Differences specification of simultaneous equations of market and domestic work supply. Estimation results show that the negative effect of transition to parenthood on female paid work supply is stronger than the positive effect of wage.
Abstract The aim of this study is to assess the gender attitudes influence on the partners’ alloc... more Abstract The aim of this study is to assess the gender attitudes influence on the partners’ allocation of both paid and unpaid work hours when they experienced the transition to parenthood. To this purpose, we use a cluster-based classification of couples according to gender attitudes. The classification gives dummies that are added as explanatory variables in a Difference-in-Differences estimation procedure. We adjust for endogeneity of fertility on working activities by introducing a specific instrumental variable. For the empirical analysis we use data on Italian married and cohabiting couples provided by the Istat Multipurpose Panel Survey in the years 2003 and 2007.
The effect of transition to parenthood on the labour division of Italian couples is estimated ado... more The effect of transition to parenthood on the labour division of Italian couples is estimated adopting a Difference-in-Differences specification of simultaneous equations of paid and unpaid work. In addition, a cluster-based classification of couples is provided to identify the influence of gender and familistic beliefs on partners’ division of labour. For the empirical analysis we use data on Italian couples provided by the Istat Multipurpose Panel Survey in years 2003 and 2007.
The aim of this study is to assess the gender attitudes influence on the partners' allocation of ... more The aim of this study is to assess the gender attitudes influence on the partners' allocation of both paid and unpaid work hours when they experienced the transition to parenthood. To this purpose, we use a cluster-based classification of couples according to gender attitudes. The classification gives dummies that are added as explanatory variables in a Difference-inDifferences estimation procedure. We adjust for endogeneity of fertility on working activities by introducing a specific instrumental variable. For the empirical analysis we use data on Italian married and cohabiting couples provided by the Istat Multipurpose Panel Survey in the years 2003 and 2007.
Recently there has been increasing interest in the estimation of age-specific fecundability as a ... more Recently there has been increasing interest in the estimation of age-specific fecundability as a result of the progressive postponement of age at family formation in Western countries. It must be noted, however, that the possible negative effects of the postponement could act not only on the physiological component of the ability to conceive but also on the behavioural component (i.e., sexual activity). The main aim of our study was to verify if, the desire to have a child being equal, the coital frequency decreases in one's 30s as compared to the 20s. For our analysis we used the data from the Multinational Study in Daily Fecundability (MSDF), which has produced a very rich database with behavioural and physiological information prospectively collected on every cycle. We found empirical evidence that the desire to have a child only partially compensates for the decline of coital frequency with age.
Background In November 2009 the Research Center on Demography and Societies (Centre de Recherche ... more Background In November 2009 the Research Center on Demography and Societies (Centre de Recherche en Démographie et Societies, Louvain-la-Neuve) organized its 35 th Quetelet seminar. The main theme was" Population Policies in Europe and North America."
SummaryPostponing the start of childbearing raises the question of fertility postponed versus fer... more SummaryPostponing the start of childbearing raises the question of fertility postponed versus fertility foregone. One of the limitations of previous studies of ‘How late can you wait?’ is that any observed decline in the probability of conception with age could be due to a decline in fecundability with age or due to a decline in coital frequency with age or due to both factors. Using data from a multinational longitudinal study conducted to determine the daily probability of conception among healthy subjects, a discrete-time event history model with long-term survivors (sterile population) is used to study the relationship between age and fecundability for childless women, while controlling for the pattern of intercourse within a menstrual cycle. The findings suggest that women can wait until their early thirties to try for a first birth, providing that they are not already sterile, as the magnitude of the decline in fecundability is very modest and of little practical importance.
Individual data on menstrual cycles of noncontracepting women living in Western countries were us... more Individual data on menstrual cycles of noncontracepting women living in Western countries were used in order to verify whether the biological seasonality of conception persists after sexual behavior is controlled for. Episodes of intercourse were recorded daily, and the time of ovulation was detected by a marker. We find that the seasonality of conception changes with woman’s age and frequency of episodes of sexual intercourse. In particular, for women aged 27–31 having only one act of intercourse during the six most fertile days of the menstrual cycle, the seasonality of fecundability is stronger. In this age group in the Northern Hemisphere, if seasonality of acts of sexual intercourse is controlled, the monthly distribution of probability of conception is bimodal, with two maxima (September and January) and two minima (December and March). When unobserved characteristics of the couples are considered, this seasonal pattern of conception persists.
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Papers by Ester L Rizzi