Reproductive Decision-Making in a Macro-Micro Perspective PDF
Preview Reproductive Decision-Making in a Macro-Micro Perspective
Dimiter Philipov · Aart C. Liefbroer Jane E. Klobas Editors Reproductive Decision- Making in a Macro-Micro Perspective Reproductive Decision-Making in a Macro-Micro Perspective Dimiter Philipov (cid:129) Aart C. Liefbroer Jane E. Klobas Editors Reproductive Decision-M aking in a Macro-Micro Perspective Editors Dimiter Philipov Aart C. Liefbroer Vienna Institute of Demography Netherlands Interdisciplinary Vienna , Austria Demographic Institute The Hague , The Netherlands Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital University Medical Center Groningen (OEAW-VID, IIASA, WU) Groningen , The Netherlands Vienna , Austria VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam , The Netherlands Jane E. Klobas Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics, Centre for Arts, Science and Knowledge Bocconi University Milan , Italy Murdoch University Perth , Australia ISBN 978-94-017-9400-8 ISBN 978-94-017-9401-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-9401-5 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg New York London Library of Congress Control Number: 2014953826 © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015 T his work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. Exempted from this legal reservation are brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis or material supplied specifi cally for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the Copyright Law of the Publisher’s location, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Permissions for use may be obtained through RightsLink at the Copyright Clearance Center. Violations are liable to prosecution under the respective Copyright Law. T he use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Pref ace Persistent low fertility levels in Europe have triggered an interest in fertility intentions among population scholars. Knowing why intentions to have a child remain unrealised can facilitate our understanding of the reasons for low fertility and help to draw relevant policy implications. These issues were addressed in the research project “Reproductive decision- making in a macro–micro perspective” (REPRO) run under the European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme. REPRO was designed to update existing knowledge and to generate new scientifi c knowledge about the factors that drive changes in birth rates and infl uence the reproductive decision-making of contemporary Europeans. The three-year project was completed in 2011. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was applied to understand the reproduc- tive decision-making of individuals. While this micro-level approach constituted an important backbone of REPRO, it was also embedded in the macro-level set- tings in which individuals formulate their personal decisions. REPRO comprised fi ve substantive work-packages, each taking a different macro-, micro- or macro– micro perspective of reproductive decision making. This structure is refl ected in Chaps. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 of this book. Chapter 1 introduces the fertility context into which REPRO was born and the macro–micro and TPB frameworks that underpin the project and the book. The last chapter summarizes key fi ndings from research undertaken within REPRO, and by members of the REPRO team and their col- leagues, since the project’s conclusion glances at the road ahead and considers implications of the new theory, methods and fi ndings from the REPRO project for future research and policy. The authors are members of the REPRO team. The book is written for a wide range of readers. It can be used by graduate stu- dents who want to get acquainted with the formation of reproductive decision- making, by scientists interested in this topic and by policy advisors. The authors believe that the fi ndings obtained in the REPRO project and reported in this book have opened up new ways of obtaining profound knowledge about reproductive decision-making and suggest new ways of considering the effects of policy on fertil- ity decisions. We trust that readers fi nd it valuable. v vi Preface This publication would not have been possible without European Commission funding. The REPRO project was funded by the European Commission within the Seventh Framework Programme under the Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities theme (Grant Agreement: SSH-CT-2008-217173). As editors, we would like to thank Sylvia Trnka and Barbara Simunics at the Vienna Institute of Demography for their secretarial assistance. We are also thankful for an anonymous reviewer for his or her insightful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. Finally, we would like to thank Evelien Bakker and Bernadette Deelen-Mans at Springer Publishing for their patience and enduring support. Vienna , Austria Dimiter Philipov The Hague , The Netherlands Aart C. Liefbroer Milano , Italy Jane E. Klobas July 2014 Contents 1 Reproductive Decision-Making in a Macro- Micro Perspective: A Conceptual Framework .................................................. 1 Aart C. Liefbroer , Jane E. Klobas , Dimiter Philipov , and Icek Ajzen 2 Institutional Settings of Childbearing ..................................................... 17 Olivier Thévenon 3 Making the Decision to Have a Child ...................................................... 41 Jane E. Klobas and Icek Ajzen 4 Influences on the Link Between Fertility Intentions and Behavioural Outcomes ...................................................................... 79 Zsolt Spéder and Balázs Kapitány 5 Uncertain, Changing and Situated Fertility Intentions ......................... 113 Laura Bernardi , Monika Mynarska , and Clémentine Rossier 6 Fertility-Related Norms Across Europe: A Multi-level Analysis .......... 141 Aart C. Liefbroer , Eva-Maria Merz , and Maria Rita Testa 7 Reproductive Decision-Making: A Milestone, and the Road Ahead .................................................................................. 165 Dimiter Philipov , Jane E. Klobas , and Aart C. Liefbroer vii Chapter 1 Reproductive Decision-Making in a Macro- Micro Perspective: A Conceptual Framework Aart C. Liefbroer , Jane E. Klobas , Dimiter Philipov , and Icek Ajzen 1.1 Introduction Europe has been characterized by below-replacement fertility for several decades now (Frejka and Sobotka 2 008 ). Moreover, when comparing the total fertility rate (TFR, measured fertility levels) with the ideal or intended number of children (i.e., desired fertility), it is evident that, at the macro-level, people want to have more children than they actually do (Van de Kaa 2001 ; Goldstein et al. 2003 ). The difference is known as the ‘fertility gap’ (Philipov 2 009) . A large fertility gap is interpreted as the result of obstacles people face when trying to realise their desired family size. A. C. Liefbroer (*) Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute , The Hague , The Netherlands University Medical Center Groningen , Groningen , The Netherlands VU University Amsterdam , Amsterdam , The Netherlands e-mail: [email protected] J. E. Klobas Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics, Centre for Arts, Science and Knowledge , Bocconi University , Milan , Italy Murdoch University , Perth , WA , Australia e-mail: [email protected] D. Philipov Vienna Institute of Demography , Vienna , Austria Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital (OEAW-VID, IIASA, WU) , Vienna , Austria e-mail: [email protected] I. Ajzen University of Massachusetts , Amherst , MA , USA e-mail: [email protected] © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015 1 D. Philipov et al. (eds.), Reproductive Decision-Making in a Macro-Micro Perspective, DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-9401-5_1 2 A.C. Liefbroer et al. T his edited volume presents results from an international collaborative project, funded by the EU’s 7th Framework Programme, which was designed to advance our understanding of the factors that infl uence the ‘fertility gap’ in European societies. The name of the project, ‘Reproductive decision-making in a macro-micro perspec- tive’ (REPRO), succinctly summarizes what the project is about; it is about under- standing how individuals make their micro-level fertility decisions within the opportunities and constraints provided by the macro-level structures in which they are embedded. In designing the REPRO project, the idea of the ‘fertility gap’ pro- vided a clear focus to the conceptualization of the key issues to be tackled. Given that the ‘gap’ results from a discrepancy between fertility intentions and behaviours, the focus of the project was both on how individuals form their fertility intentions and on how and to what extent these intentions are realized. In addition, both individual-l evel and societal-level factors that infl uence the formation of intentions and their realization were studied. T he key aim of the results of the REPRO project presented in this volume is to provide a general sense of the theoretical and methodological orientation of the project, as well as a fresh and interesting sample of its substantive outcomes. It does not provide an exhaustive overview of the results of the project, as many empirical studies conducted within the REPRO project have been published in leading inter- national journals in the fi eld, and their content will only be alluded to in this volume. The volume also does not provide an exhaustive discussion of the theoretical under- pinnings of the REPRO project (cf. Morgan et al. 2 011) for a discussion of the Theory of Planned Behavior1 or TPB, the theoretical approach guiding the REPRO project, and how it relates to other theoretical perspectives). Rather, the focus of the volume is on outlining the theoretical approach guiding our study, and highlighting interesting results about the different key components of our model. T his introductory chapter lays the theoretical and methodological foundation for the more substantive analyses presented in the rest of the volume. First, to set the stage, a brief overview of the main fertility trends in Europe in the past decades will be provided. Next, the general theoretical framework that guided research within the REPRO project is introduced. It starts from the contention that to understand macro- level trends in fertility, a thorough knowledge of micro-processes and how the micro- and macro-levels are interrelated, is a necessity. The following sections present the macro-level model, the micro-level model, and their interrelatedness, in more detail. The chapter concludes with a brief overview of the content of the rest of the volume. 1.2 The Background: Low Fertility in Europe T he 1960s marked the start of fertility decline in Europe. Fertility fi rst dropped in the Scandinavian countries and soon after in Austria and Germany. It took until the 1980s for the decrease to be noted in southern Europe. The next decisive milestone 1 Throughout this book, we retain the original US spelling of behavior in the name of the Theory of Planned Behavior, but use the English language spelling of behaviour elsewhere.
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