Using data from Eurobarometer Surveys 2001–2011 we examine trends and correlates of childlessness intentions and ideals across Europe over the past decade. We distinguish childlessness as a personal preference (personal ideal number of children is zero) from intended childlessness (intention to have no children) as these reflect somewhat different dimensions of childlessness as a conscious decision. We find that, on average, childlessness as a personal preference is relatively rare in Europe, although in some western European countries a sizeable proportion of young adults express a desire to have no children. Intentional childlessness is slightly more common than ideal childlessness is, since about 11% of currently childless young adults aged 18 to 40 years in Europe intend to have no children. We analyse factors related to childlessness intentions and ideals on the individual and country levels. A weaker individual socioeconomic position influences the intention to remain childless through various channels, such as unemployment or low socioeconomic status. Associations between individual’s social position and ideal childlessness are less clear. Results also indicate that macro-economic conditions do not have a direct impact on intentional childlessness, whereas a higher prevalence of traditional family values in a country is related to a lower likelihood of individuals considering childlessness to be their ideal family form.

By examining social attitudes on same-sex adoption in 28 European countries, we highlighted individual and country-level factors that can determine the level of social acceptance or rejection of this specific kind of adoption. This article contributes to the literature on social acceptance of lesbian women, gay men, and their adoption practices in Europe and directs attention to several previously under-researched aspects of social attitudes on same-sex parenting rights. The empirical base of this study was the fourth round of the European Values Study, conducted in 2008-2010. Using ordered logistic regressions, we examined the impact of several individual and country-level characteristics on the agreement level with the statement that "Homosexual couples should be able to adopt children." We found strong relationships between social attitudes towards adoption by same-sex couples and the existence of legislation permitting same-sex adoption practices at the country-level, as well as some individual attitudes, including those related to traditional family formation practices, "justification of homosexuality," and (non-) preference for homosexual neighbors. Our findings indicate a shift within the potential interpretational contexts of adoption by same-sex couples from a narrow sexuality-based framework to a different and possibly much wider context of family and parenting practices.

PurposeThis paper seeks to answer the practical question whether the institutionalisation level of same‐sex relationships can affect the social acceptance of lesbian women and gay men in Europe, and highlight some of the factors that can potentially determine the incidence of homophobia in 26 European countries.Design/methodology/approachThe study contributes to the literature on acceptance of lesbian women and gay men in Europe by using the European Social Survey dataset, focusing especially on a key variable measuring the agreement level with the statement that gay men and lesbians should be free to live their own life as they wish. For data analyses, explanatory models were constructed by applying multilevel mixed‐effects linear regression.FindingsThe study presented empirically tested arguments that the introduction of same‐sex partnership legislation can lead to a decrease of anti‐gay/lesbian attitudes, as has happened in the European countries examined in this study.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research in more societies is needed to examine the long‐term effects of the introduction of same‐sex partnership legislation on homophobia.Social implicationsA key policy implication of highlighting that the provision of equal rights for gay and lesbian citizens in the form of same‐sex marriage and registered partnership can positively influence attitudes, is to urge policy‐makers to introduce these legal frameworks in order to create a more inclusive society.Originality/valueThe content presented in this paper is based on the authors’ own original research.

This article focuses on remaining childless as a result of certain choices and constraints (not on becoming childless as a result of outliving children). There are two main aims of this study. First it seeks to reveal whether any specifi c features appear when (temporarily) childless people are compared with those with children in the same cohorts. It also aims to explore what kinds of factors can lead to childlessness (or more precisely, the prolongation of a childless period in life) among those men and women who, according to their self-assessment, were not prevented from having children by their own or their partner's health constraints. The analysis draws on GGS data from the fi rst three waves of the Hungarian panel survey 'Turning Points of the Life Course' conducted in 2001, 2004, and 2008. The focus is on men and women who were childless in 2001 and were still childless in 2008. According to the fi ndings, events directly connected to childbearing, such as having a stable partner or not having a partner, living in cohabitation or in marriage, have more infl uence on decisions about becoming parents than normative expectations, while economic factors (such as having a job) have some impact mainly on postponing childbearing, but do not seem to infl uence directly whether people will remain childless.

No abstract

No abstract

By examining attitudes on assisted reproduction technologies (ART) in 42 European countries, we highlight individual and country-level factors that are associated with the level of social acceptance or rejection of ART. This paper contributes to the literature on social acceptance of artificial insemination and in-vitro fertilization, the two most prominent examples of ART in Europe, and directs attention to several previously under-researched aspects. The empirical base of this study is the fourth round of the European Values Study, conducted in 2008-2010. Using a multilevel random-intercept linear regression model, we examine the impact of several individual-and country-level characteristics on the agreement level with the statement that artificial insemination or in-vitro fertilization can always be justified, never be justified or it is evaulated in a mixed manner. According to our findings, there are strong relationships between attitudes towards ART and socio-demographic variables, as well as religiousness and some individual attitudes, including those related to traditional family formation practices, "justification for homosexuality", (non-)preference for homosexual neighbors and acceptance of adoption by homosexual couples. For country-level characteristics we find significant association only in the case of mean age at first birth of women. We do not find a significant relationship between attitudes towards ART and country-level variables such as GDP, religiosity and same-sex couples' access to ART.

No abstract