From Pillar to Postmodernity: The Changing Situation of Religion in Belgium

Dobbelaere, Karel; Voyé, Liliane

doi:10.2307/3711670

Cited by 69 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…The picture is more ambiguous for Belgium. Some authors have emphasized the strong Catholic roots of the country, which had a long-lasting impact on the education system and were also visible in the participation rates in religious services, especially in Flanders (Dobbelaere and Voyé 1990;Hummelsheim and Hirschle 2010). Other authors have emphasized the early secularization trends in the French-speaking region of Belgium, where a tradition of strong support for liberal and secular parties can also be found (Lesthaeghe 2010).…”

Section: Differences In Social Norms Between Belgium and Germanymentioning

confidence: 99%

Family Policies and the Western European Fertility Divide: Insights from a Natural Experiment in Belgium

Klüsener

Neels

Kreyenfeld

2013

Population & Development Rev

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Countries in Northwestern Europe, including Belgium, report cohort fertility levels of close to two children per woman; whereas Central European countries, such as Germany, have levels of around 1.6 children. In seeking to explain these differences, some scholars have stressed the role of the social policy context, while others have pointed to variation in fertility‐related social norms. But because these influences are interdependent, it is difficult to isolate their effects on fertility trends. This study attempts to disentangle these two factors by drawing on a quasi‐natural experiment. After World War I Germany was compelled to cede the Eupen–Malmedy territory to Belgium. The population of this region has retained its German linguistic identity, but has been subject to Belgian social policies. We examine whether the fertility trends in this German‐speaking region of Belgium follow the Belgian or the German pattern. Our findings indicate that they generally resemble the Belgian pattern. This suggests that institutional factors are important for understanding the current fertility differences in Western Europe.

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Section: Differences In Social Norms Between Belgium and Germanymentioning

confidence: 99%

Family Policies and the Western European Fertility Divide: Insights from a Natural Experiment in Belgium

Klüsener

Neels

Kreyenfeld

2013

Population & Development Rev

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“…2 Many organizations and institutions with a former Catholic identity evolved to more or less secular organizations, embracing people with diverse religious backgrounds. Catholic hospitals, schools, syndicates, political parties, and youth movements still exist, but the "C" (of Catholic or Christian) has become less important-and the same is true for other religious-based organizations (Huyse 1987;Dobbelaere and Voyé 1990).…”

Section: The New Sociological Situationmentioning

confidence: 95%

The Future of Religious Education on the Flemish School Curriculum: A Plea for Integrative Religious Education for All

Franken

Loobuyck

2013

Religious Education

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“…The picture is more ambiguous for Belgium. Some authors have emphasized the strong Catholic roots of the country, which had a long-lasting impact on the education system, and were also long visible in the participation rates in religious services, especially in Flanders (Dobbelaere and Voyé 1990;Hummelsheim and Hirschle 2010). Like in France, there was no strong women's movement in Belgium in late 19 th and early 20 th centuries.…”

Section: Differences In Social Norms Between Belgium and Germanymentioning

confidence: 99%

Social norms, family policies, and fertility trends: insights from a comparative study on the German-speaking region in Belgium

Klüsener¹,

Neels²,

Kreyenfeld³

2013

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Several countries in Northern and Western Europe report cohort fertility rates of close to two children per woman, including Belgium, France, and Denmark. By contrast, most Central and Southern European countries have cohort fertility levels of only around 1.5-1.6 children.Germany is part of this second group. In order to explain these country differences in fertility levels, some scholars have stressed the role of the social policy context, while others have pointed to differences in social fertility norms. However, due to the interdependence of these two factors, it is cumbersome to isolate their impact on fertility trends. In our study we attempt to disentangle these influences by drawing on a quasi-natural experiment. In the aftermath of World War I, Germany was forced to cede the territory of Eupen-Malmedy to Belgium. The population in this area retained its German linguistic identity, but has been subject to Belgian social policies since the early 1920s. Our main research question is whether the fertility trends in this German-speaking region of Belgium follow the Belgian or the German pattern more closely. To answer this question, we use (micro)-census data to compare the fertility behavior in the German-speaking region in Belgium with data for western Germany and the Belgian Flemish-and French-speaking regions, controlling for individual-level characteristics. Our findings indicate that the overall fertility outcomes of the German-speaking region in Belgium resemble the Belgian pattern more than the German one. This provides support for the view that institutional factors play an important role for understanding the current fertility differences in Western Europe.

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From Pillar to Postmodernity: The Changing Situation of Religion in Belgium

Cited by 69 publications

References 12 publications

Family Policies and the Western European Fertility Divide: Insights from a Natural Experiment in Belgium

Family Policies and the Western European Fertility Divide: Insights from a Natural Experiment in Belgium

The Future of Religious Education on the Flemish School Curriculum: A Plea for Integrative Religious Education for All

Social norms, family policies, and fertility trends: insights from a comparative study on the German-speaking region in Belgium

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