Strong and weak family ties revisited: reconsidering European family structures from a network perspective

Mönkediek, Bastian; Bras, Hilde

doi:10.1080/1081602x.2014.897246

Cited by 29 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…When we examine the regional variation in the effects of parental family size on children's family size, no pattern emerges that follows any cultural divide between strong and weak family regions (compare with Reher, ; Mönkediek & Bras, ). Instead, in nearly all countries, significant within‐country variations can be observed in transmission strength.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These indicators constitute the basic opportunity structure for intergenerational interaction, and their combination can be assumed to reflect obligations and emotional associations between kin (Hank, : 158; Viazzo, : 282–283). By aggregating the individual scores to the NUTS 2 level, we can learn about the family system in which each respondent lives (Mönkediek & Bras, ). Strong family regions are, for example, identified by a higher than average score on contact or distance between kin.…”

Section: Data Measures and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, in strong family regions, such as Sicily in Italy, social bonds between kin members are close (Reher, : 203; Mönkediek & Bras, ), and parental monitoring of children's behaviour appears more authoritarian (Romero & Ruiz, ). Children often depend more and longer on familial support, and the production of welfare is generally regarded as a family obligation (Caldwell, : 557–558; Livi‐Bacci, : 145–152; Aassve et al , : 284–285; Kohler et al , : 64–65).…”

Section: Family Systems and Fertility Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Regional Differences in the Intergenerational Transmission of Family Size in Europe

Mönkediek

Rotering

Bras

2015

Population Space and Place

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Many studies report positive correlations between family sizes of successive generations, but the degree of correlation varies between countries. However, the majority of these studies are limited in geographical scope and do not consider the role of regional family organisation principles, that is, family systems. In this paper, we investigate to what extent regional family systems explain geographical differences in intergenerational transmission of family size among European regions. Using the large-scale European Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we derive indicators of regional family systems based on average frequency of contact and geographical distance between kin. We use a multilevel random coefficients model to test for differences in the transmission between European regions, as well as between sons and daughters. We find a complex regional pattern of family influences on childbearing continuities, with considerable within-country variation. We observe a direct effect of parental fertility on offspring fertility, although sons show more variance than daughters. This transmission of fertility can be attributed to regional family systems for sons, but not for daughters. Our results demonstrate the importance of using a regional approach -rather than the country-level approach -to study intergenerational continuities in childbearing.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data Measures and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Family Systems and Fertility Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Regional Differences in the Intergenerational Transmission of Family Size in Europe

Mönkediek

Rotering

Bras

2015

Population Space and Place

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“…In strong family regions, family members are more likely to share the same family norms and values and be able to enforce them more easily, which results in more commonly agreed upon family organization principles. In weak family regions, social networks contain a greater variety of relationships with both kin and non-kin (Höllinger & Haller 1990;Mönkediek & Bras 2014) and a greater spatial dispersion between kin is observed (Viazzo 2010b, 147). This greater dispersion is often connected with a more generous welfare state, which allows for greater intergenerational transfers of resources and reduces the need for kin co-residence (Albertini & Kohli 2013).…”

Section: Regional Family Systems and Variance In Social Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Interplay of Family Systems, Social Networks and Fertility in Europe Cohorts Born Between 1920 and 1960

Mönkediek¹,

Bras²

2016

Economic History of Developing Regions

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Despite important variations in regional family systems, little research has been done to assess the effects of these differences on fertility and thus on families' economic status. Even less attention has been paid to the effects of deviating from these regionally embedded norms in terms of network compositions. People's social networks may not conform to the region's view of the ideal family, while this could have important implications for their fertility behaviour. To fill this knowledge 136 gap, this paper aims to answer two questions: to what extent do family systems shape family size, and to what extent do deviations from regional family system norms in terms of social network composition result in differences in completed fertility? To answer these questions, we use the first two waves of the 'Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement' and derive indicators describing regional family systems and people's social networks. We test the influence of these covariates on the completed fertility of cohorts born between 1920 and 1960 in 13 European countries. Our results show that family system norms, and deviations from them in terms of specific social networks, play an important role in determining family size.

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“…Recently, however, the issue of kinship has become extremely prominent in historical and sociological studies that have started to re-conceptualise the notion of traditional kinship systems and to explore the implications they have for value formation and interpersonal relationships in the modern context (see, for example, Heady and Kohli 2010;Heady and Schweitzer 2010;Kertzer 1984;Mönkediek 2016;Mönkediek and Bras 2014;Reher 1998). This line of research suggests that although the organisation of household, and co-residence and inheritance patterns, aka traditional kinship systems, may change quickly, family relationships and underlying values behind these traditions are more systematic.…”

Section: 24mentioning

confidence: 99%

Strong families and declining fertility : a comparative study of family relations and reproductive careers in Soviet Ukraine

Hilevych¹

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Strong and weak family ties revisited: reconsidering European family structures from a network perspective

Cited by 29 publications

References 41 publications

Regional Differences in the Intergenerational Transmission of Family Size in Europe

Regional Differences in the Intergenerational Transmission of Family Size in Europe

The Interplay of Family Systems, Social Networks and Fertility in Europe Cohorts Born Between 1920 and 1960

Strong families and declining fertility : a comparative study of family relations and reproductive careers in Soviet Ukraine

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