Volume 26 - Article 2 | Pages 41–62
Whose job instability affects the likelihood of becoming a parent in Italy? A tale of two partners
Date received: | 12 Jul 2011 |
Date published: | 26 Jan 2012 |
Word count: | 4974 |
Keywords: | employment instability, first birth, income, Italy |
DOI: | 10.4054/DemRes.2012.26.2 |
Weblink: | You will find all publications in this Special Collection “Economic uncertainty and family dynamics in Europe” at http://www.demographic-research.org/special/12/ |
Abstract
We examine the likelihood of becoming a parent in Italy taking into account the employment (in)stability of both partners in a couple. We use data from four waves of the Italian section of the EU-SILC (Statistics on Income and Living Condition), 2004-2007, accounting for its longitudinal nature. Overall, our results suggest that Italian couples are neither fully traditional nor entirely modern: the "first pillar" (i.e., a male partner with a stable and well-paid job) is still crucial in directing fertility decisions, because, in our interpretation, it gives the household a feeling of (relative) economic security. But this "old" family typology is becoming rare. Increasingly, both partners are employed, and in this case the characteristics of their employment prove important. A permanent occupation for both partners is associated with higher fertility, while alternative job typologies for either of the two depress fertility.
Author's Affiliation
Daniele Vignoli - Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
Sven Drefahl - Stockholms Universitet, Sweden
Gustavo De Santis - Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research
»
‘Silver splits’ in Europe: The role of grandchildren and other correlates
Volume 46 - Article 21
»
Union formation under conditions of uncertainty: The objective and subjective sides of employment uncertainty
Volume 45 - Article 5
»
Time preferences and fertility: Evidence from Italy
Volume 44 - Article 50
»
Is the age difference between partners related to women's earnings?
Volume 41 - Article 15
»
Happy parents’ tweets: An exploration of Italian Twitter data using sentiment analysis
Volume 40 - Article 25
»
Persistent joblessness and fertility intentions
Volume 40 - Article 8
»
The positive impact of women’s employment on divorce: Context, selection, or anticipation?
Volume 38 - Article 37
»
Uncertain lives: Insights into the role of job precariousness in union formation in Italy
Volume 35 - Article 10
»
Religion and union formation in Italy: Catholic precepts, social pressure, and tradition
Volume 31 - Article 35
»
Towards a new understanding of cohabitation: Insights from focus group research across Europe and Australia
Volume 31 - Article 34
»
Things change: Women’s and men’s marital disruption dynamics in Italy during a time of social transformations, 1970-2003
Volume 24 - Article 5
»
Rising marital disruption in Italy and its correlates
Volume 20 - Article 4
»
Fertility change in Egypt: From second to third birth
Volume 15 - Article 18
Most recent similar articles in Demographic Research
»
Persistent joblessness and fertility intentions
Volume 40 - Article 8 | Keywords: employment instability, Italy
»
Diverse pathways in young Italians’ entrance into sexual life: The association with gender and birth cohort
Volume 46 - Article 13 | Keywords: Italy
»
Nativity differentials in first births in the United States: Patterns by race and ethnicity
Volume 46 - Article 2 | Keywords: first birth
»
The contribution of assisted reproductive technology to fertility rates and parity transition: An analysis of Australian data
Volume 45 - Article 35 | Keywords: first birth
»
Gendering health differences between nonmigrants and migrants by duration of stay in Italy
Volume 45 - Article 7 | Keywords: Italy
Articles
Citations
Cited References: 68
»View the references of this article
Download to Citation Manager
Similar Articles
PubMed
»Articles by Gustavo De Santis
Google Scholar
»Articles by Gustavo De Santis