Changes In Household Composition Research Articles

Modeling the Impact of Key Events on Long-Term Transport Mode Choice Decisions

This paper describes the first phase of a study of the impact of key events on long-term transport mode choice decisions. The suggested complexity of transport mode choice is modeled with a Bayesian decision network. An Internet-based questionnaire was designed to measure the various conditional probability tables and the conditional utility tables of the Bayesian decision network. Seven key events were implemented in the questionnaire: change in residential location, change in household composition, change in work location, change in study location, change in car availability, change in availability of public transport pass, and change in household income. Data from 554 respondents were used to illustrate how the tables can be constructed on the basis of event history data.

Domestic function and Inupiaq households

Objective. This paper examines domestic transitions among Inupiaq households, including changes in household composition, household functions, kin networks, and possibly in cultural ideologies such as ethics of cooperation, achievement, and economic attainment.Study Design. STN survey data included extensive information on the characteristics of households. This survey data is combined with STN project data from ethnographic accounts and focus groups; socio-economic trend data; and demographic and epidemiological information about community change to gain a clear picture of Inupiaq family structure.Results. Household data reveal that Inupiaq households living under one roof are rarely an independent entity, either economically or in other ways. Members of one household seldom carry out all the social and economic functions needed to sustain the household. Instead, relatives or friends from two or more households frequently form social networks that support several households. Conclusion. Inupiaq families were found to be opportunistic, flexible, and creative in responding to the challenges of daily life. Domestic functions are divided among a network of kinspeople—people who may live in several separate households and even in separate communities—but who consider themselves related.

Race Comparisons of the Household Dynamics of Older Adults

Longitudinal studies have suggested that households are much more fluid than was once believed. Yet our understanding of changes in household composition is based on limited sets of transitions occurring across relatively long intervals. Furthermore, we know relatively little about ethnoracial variation in household dynamics. Using data from a sample of older Floridians, the authors describe race differences in longitudinal patterns of household change that occurred during four 6-month intervals. Approximately one quarter of respondents experienced some change in composition during the 24-month study. Older African Americans lived in larger and more dynamic households and were more likely to form coresident relationships with grandchildren and nonrelatives. Age, gender, marital status, and disability were also associated with the likelihood of acquiring a new household member. Findings from this research provide additional insight into the processes through which race differences in the composition of households emerge and are maintained over time.

Why Are Child Poverty Rates Higher in Britain than in Germany?

We analyze why child poverty rates were much higher in Britain than in Western Germany during the 1990s, using a framework focusing on poverty transition rates. Child poverty exit rates were significantly lower, and poverty entry rates significantly higher, in Britain. We decompose these cross-national differences into differences in the prevalence of events (changes in household composition, household labor market attachment, and labor earnings), and differences in the chances of making a poverty transition conditional on experiencing a trigger event. The latter are the most important in accounting for the cross-national differences in poverty exit and entry rates.

Social Polarisation in the Post-Fordist Informational Economy: Ireland in International Context

This paper examines the processes whereby post-Fordist economic restructuring is widely held to have led to growing social polarisation in the advanced capitalist economies. Conceptual fuzziness has clouded the polarisation hypothesis, and a review of international evidence shows no clear trend towards either occupational or earnings inequality. There is stronger evidence of growing household income inequality, due mainly to changes in household composition and national taxation and social welfare policies. In the case of the Republic of Ireland, there has been a more definite tendency towards occupational, earnings and household income polarisation in the 1990s, giving rise to important policy implications at a time of unprecedented national prosperity.

Empty nest or revolving door? A prospective study of women's quality of life in midlife during the phase of children leaving and re-entering the home.

This study documents changes in household composition and effects on women's quality of life of children leaving and returning home. A 9-year annual prospective study of a population-based sample of mid-aged Australian-born women who were premenopausal at baseline (N = 438) was conducted. Documentation was made of household composition and change, well-being, bothersome symptoms, daily hassles, feelings for partner and frequency of sexual activities. There was an increase in the number of women living alone, and a reduction in number of households in which there were children or parents. Each year > 25% of women reported a change in household composition. In the first year after the last child departed (N = 155), there was an improvement in women's positive mood and total well-being and a reduction in negative mood and the number of daily hassles. This improvement in mood was confined to those women who at baseline were not worried about children leaving home. In the first year after children return home there was a trend towards reduced frequency of sexual activities but no mood changes. For the majority of women, the departure of the last child from the household leads to positive changes in women's mood state and a reduced number of daily hassles. Return of offspring may have an adverse effect on sexual relating of the parents.

Migration under crisis; household safety nets in Indonesia's economic collapse

Based on research carried out in South Sulawesi, this article examines the influences of Indonesia's economic crisis on low-income women's spatial mobility, and the consequences of these women's increased rural-return migration on household “safety nets”. Specifically, the investigation focuses on changes in migration patterns and household compositions since the beginning of the crisis, and the ways these changes are re-shaping the operation of rural safety nets for particular household members. Findings indicate that within the researched group of low-income households in South Sulawesi containing female rural-return migrants from an export processing zone, the working-age women who have returned to their origin site households face disproportionately heavy labor burdens. In addition, changes in household compositions and divisions of labour and resources since mid-1997 have tended to privilege men and the elderly. More broadly, these findings suggest that the local impacts of the economic crisis are best understood as culturally negotiated and gender differentiated processes that are taking shape in linked rural–urban socio-spatial networks.

Some Explanations for Changes in the Distribution of Household Income in Slovakia: 1988 and 1996

This paper measures the change in overall net monetary income inequality during the first seven years of transition and considers the relative importance of two possible explanations for the increase in inequality: a) changes in the sources of household income, and b) changes in the household composition. Changes in the sources of household income reflect the role of the government and market during the transition period, while changes in household composition reflect social reactions to the changing economic environment. We find that the increase in inequality in labor income drove the large increase in inequality (i.e., the Gini index of household per capita income rose from 0.195 in 1988 to 0.263 in 1996). Changes in the distribution of pensions and other social payments mitigated the rise in earnings inequality, with the latter playing more of a role in reducing changes overall income inequality over time. We show there are large shifts in the demographic composition of households over this period: far fewer households with children, far more households headed by pensioners, increases in the number of one-person households and decreases in large (five person) households. Although we find that these shifts in the demographic composition of households are increasing overall inequality, by increasing between group inequality, most of the change in inequality over time is accounted for by an increase within group inequality. We conclude that over the first seven years of the transition labor market forces are driving changes in overall inequality in Slovakia to a much greater extent than changes in the Government's social safety net or in individual's decisions about household formation.

De gustibus non est disputandum? A new approach to the estimation of equivalence scales

We argue that when the household composition changes, consumption patterns vary not only because of the cost effect that equivalence scales try to measure, but also because of a “taste” or “style” effect. This effect can be identified and measured, under a few assumptions, with the use of a new methodology, calledDM 2 (Decomposition Model of the effects of Demographic Metamorphosis), that can be viewed as a generalisation of Ray's (1983) price-scaling approach to the construction of equivalent scales. An empirical application to data drawn from the Istat 1995 Italian Household Budget Survey suggests that the proposed method improves our understanding of households' consumption patterns and the reliability of the equivalence scales that we derive.

Modelling household income dynamics

This paper is about income and poverty dynamics and their socioeconomic correlates. The first half of the paper aims to establish some of the salient facts for Britain, applying the pioneering methods of Bane and Ellwood (1986). Important for poverty dynamics are changes in labour earnings from persons other than the household head, changes in non-labour income (including benefits), and changes in household composition, in addition to changes in the heads’ labour earnings. The second half of the paper is a review and critique of the multivariate modelling frameworks which might be used to explain and forecast these salient facts for Britain or elsewhere.

Family Change, Employment Transitions, and the Welfare State: Household Income Dynamics in the United States and Germany

Since the demise of modernization theory, social scientists have sought explanations for persisting differences in the stratification of industrialized societies, primarily by studying how educational and labor market institutions shape the life chances of individuals. This approach undervalues two key features of any stratification system: family dynamics and the welfare state. Employment changes, changes in household composition, and changes in the employment situation of a spouse or partner can all trigger large shifts in income and material well-being. The impact of these events is mediated by public tax and transfer mechanisms and by private actions taken by household members. This comparative analysis of household income dynamics in the United States and Germany shows that variations in welfare state policy produce distinct societal patterns of income mobility, and furthermore, shows that the relative importance of labor market events, family change, and welfare state policies for income dynamics depends on gender. The strong interrelationship between individual incentives and the structure of opportunity produces an asymmetry in the long-term impact of events. The negative effects of events that reduce income generally decay over time, while the effects of positive events generally persist.

Family Change, Employment Transitions, and the Welfare State: Household Income Dynamics in the United States and Germany

Since the demise of modernization theory, social scientists have sought explanations for persisting differences in the stratification of industrialized societies, primarily by studying how educational and labor market institutions shape the life chances of individuals. This approach undervalues two key features of any stratification system : family dynamics and the welfare state. Employment changes, changes in household composition, and changes in the employment situation of a spouse or partner can all trigger large shifts in income and material well-being. The impact of these events is mediated by public tax and transfer mechanisms and by private actions taken by household members. This comparative analysis of household income dynamics in the United States and Germany shows that variations in welfare state policy produce distinct societal patterns of income mobility, and furthermore, shows that the relative importance of labor market events, family change, and welfare state policies for income dynamics depends on gender. The strong interrelationship between individual incentives and the structure of opportunity produces an asymmetry in the long-term impact of events. The negative effects of events that reduce income generally decay over time, while the effects of positive events generally persist

Housing Consumption and Residential Crowding in U.S. Housing Markets

As families progress through the life cycle they generate different needs for housing space. The ability to satisfy these needs is clearly dependent on income, but at the same time it is affected by changes in household composition. The aggregate outcomes of the individual ability to adjust housing needs can be seen as a measure of the success of the housing market. This article examines changes in housing space consumption in the United States in the last two and a half decades at both the individual level and in aggregate outcomes. The research uses the data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to explore the relationship of housing consumption to income, and the overall success of the adjustment process. Despite the concerns about housing affordability and income polarization in large metropolitan housing markets, the US housing market as a whole, as measured by crowding and roomstress, is continuing to provide a wide range of paths to increased consumption. At the same time the research shows that there is greater pressure on housing consumption in markets with substantial recent immigration.

Weibliche Haushaltsvorstände – Ein Phänomen sich ändernder Haushaltsstrukturen oder Neudefinition tradierter Rollenbilder? / Changing Household Composition and Female Household Heads – Causes and Implications

Zusammenfassung Untersuchungen des Erwerbsverhaltens von Frauen in Deutschland und den USA begründen die geringere Arbeitsmarktpräsenz deutscher Frauen unter anderem mit deren traditionsverhaftetem Rollenverhalten. Dieser Beitrag untersucht, ob sich dieser Befund anhand des Ausmaßes, in dem Frauen die Rolle des Haushaltsvorstandes übernehmen, bestätigen läßt. Unter Verwendung sozioökonomischer Paneldaten wird geprüft, inwieweit die Dynamik des Anteils weiblicher Haushaltsvorstände in den beiden Ländern durch Veränderungen der Haushaltsstruktur (Struktureffekt) bewirkt wird oder als Neudefinition des Rollenbildes der Frau (emanzipatorischer Effekt) zu interpretieren ist. Für Haushalte, in denen Partner oder Partnerin die Rolle des Haushaltsvorstandes übernehmen können, wird außerdem überprüft, inwieweit das Alter, das Bildungsniveau und das Beschäftigungsausmaß der beiden Partner diese Entscheidung beeinflussen. Die empirischen Ergebnisse sprechen eher für eine konservativere Rollenverteilung in den USA. In Deutschland weisen sowohl der steigende Anteil weiblicher Haushaltsvorstände sowie der hohe Beitrag der emanzipatorischen Komponente auf eine ausgeprägtere Rollendynamik hin. Allerdings zeigen sowohl bivariate Ansätze als auch die multivariate Diskriminanzanalyse nur einen schwachen Zusammenhang zwischen dem Geschlecht des Haushaltsvorstandes und dem Alter, dem Bildungsniveau und dem Beschäftigungsausmaß der beiden Partner.

Changes in household composition among the over sixties: a longitudinal analysis of the Health and Lifestyles Surveys.

Analyses of longitudinal data from the Health and Lifestyles Surveys (HALS) were carried out in order to examine the household changes of older people. Respondents who were interviewed at both the first HALS survey in 1984/85 (HALS1) and the second survey 7 years later (HALS2) and were aged 60 or over in HALS1 were selected (1156). Changes in household composition between the two surveys were examined and the relationship of these changes to socio-demographic factors and to both cross-sectional and longitudinal health factors investigated. Results of the analysis showed there was great diversity of experience and a considerable amount of change in what is often considered a fairly stable and homogeneous section of the population. Almost one-third of respondents changed household type, the majority changing to live alone and only a small proportion changing to live in households with their child/children or with others. Household changes were associated with poor and declining health (both physical and mental) and the rate of change was found to increase with age. In the case of ill health the first source of practical support and care is generally from within the household. Where this is not available it is sought from the wider community or the state. An increase in the proportion of the population aged over 60 and in the numbers of the oldest people, coupled with a rate of household change that increases with age, means that demand on health and community services can only be expected to increase.

Migration and household change in the population aged 65 and over, 1971-1991.

"This analysis uses the ONS [Office for National Statistics] Longitudinal Study, a record linkage study including individual-level data from three national Censuses (1971, 1981 and 1991) and linked vital registration data, to examine migration patterns among older people [in Great Britain]. The aims of this study are to examine regional differences in household composition, to look at changes in the relationship between household change and migration over time, and finally, to analyse the interrelationships between changes in household composition, health and migration in the 1981-91 period.... Despite...dramatic changes in the living arrangements of older people, results show that mobility among the elderly remained relatively stable between the 1971-81 and 1981-91 decades."

HIV/AIDS, ADULT MORTALITY AND HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION IN RURAL TANZANIA

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to explore the role of adult mortality in household formation, fragmentation and dissolution. It is argued that in times of high adult mortality, as is presently the case in communities heavily affected by the HIV epidemic in Africa, household demography undergoes rapid change and results into other forms of households that cannot be explained within the framework of the ‘normative demographic cycle.’ Even though household studies have proliferated throughout the good part of this century, the role of adult mortality in household formation and dissolution has scarcely attracted any attention. However, discussion in this paper reveals that adult mortality is a significant cause of household instability. Premature death of an adult member of a household (notably husband and/or wife) implies a change in household composition by the sheer fact that a member is lost. But such death has a knock-on effect on membership of a household befallen by death as well as other househol...

Urban and travel changes in the greater Toronto area and the transferability of trip‐generation models

This paper discusses the important urban and travel changes in the Greater Toronto Area between 1964 and 1986, and reports the findings of a study into the temporal transferability of home‐based trip generation models, estimated on 1964 data, and applied in prediction on 1986 survey data. Changes in urban structure include: a decline in average household size; decentralisation in population and employment; a change in household composition, reflected by an increase in the following: number of working members, household‐vehicle ownership, and number of household‐members licenced to drive; an increase in the average number of trips made per person and per household, notwithstanding the decline in average household size; an increase in car‐use and a decline in the average vehicle occupancy. Disaggregate measures of transferability indicate the transferred 1964 home‐based trip‐production models provide some useful information on trip‐making in 1986. Regional forecasts, however, show most 1964‐models have significant prediction bias, particularly for non‐work‐trips. Poor transferability of 1964 non‐work trip‐production models is not entirely attributable to transfer‐bias.

TENURE CHOICE IN THE GERMAN HOUSING MARKET: A COMPETING RISKS MODEL

ABSTRACTAn analysis of tenure choice by German households using the German socio‐economic panel (GSOEP) shows that even though there is a general tendency for an increase in homeownership in Germany there are quite different choice patterns than in other European countries and in North America. The process of choosing ownership is more gradual across the income range, occurs at later ages and couples are much less likely to become owners than in the Netherlands and the United States for example. The two most important findings are that specific changes in household composition do not trigger tenure changes in the same way as in North America and that housing market characteristics, especially for families, are much less important in affecting the ownership transition than in the Netherlands and the United States.

Family stress and support among former Soviet immigrants.

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to investigate types of family support and stress among former Soviet immigrants. Forty-two immigrants (14 males and 28 females) were interviewed about their immigration experiences, including description of current relationships with family in the resettlement country. Content analysis of interview data documented that immigrant families can be a valuable source of emotional and/or instrumental support. Immigrant families, however, can also be too overwhelmed by their own immigration demands to provide support or can generate additional stress for its members. Types of family stress included conflict from differing values and opinions, increased responsibility for family members who could not manage resettlement on their own, family members' emotional distress over immigration experiences, unmet expectations for family members' adjustment, and changes in household composition and living arrangements upon arrival in the United States.