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Changing mind, changing plans? Instability of individual gender attitudes and postponement of marriage in Germany

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  • Daniele Florean

    (Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main)

Abstract

Background: Numerous studies address the relationship between gender attitudes and family formation, especially the attitudes–fertility connection. To date, little attention has been paid to the longitudinal dynamics of these attitudes, in particular the stability of attitudes over time, and the impact of their stability on marriage. Objective: To investigate how stable or unstable gender attitudes are related to the timing of first transitions to marriage in Germany. Methods: Using event history analysis and data from the PAIRFAM survey, I compare the first transition to marriage in a sample of men and women born between 1981 and 1983 and living in Germany. I generate an index to estimate the stability of gender attitudes over time across a set of four indicators, and use it as the main independent variable to estimate how attitude stability is related to the timing of marriage. Results: Respondents who report frequent changes in gender attitudes enter marriage systematically later than respondents whose attitudes are stable. However, this relationship is weaker for respondents who express more liberal attitudes. Contribution: The findings highlight the importance of a longitudinal approach to the study of gender attitudes and their relationship to life-course events, showing how the stability of attitudes relates to the timing of family formation.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniele Florean, 2022. "Changing mind, changing plans? Instability of individual gender attitudes and postponement of marriage in Germany," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 47(25), pages 777-792.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:47:y:2022:i:25
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2022.47.25
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Guy Moors, 2003. "Estimating the Reciprocal Effect of Gender Role Attitudes and Family Formation: A Log-linear Path Model with Latent Variables," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 19(2), pages 199-221, June.
    3. Martin Kolk, 2019. "Weak support for a U-shaped pattern between societal gender equality and fertility when comparing societies across time," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 40(2), pages 27-48.
    4. Gøsta Esping-Andersen & Francesco C. Billari, 2015. "Re-theorizing Family Demographics," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 41(1), pages 1-31, March.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    gender attitudes; marriage; childbearing; family formation; multidimensional attitudes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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