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Fertility Behavior Of Immigrants In Canada: Converging Trends, Gebremariam Woldemicael, Beaujot Roderic

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Using data from the 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey (EDS), this paper compares fertility behavior across four groups of generations: recent and long-term immigrants of 1st generation, plus second and third generations. Several important findings emerge from this study: First, consistent with previous studies, we have documented higher current fertility among recent immigrants, but childbearing is lowest in the second generation. Second, although cumulative fertility tends to be significantly higher among long-term immigrants than recent immigrants, it becomes more similar to that of second and successive generations after adjusting for socio-demographic composition. This suggests that it is not generation per se, …

Child And Young Adult Headed Households In The Context Of The Aids Epidemic In Zimbabwe, 1988-2006, Daniel Ciganda, Alain Gagnon, Eric Tenkorang

PSC Discussion Papers Series

The emergence of Child-Headed Households (CHH) and Young Adult Households (YAH) has largely been taken as an indicator of the erosion of the traditional safety nets in sub-Saharan countries and a direct consequence of the increasing number of orphans in the region. However, the initial evidence presented so far suggests that the process of formation of CHH and YAH is more complex than it appears to be. Using the four available waves of the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Surveys (1988, 1994, 1999, and 2005/2006) we find that the proportion of households with no adults have remained stable in the last …

Conditions De Vie Durant L’Enfance Et Longévité: Évaluation D’Une Base De Données Créée À Partir Du Recensement Canadien De 1901 Et De L’État Civil Québécois, Laurence Pilon-Marien, Alain Gagnon, Bertrand Desjardins, Robert Bourbeau

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Depuis longtemps déjà, certains chercheurs soupçonnent un possible effet à long terme des conditions de vie vécues dans l’enfance sur la santé et la mortalité aux âges subséquents. Cette niche n’ayant pas été explorée pour la population canadienne, nous avons mis sur pied un projet visant le jumelage du recensement canadien de 1901 et des actes de décès de l’état civil québécois dans le but d'établir l’âge au décès d’enfants sur lesquels il existait des informations socio-économiques. Le but de la présente contribution est de tester la validité des données collectées en les comparant avec des tables de mortalité calculées …

Once Were Farmers: Occupation, Social Mobility, And Mortality During Industrialization In Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec 1840-1971, Alain Gagnon, Marc Tremblay, Hélène Vézina, Jamie A. Seabrook

PSC Discussion Papers Series

We study men’s adult mortality and longevity by socio-occupational status during industrialization in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. Data were extracted from the BALSAC database (Université du Québec à Chicoutimi), which comprehensively traces the demographic history of the region since the beginning of the French Canadian settlement in 1840 up to the early 1970s. Using five occupational classes and controlling for year, age at marriage, urbanrural residence, and literacy, we found no evidence for the emergence of socioeconomic differentials in mortality. At least until the early 1970’s, mortality in the region appears to be driven by ‘occupational risk’ rather than ‘fundamental social causes’.

Low Fertility Lite In Canada: The Nordic Model In Quebec And The U.S. Model In Alberta, Roderic Beaujot, Juyan Wang

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Among the factors that are responsible for low fertility, the risks experienced by young people are particularly relevant. In that context, it is noteworthy that fertility is rising most in Alberta and Quebec, that is in provinces where young families have had the security of either good job opportunities or supportive social policy.

The fertility trend in Canada has seen a low point of 1.51 in 2002, rising to a total fertility rate of 1.59 in 2006. The trends and differences are placed in the context of family and work questions, including the division of paid and unpaid work by …

Why Should Men And Women Marry And Have Children? Parenthood, Marital Status And Self-Perceived Stress Among Canadians, Ali Muhammad, Alain Gagnon

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Based on the Canadian Community and Health Survey (2000), this study examines the stress perceived by parents and non-parents across marital statuses, adjusting for for age, education, work, income, and sense of community belonging. Results show that fatherhood increases perceived stress in all marital statuses, particularly among singles. Motherhood does not affect perceived stress among married or cohabitating women but single and postmarried mothers endure appreciably higher levels of stress. Interactions between working and parental or marital statuses are also observed. The sense of community belonging appears as an important coping mechanism lowering stress levels. Results are discussed in the …

Examining The Role Of Early Life Social Conditions On Adult Mortality Through Historical Record Linkage: Implications For Contemporary Public Policy, Nora Bohnert, Alain Gagnon

PSC Discussion Papers Series

This study examines the effect of early life conditions on adult mortality. The individual, household and community details of children residing in Quebec in 1901 are linked to their subsequent ages at death in late adulthood using the 1901 Canadian Census and Quebec death registers. Preliminary results of logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses indicate that childhood poverty status is not significantly associated with risk of death after age forty. Sex, birth cohort, parental literacy status, farm status and number of siblings in the childhood household are found to significantly effect mortality after age 40. Gender differentials in …

Is There A Trade-Off Between Fertility And Longevity? A Comparative Study Of Three Large Historical Demographic Databases Accounting For Mortality Selection, Alain Gagnon, Ken R. Smith, Marc Tremblay, Hélène Vézina, Paul-Philippe Paré, Bertrand Desjardins

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Frontier populations provide exceptional opportunities to test the hypothesis of a trade‐off between fertility and longevity. In such populations, mechanisms favoring reproduction usually find fertile ground, and if these mechanisms reduce the chances for survival in old age, demographers should observe higher post‐reproductive mortality rates among highly fertile women. We test this hypothesis using complete female reproductive histories from three large demographic databases: the Registre de la population du Québec ancien (Université de Montréal), which covers the first centuries of settlement in Quebec; the BALSAC database (Université du Québec à Chicoutimi), including comprehensive records for the region of Saguenay‐Lac‐St‐Jean (SLSJ) …

Demographic Change, The Labour Force And Work-Family Conflicts: The Challenge Of Public Policy Adaptation, Roderic Beaujot

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Les changements démographiques (vieillissement, faible natalité et leurs conséquences) ainsi que l’évolution de la main d’oeuvre (féminisation, secteur service, phénomène 24/7) apportent des nouveaux conflits travail-famille. Dans un monde où on cherche à maximiser la participation à la main d’oeuvre et à assurer la reproduction de la population, ces conflits portent divers défis d’adaptation des politiques publiques. Nous considérons les changements dans les modèles de couples et les intérêts variés par rapport aux types de support de la société. Nous considerons les politques par rapport à divers types de familles.

Models Of Earning And Caring: Trends In Time-Use, Roderic Beaujot, Jianye Liu, Zenaida Ravanera

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Families may be defined as people who share resources and care for each other. These earning and caring activities have undergone change, especially in terms of the de-linking of gender to their division in families. After considering the basis of change in families, in the economy and in models of earning and caring, this paper updates the average hours of paid and unpaid work of women and men, based on the time use surveys of 1986, 1992, 1998 and 2005. The focus is on gender as well as marital, parental and employment status over the life course. Total productive activity, …

Abortion In Iran: What Do We Know?, Amir Erfani

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

Social Capital Of Women Measured: Differentials By Family Structures, Zenaida R. Ravanera, Rajulton Fernando

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Social capital has often been invoked to explain differences in children’s well-being by family structure; that is, developmental outcome for children in lone parent or step family is not at par with that of children from intact family because parental investments on children may be lower not only in financial and human capital but also in social capital. This proposition has been difficult to examine in greater depth because of lack of conceptual clarity and of data to measure social capital. Using a definition of social capital as the “ability to secure benefits through membership in networks and other social …

Membership In Organizations And Confidence In Institutions: Men’S Social Capital And Its Differentials By Family Structures, Zenaida R. Ravanera, Rajulton Fernando

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

Familial Aggregation Of Survival And Late Female Reproduction, Ken R. Smith, Alain Gagnon, Richard M. Cawthon, Geri Mineau, Ryan Mazan, Richard A. Kerber, Elizabeth O’Brien, Bertrand Desjardins

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

Influences Of Early Life Conditions On Old Age Mortality In Old Québec, Alain Gagnon, Ryan Mazan

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Increasingly, bio-demographers are turning to infancy and childhood to gain a better understanding of old age mortality. However, evidence of a link between early life conditions and survival until old age is fragmentary, and the intervening mechanisms remain unclear. Drawing from data on a cohort of French-Canadian children born in the 17th and 18th centuries, we study the effects of infant exposure to infectious diseases (as revealed by the infant mortality rate in the year of birth) on later life mortality. A series of Cox proportional hazard models are used and we control for other familial and environmental conditions prevalent …

Demographic Decisions And Demographic Well-Being, Rajulton Fernando

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

Inequality And The Life Course: Differentials In Trajectories And Timing Of Transitions Of Canadian Women, Zenaida R. Ravanera, Rajulton Fernando, Thomas K. Burch

PSC Discussion Papers Series

There has been a recent concern over polarization of family life among the younger Canadians; that is, differences in family life are accentuated by the differences in their social and economic situations. Using the retrospective data on life course events gathered through the 2001 General Social Survey, we show that there is basis for this concern - the timing of transitions and early life trajectories of Canadian women born from 1966 to 1975 do differ by parental socio-economic status. However, the influence of social inequality on the life course is not a recent phenomenon - results of our analysis show …

Neighbourhood Characteristics, Individual And Household Attributes And Health Perception Among Elderly Canadians, D. Walter Rasugu Omariba

PSC Discussion Papers Series

This paper uses the Canadian Community Health Survey of 2003 to examine health perceptions among elderly Canadians (age 60 and over). The results indicate that individual factors explain more of the variation in perceived health compared to community factors (employment rate, incidence of low income, percentage of visible minority, percentage of Canadians and percentage of non-family persons in private households). Among individual factors, age, sense of community belonging, education and income adequacy are particularly important in determining how individuals perceive their health. On the other hand, among community factors, the incidence of low income, percentage of visible minority and percentage …

What Happens To The ‘Healthy Immigrant Effect’: The Mental Health Of Immigrants To Canada, Yimin Lou, Roderic Beaujot

PSC Discussion Papers Series

This study examines the mental health of Canada’s immigrants, relative to that of the native-born population, and makes a comparison between the longer term (ten or more years of residence) and more recent immigrants. The pattern of mental health may be explained by selectivity, structural strain theory from a macro perspective, or stress theory with a micro approach. Given available data, the study focuses on stress theory which suggests that persons with better mental health are either exposed to fewer stressors, or they cope better with their stress and adversity. The data are from Cycle 1.2 of the Canadian Community …

Why Are Canadians Having Children? An Investigation Of The Value Attributed To Children And Its Impact On Demand For Children, Melissa H. Moyser

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Previous studies in the value-of-children tradition of fertility research have examined the effect on demand for children of subjective perceptions of a particular value, or category of values, of children to parents. In their explanation of demand for children, they do not consider the possibility of the relevance of multiple or diverse single-handed values of children to parents. By investigating the impact of a non-specific measure of the values of children to parents—the value attributed to children—on demand for children, this study implicitly takes into account all of the values of children to parents that may be implicated in demand …

Aggregate Level Community Characteristics And Health, Jianlin Niu, Roderic Beaujot

PSC Discussion Papers Series

This study links aggregate data from the 2001 census to individual data from the Canadian Community Health Survey, using dissemination areas as the unit of aggregation. Individual-level considerations are found to be more important to self-perceived health than community-level characteristics. Education and income adequacy are the most important considerations. Sense of belonging to community overshadows the features measured at the aggregate level, be they economic, family, cultural or geographic considerations.

Polygamous Marital Structure And Child Survivorship In Ghana: Age Dependent Effect?, Stephen Obeng Gyimah

PSC Discussion Papers Series

A key limitation of existing research on the influence of family structure on child outcomes in cultures characterized by widespread polygamy is the implicit view of marriage as monolithic and by default monogamous. In the African context, there is the need to make a distinction between polygamous and monogamous mothers since these marital circumstances imply varying levels of parental support necessary for optimum child outcomes. Using data from the 1998 and 2003 Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys, this paper assesses the effects of polygamy on child survivorship. The study is guided by competing theses on the interconnectedness between polygamy and …

Shifts In Social Development And Fertility Decline In Iran: A Cluster Analysis Of Provinces, 1986-1996, Amir Erfani

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Iran is experiencing the third phase of demographic transition (low levels of birth and death), following a sharp fertility decline experienced during 1986-1996 period and is still underway. Using the analytic framework of Davis and Black, we examined the impact of social development and contraceptive prevalence, respectively as the structural and proximate determinants, on rapid fertility decline in Iran. We found that the social development level of provinces had a great impact on fertility decline through contraceptive prevalence indirectly. The cluster analysis of social development indices in 1986 and 1996 revealed that 15 out of 24 provinces of Iran moved …

Cohort And Social Status Differentials In Union Dissolution: Analysis Using The 2001 General Social Survey, Zenaida R. Ravanera, Rajulton Fernando, Thomas K. Burch

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

The Life Course Trajectories Of Older Canadians, Zenaida R. Ravanera, Rajulton Fernando, Thomas K. Burch

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

Young Canadians’ Family Formation: Variations In Delayed Start And Complex Pathways, Zenaida Ravanera, Rajulton Fernando, Thomas K. Burch

PSC Discussion Papers Series

This paper focuses on family formation of Canadians born in 1966-85. Studies have shown that in comparison to older cohorts, young Canadians delay their transition to adulthood and they follow more complex pathways in the formation of the family through cohabitation, marriage, and parenthood. However, within cohorts, there are variations in the general trends in timing and trajectories. Using a life course perspective, we explore the influences of social status, cultural orientation, and opportunity structures on family formation. This is done using retrospective data collected through the 2001 General Social Survey on Family History. Techniques of event history analysis, mainly, …

Attitudes Toward Family Size Preferences Among Urban Ethiopians, Daniel Sahleyesus

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Making use of data obtained from a recent fieldwork conducted in five major urban centers of Ethiopia, this study examines attitudes of respondents on family size preferences to understand the fertility transition in urban areas. The methodology includes in-depth qualitative interviews and focus group discussions. Urban residents may not have a significantly different motivation as to why they would like to have children compared to people from rural areas. However, urban residents have a reproductive goal that take into account averting risks in the face of economic difficulties and tailoring preferences to achieve upward social mobility. Respondents give a reported …

Genome-Wide Identity-By-Descent Sharing Among Ceph Siblings, Alain Gagnon, Jan Beise, J. W. Vaupel

PSC Discussion Papers Series

The concept of genetic identity–by–descent (IBD) has markedly advanced our understanding of the genetic similarity among relatives and triggered a number of developments in epidemiological genetics. However, no empirical measure of this relatedness throughout the whole human genome has yet been published. Analyzing highly polymorphic genetic variations from the Centre d’études du polymorphisme humain (CEPH) database, we report the first genome–wide estimation of the mean and variation in IBD sharing among siblings. From 1,522 microsatellite markers spaced at an average of 2.3 cM on 498 sibling pairs, we estimated a mean of 0.4994 and a standard deviation of 0.0395. In …

Familial And Environmental Influences On Longevity In A Pre-Industrial Population, Ryan Mazan, Alain Gagnon

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Data from historical populations provide an adequate context for the examination of the familial and environmental components of longevity. We have investigated the relation between sibling survivorship and longevity through French-Canadian children of a completed fertility cohort born between 1625 and 1704. The Cox regression model was used to analyze the effects of sibling survivorship on the survival time of these early Canadian inhabitants. Other covariates such as regional variation, secular trends (i.e. period effects), parental and spousal survival were also taken into consideration. Our findings show that individuals with at least one sibling surviving beyond 85 years of age …

Post-Reproductive Longevity In A Natural Fertility Population, Alain Gagnon, Ryan Mazan, Bertrand Desjardins, Ken R. Smith

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Fertility patterns may be useful markers for rates of biological aging. Based on evolutionary and socio-demographic approaches to historical data from the population of Québec (taken from the Registre de population du Québec ancien at the University of Montreal), we examine the effects of reproduction on longevity. Using Cox hazard models on about 2,000 couples married in the colony before 1740, we show that women bearing their last child late in life had longer post-reproductive lives, suggesting that late menopause is associated with an overall slower rate of aging. Increased parity had an opposite, detrimental effect on women’s post-reproductive survival. …