Social Networks and Family Formation Processes [electronic resource] : Young Adults’ Decision Making About Parenthood /
Keim, Sylvia.author.
How do young adults decide to become parents or to remain childless? Is this an individual choice, a couple’s decision or are there other social influences involved, such as social networks? Using a mixed-methods design, Sylvia Keim combines problem-centred interviews and network data collected among young adults in western Germany. The author shows that personal relations strongly influence the perceptions, attitudes, and plans individuals express concerning parenthood. She identifies basic mechanisms and channels of social influence as well as relevant network structures. This book is valuable reading for academics, students, and policy makers interested in family research, the network perspective, and mixed-methods research.
Description based upon print version of record.
Acknowledgements; Table of Contents; List of Figures; List of Tables; Introduction; 1 The Social Network Perspective; 1.1 A Social Network Perspective to Individual Behavior; 1.2 Basic Concepts in Network Research; 1.3 Processes and Mechanisms of Social Influence; 2 Fertility and Family Formation; 2.1 Fertility and Family Formation: the Situation in Germany; 2.1.1 Age at First Birth, Childlessness, and Parity; 2.1.2 Changes in Living Arrangements; 2.1.3 Education and Participation in the Labor Market; 2.1.4 Childcare; 2.1.5 Two Fertility Regimes?; 2.2 Explanations for Fertility Decline
2.3 The Social Network Perspective in Family and Fertility Research2.4 Challenges of Research on Social Networks and Fertility in a Western Context and Research Questions 2.4 Challenges and Resea; 3 Methodological Approach and Research Design; 3.1 A Mixed-Method Approach; 3.2 Instruments of Data Collection; 3.2.1 Semi-Structured Interview; 3.2.2 Network Chart; 3.2.3 Challenges, Limitations, and Experiences with Generating Social Networks; 3.2.4 Network Grid; 3.2.5 Socio-Demographic Questionnaire; 3.3 Ego and Alter Interviews; 3.4 Sampling
3.4.1 Sampling of Egos and Their Willingness to Participate3.4.2 Selection of Alters and Their Willingness to Participate; 3.5 Analysis; 3.5.1 Analysis of the Interviews; 3.5.2 Analysis of Quantitative Network Data; 3.5.3 Bringing Together Fertility Intentions and Network Structure; 4 Making Decisions about Parenthood; 4.1 Security; 4.1.1 The Level of the Individual; 4.1.2 The Level of the Couple; 4.1.3 The Level of the Social Network; 4.2 Maturity; 4.2.1 The Level of the Individual; 4.2.2 The Level of the Couple; 4.2.3 The Level of the Social Network; 4.3 Priority
4.3.1 The Level of the Individual4.3.2 The Level of the Couple; 4.3.3 The Level of the Social Network; 4.4 Summary and Discussion: Establishing Security, Feeling Mature, and Setting Priorities 4.4 Summary and Discussion; 4.5 The Concept of the "Good Mother/Father" and a Typology of Fertility Intentions 4.5 A Typology of Fertility Intentions; 5 Personal Relations, Social Influences, and Social Networks; 5.1 Network Structure and Composition; 5.1.1 Network Size; 5.1.2 Network Density; 5.1.3 Network Composition; 5.1.4 Summary: Network Varieties - Community Lost, Saved, or Liberated?
5.2 Channels and Mechanisms of Social Influence5.2.1 Who Is Influential?; 5.2.2 Mechanisms of Influence; 5.2.3 Discussion: Mechanisms and Channels of Social Influence; 5.2.4 Summary; 5.3 The Relevance of the Network Structure; 5.3.1 Fertility Intentions and Network Structure; 5.3.2 Developing a Typology of Fertility-Relevant Social Networks; 5.3.3 Discussion: Fertility-Relevant Networks; 5.3.4 Summary and Future Perspectives; 6 Fertility Decline, Social Networks, and Individualization; 6.1 Traditional and Individualized Networks; 6.2 Social Influences and/or Self-Selection?
6.3 Social Networks as Mediators on the Meso Level
Includes bibliographical references.
How do young adults decide to become parents or to remain childless? Is this an individual choice, a couple’s decision or are there other social influences involved, such as social networks? Using a mixed-methods design, Sylvia Keim combines problem-centred interviews and network data collected among young adults in western Germany. The author shows that personal relations strongly influence the perceptions, attitudes, and plans individuals express concerning parenthood. She identifies basic mechanisms and channels of social influence as well as relevant network structures. This book is valuable reading for academics, students, and policy makers interested in family research, the network perspective, and mixed-methods research.
Social groups.
Family.
Social sciences.
Sociology.
Sociology of Family, Youth and Aging.
Social Sciences, general.
Sociology, general.