bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Migrant Domestic Work and Changes in the Ideas of Childcare
Authors: Gorfinkiel Magdalena Díaz
Published: February 2019

The development of care-giving as an international resource, and the consequent generalization of migrant domestic work, has led to new ways and possibilities of family care. The ideal ways of caring are culturally and historically constructed, and the social changes of the last decades have given rise to new approaches to care. Care has become a resource with no national boundaries which has resulted in new family structures, perceptions of motherhood, and ways of organizing social reproductive tasks, both for the migrant and native families. Research done in Spain shows that there has been an expansion in the paid domestic sector and, therefore, changes in the approach to childcare in both of the families involved: the native employer’s and the migrant employee’s. The idea of intensive care in the mother-child relation no longer constitutes the only desirable model, as care has evolved from a “time spent together” to a matter of emotional and social guidance. The strategies used by the actors involved in these new forms of doing motherhood, nevertheless, vary according to national origins and access to social and economic resources. Differences between natives and migrant families can be found in relation to the managing of time devoted to children, as well as to the distribution of maternal responsibilities.
Matriliny, Patriliny and the Postmodern Condition: Complexities of “Family” in Kerala
Authors: Menon Vineetha
Published: February 2019

Matriliny has been a major family form in Kerala together with joint family living. This type of family has prevented the destitution of women, the aged and children whose parents are not alive. The trend in Kerala in favour of patriliny and the nuclear family type is highlighted here through two case studies from two vastly different social segments in Kerala: (i) a scheduled tribe population–the Kurichiyan–that has been constitutionally acknowledged as eligible for special safeguards due to its historical deprivations; and (ii) a community that occupied a superior position in the caste system and ritual dominance–the Thirumumbu, a Brahmin community. However the paper moves beyond the case studies that depict a transition away from matriliny and raises some issues that caution against any conclusion that the Kerala family has moved away from matriliny and the joint family to patriliny and the nuclear family. There have always been diverse family forms in Kerala and this continues to be so, although more unfavorable to women. New trends in Kerala society, especially domestic violence against women, lead one to question the relevance of the family as an institution. In considering the emerging trends, the paper concludes that the family in some form will continue, despite facing major challenges.
Hindu Transnational Families: Transformation and Continuity in Diaspora Families
Authors: Lourenço Inês , Cachado Rita
Published: February 2019

Transnational contexts enable the emergence of new forms of family organization expressed through different family configurations, thus reshaping gender roles within the family. Therefore, former norms related to daily family and social relations traditionally conditioned by gender and age, become an object of transformation. This paper analyzes the Hindu-Gujarati transnationality through two perspectives: one that understands family transformations through social-cultural adaptations to different host societies, and another that takes into account social, spatial and housing mobility. Given the fact that Hindu-Gujarati diasporic families live in three or more countries at the same time, they constitute a particularly rich context to combine theoretic perspectives on transnationality, mobility and diaspora, perspectives that are usually addressed in parallel and not in a combined manner. The paper stresses importance to physically accompany individuals in their process of territorial and cultural mobility, i.e., between Portugal, India and other centers of the diaspora. Within this multiple context, the study seeks to answer several questions: Given the diversity of studies within transnationalism, what dimensions and new reflections can the ethnographic observation of these families bring to the social sciences? In the migrant condition, how are family relations with distant relatives, configured and maintained? Are there specificities in the way Hindu families in Portugal adapt to communicational and information technologies, or do they follow the trends of other transnational families?
Expanding Notions of Family Time and Parental Monitoring: Parents’ and Adolescents’ Experiences of Time Spent Together and Apart in Muslim Immigrant Families
Authors: Ashbourne Lynda M , Baobaid Mohammed , Azizova Kamala Shiriyeva
Published: February 2019

In a preliminary investigation of socio-cultural influences on parent-adolescent negotiation of time together and apart, six focus groups were conducted with 58 mothers, fathers, adolescent sons and daughters from Muslim immigrant families residing in a mid-sized urban centre in Ontario, Canada. Focus group participants were asked to describe the time they spend together with and apart from their families, and the degree to which adolescence and immigration contribute to this experience. Qualitative analysis was based on social constructionist principles. One of the primary themes evident in this analysis was related to families’ subjective experience of sociocultural differences between countries-of-origin and current Canadian context. An expanded concept of family time that incorporates an element of communal or collective time is supported, suggesting further conceptualization of parental monitoring and family acculturation with corresponding clinical and research directions.
Family Influences on Goals, Remittance Use, and Settlement of Mexican Immigrant Agricultural Workers in Minnesota
Authors: Solheim Catherine A , Rojas-García Georgina , Olson Patricia D , Zuiker Virginia Solis
Published: February 2019

International migration to seek work and remit money home is an increasingly common family strategy to overcome financial hardship. However, little is understood about family involvement in the decision to leave or how family circumstances influence migration. This qualitative study analyzed narratives of 17 agricultural workers in Minnesota and 17 of their family members in Mexico to describe their migration experiences. Results show how goals, remittances, and families shape or are shaped by the migration experience. We identified three family situations that influenced immigrants’ goals, remittance use, and their length of stay. “Target earners” (n=5) left their spouses and children in Mexico. They earned money in Minnesota and remitted as much as possible to improve their lives in Mexico. “Settlers” (n=10) lived with spouses and children in Minnesota. Their earnings were spent primarily on basic living expenses; little was left to remit more than occasionally or invest in longer-term goals. Over time, U.S. settlement emerged as a goal for this group of immigrants. “Singles” (n=2) who were not married, primarily supported parents in Mexico. They were unsure of their future goals. The decision by families to use international migration to achieve goals and improve their lives results in economic activities and social relationships that span two countries. As globalization increases this phenomenon, it is important to expand our understanding of the realities of these complex family systems.
Marital Interaction in Iranian Couples: Examining the Role of Culture
Authors: Sadeghi Mansoureh Sadat , Mazaheri Mohamad Ali , Motabi D. Fereshte , Zahedi Keivan
Published: February 2019

The aim of the present paper is two-fold: on the one hand, it looks into the patterns of communication between spouses amongst Iranian married couples; on the other hand, it attempts to devise and introduce a newly customized and culture-sensitive coding system to delineate modes of interaction between couples within Iranian families. The role of culture is, therefore, under scrutiny. In order to collect the required data and also examine the cultural impact on marital interaction between Iranian couples, videotapes of 31 distressed and non-distressed couples were coded based on the Iranian Couples Interaction Coding System (ICICS). This observational coding system is based on SPAFF. Moreover, all participants were requested to complete the Persian translation of the Marital Adjustment Test (MAT). Findings show that ICICS is a reliable and valid tool for the measurement of Iranian couples’ interactions. Also, an analysis of marital interaction indicates that Iranian distressed couples are more likely to express their Family Contempt and Criticize each other’s families (FCOCR) than their Western counterparts. In fact, results of the study highlight the importance of culture-bound mechanisms, especially the importance of family ties, in Iran. It seems that expressing contempt and criticizing each other’s families are an indirect put-down technique employed by Iranian couples, indicating that the “family-of-origin” plays an important role in the couples’ life cycle. Furthermore, non-distressed, well-adjusted couples were found more inclined towards demonstrating an increase in their positive feelings by using the first person plural pronoun “we” as a bonding glue in their relationships. Other significant culture-related differences found as a result of the present research include selfdegradation, verbal attempts to abort marriage and gender-bound rules regulating codes of conduct. The research, in agreement with other similar studies, clearly indicates that positive interaction is positively associated with relationship satisfaction, whereas turning against and turning away interaction types are negatively associated with it.
Factors Associated with the Use of Withdrawal in Iran: Do Fertility Intentions Matter?
Authors: Erfani Amir
Published: February 2019

The majority of unwanted pregnancies in Iran are due to withdrawal failures. This study seeks to explore factors associated with withdrawal use, which is highly prevalent among Iranian married couples. Multivariate logistic regression analyses are employed to estimate the likelihood of using withdrawal rather than modern contraceptives among a representative sample of 6199 Iranian married women using contraception, taken from the 2000 Iran Demographic and Health Survey. Among other findings, women’s fertility intentions strongly interacted with women’s parity, number of son, and wealth status, where birth limiters with a lower wealth status, lower parity, and no son were more likely to use withdrawal rather than modern contraceptives. Other results showed that higher education levels and economic status were strongly associated with the greater likelihood of using withdrawal rather than modern contraceptives. Women who lived in urban areas and were unemployed and who had a smaller number of children were more likely to use withdrawal rather than a modern contraceptive method. Compared with younger women, those aged 40-49 were more likely to use withdrawal than modern methods. A reduction in unwanted pregnancies can best be achieved by improving the current family planning program in regions and among subgroups of the population who regulate their fertility by using withdrawal.
Starting a Family at Your Parents’ House: Multigenerational Households and Below Replacement Fertility in Urban Bulgaria
Authors: Ghodsee Kristen , Bernardi Laura
Published: February 2019

In societies with strong multigenerational links, economic uncertainty results in choosing to stay with one child, sometimes in association with postponement of first births (i.e., Italy) and sometimes in early childbearing (i.e. Bulgaria). The differences in intergenerational family practices in lowest-low fertility contexts is likely to play a role on differences timing to parenthood. In this paper, we focus on the phenomenon of women who have or intend to have one child in their early twenties in Bulgaria and do not intend to have a second child. We argue that the key to this process is the persistence of extended multigenerational households in the Bulgarian context and their effect on young couples’ fertility decision making. We use semi-structured interview data from the project Fertility Choices in Central and Eastern Europe and ethnographic fieldnotes. The interviews were collected from a sample of 22 couples resident in Sofia and representing different permutations of educational level, marital status and number of children (0 or 1). The ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in both rural and urban Bulgaria between 1997 and 2009 for a four-year period. Results suggest that as long as the economic situation remains dire, and young Bulgarians hopes for the future remain cynical, multigenerational households represent the accepted practice of entering into parenthood for young families.
Gender Attitudes and Housework: Trends over Time in Australia
Authors: Chesters Jenny
Published: February 2019

Although researchers generally agree that attitudes to gender roles have become more egalitarian over time, evidence that this trend towards egalitarianism has impacted upon the allocation of housework tasks between men and women is less consistent. Australian researchers have found that although the time women spend doing housework has declined dramatically over time, the housework hours of men have not increased. Although researchers in the US and many European nations have found that as women’s housework hours have declined, men’s housework hours have increased, they invariably find that women continue to spend more time doing housework than men do. Many researchers argue that the division housework into female tasks and male tasks underpins the unequal distribution of housework with female tasks such as cooking, cleaning and laundry accounting for the bulk of housework. This paper focuses on the association between gender attitudes and propensity to undertake core housework tasks. Using data collected by three cross-sectional national surveys conducted in 1986, 1993 and 2005 (n=2318), I conduct linear regressions to determine whether men with more egalitarian gender attitudes devote a greater proportion of their total housework time to so-called female tasks compared to men with more traditional gender attitudes.
Towards Improving Surveys of Living Arrangements among Poor African Americans
Authors: Golub Andrew , Strickler Jennifer , Dunlap Eloise
Published: February 2019

This paper examines a mismatch between the surveys used to study U.S. household composition and the dynamics of living arrangements prevailing among many lowincome African Americans. Mounting survey findings suggest that many low-income African Americans engage in a series of short cohabitations resulting in children with a succession of partners. Ethnographic data suggest these behaviors may be based within a relationship paradigm that needs to be understood on its own terms. Because of the tenuous nature of these relationships, we refer to this paradigm as transient domesticity. An original analysis of partnership and child custody statuses using the 2001 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) presented provides an indication of the extent of transient domesticity among low-income African Americans. Multivariate analysis suggests that transient domesticity or a paradigm that results in similar characteristics is more common among low income and African American adults and not unique to low-income African Americans. Lowincome African Americans as compared to higher-income whites and other subpopulations were much less likely to be married, although most of them reported they were single as opposed to cohabiting. The majority (60%) of low-income African American females age 20-44 were single parenting. The discussion presents recommendations for improving the measurement of living arrangements that may provide greater insight into transient domesticity. The discussion also examines possible improvements to our conceptualization of transient domesticity.
Environmental Singularity as Conduit of Foster Care Disparities: White Canadian/U.S. Social Workers Placing Children of Color
Authors: Hall Ronald E
Published: February 2019

The placement of children of color into foster care by White Canadian/U.S. Social Workers is contingent upon a Eurocentric environmental experience. The Eurocentric experience is defined relative to Norton’s sustaining and nurturing environments experienced as one and the same. The script is that Social Workers must confront Eurocentrism, which by application is a singularity that has erroneously precipitated the assignment of children of color into foster care at a rate disproportionate to their numerical representation within the U.S. and by proxy the Canadian population. Assessing the placement of children of color into foster care is enhanced by utilization of the Ecological Perspective. In the aftermath the system of child welfare and the populations it serves will be better prepared to accommodate all children and their families in an effort to reduce foster care disparities.
Adaptation to Stress: A Common Model and Method to Facilitate Within- and Cross-Cultural Evaluation of Foster Families
Authors: Megahead Hamido A , Lee Robert E
Published: February 2019

Studies meant to allow “cross-cultural” comparisons may be fatally flawed by the concepts, instruments, and discoveries of one culture being applied uncritically to another (namely, “etic” errors; cf. current discussions and examples in Chand, 2008; Durrenberger and Erem, 2007). Moreover, studies of foster families often disregard the unique ecosystemic environments in which those families are embedded (Lee, 2008). Therefore, this paper describes an overarching family adaptation model meant to resolve the foregoing problems. Secondary analysis of data describing urban Egyptian foster families (Megahead, 2008; Megahead and Cesario, 2008) illustrates the application of this model and suggests its heuristic value: Use of this model and method will allow common understanding of commonalities and differences within and between cultures, while respecting the uniqueness of each. The Family Stress and Adaptation Model focuses on family adaptation as a function of family stressors interacting with family coping resources. Although the framework is thought to apply to all cultures involving families, the variables—adaptation, stressors, and resources—are defined and operationalized emically (that is, the cultural insider’s perspective determines what is to be considered, its nature, and size).
Left Behind: The Experiences of Children of the Caribbean Whose Parents Have Migrated
Authors: Dillon Mona , Walsh Christine A
Published: February 2019

The Caribbean region has high levels of migration, yet limited research exists on the effects of parental migration on children left behind. We searched electronic databases, websites and grey literature and found 20 studies examining the experiences of Caribbean children left behind as a result of migrating parents. Left-behind children of migrants are more likely to experience emotional distress and negative effects of the breakdown of family structures and relationships than those in non-migrant households, with evidence being mixed for the effects on education and health. For children who eventually migrate, the resettlement process compounds the impacts experienced in the home country. Results should be interpreted cautiously since quantitative investigations comprise single studies on a limited number of variables within selected populations. Challenges in qualitative investigations include underrepresentation of males and inability to fully capture participants’ experiences prior to resettling. More research is required on the impact of gender differences of the migrating parent and gender-specific responses of children.
The Role of Family Typology on Mental Health, Positive and Negative Emotions, Self-esteem, and Wife Physical Abuse in an Iranian Sample
Authors: Khodarahimi Siamak
Published: February 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine the roles of the cohesive, enmeshed and disengaged families on the mental health, positive and negative emotions, self-esteem and wife abuse in married couples, to investigate relationships between these constructs, and to explore the effects of gender and the level of education on aforesaid variables. Participants included 100 couples that randomly selected from Shiraz city, Iran. A demographic questionnaire and four selfrating measures were used in this study. Resulting data indicated that cohesive families had a significantly lower psychopathology, negative emotions and the wi fc physical abuse and a higher positive emotions and self-esteem than both enmeshed and disengaged families. Psychopathology factors were positively correlated to negative emotions and wife physical abuse, and they had significantly negative relationships with positive emotions and self-esteem. Results were confirmed the effects of family typology on the mental health. Negative emotions and self-esteem were predicted the wife physical abuse in this sample.
Exploring the Myth of Mixed Marriages in India: Evidence from a Nation-wide Survey
Authors: Goli Srinivas , Singh Deepti , Sekher T. V
Published: February 2019

Marriages in India are essentially endogamous in nature. The influences of western education and socio-economic transformations have led to enormous change in the existing pattern of choosing one’s life partner and marriage practices in India. For the first time, this paper presents a comprehensive empirical assessment of the extent of mixed marriages by analyzing nationally representative data from the Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS, 2005). We consider mixed marriages in the following key aspects: Inter-caste marriage, Inter-religious marriage and Inter-economic group marriage (Inter-class marriage). The trend analyses reveal that the proportion of inter-caste and interreligious marriages has doubled in the last two and half decades. With the exception of interclass marriages, the absolute level of mixed marriages is still exceedingly small. Besides, there are substantial variations across the states. Regression analyses show a significant socioeconomic differential in the occurrence of mixed marriages. The study reveals that a very few women have the freedom to choose their spouse. These findings assume importance in the context of an increasing number of ‘honour killings’ in India in the recent years.
Faith, Conversion, and Challenge: A Qualitative Study of Chinese Immigrant Christian Marriage (in the USA)
Authors: Lu Yaxin , Marks Loren D , Nesteruk Olena , Goodman Michael , Apavaloaie Loredana
Published: February 2019

Chinese Christians in the United States have experienced unique challenges after their conversion to Christianity. Twenty-two highly religious Chinese Christian couples (N = 44) were interviewed to examine how religious faith influenced their marriage and family life. Questions regarding faith, marriage, family life, and challenges with religious beliefs and practices were asked. Qualitative grounded theory methods were employed to analyze the data and four themes related to the topic of challenges were identified: 1) The Challenge of Conversion to Christianity; 2) The Internal Challenge of Battling the “Old Self”; 3) The Intra-marriage Challenges of Being “Unequally Yoked”; and 4) The External Challenge of “The World’s Lure.” Supporting interview data are presented in connection with each theme. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Is There a Trade-Off Between Caring for Children and Caring for Parents?
Authors: Gans Daphna , Lowenstein Ariela , Katz Ruth , Zissimopoulos Julie
Published: February 2019

Given current fertility trends of delayed age at first birth, along with increased life expectancy, more families will likely face parental care decisions while still handling childcare responsibilities. This paper explores whether families who are facing multiple demands for care of both offspring and parents are substituting one type of care for another. More specifically, it asks whether individuals who are engaged in childcare duties to young children are likely to provide lower levels of support to their parents when compared to individuals with older children. Regression models were estimated employing data from Old Age and Autonomy: The Role of Service Systems and Intergenerational Family Solidarity (OASIS), a nationally representative sample of urban population in four European countries (Norway, England, Spain, Germany) and Israel. Taking advantage of a unique dataset, we were able to address the potential trade-off between the younger and the older generations within the family by considering individual, familial and societal factors. Our results demonstrate that adult children are responsive to parental needs and are likely to allocate resources to them when help is needed. However, the existence of a young child aged three-years-old or younger was significantly associated with a lower level of parental support. This finding suggests that intensive childcare duties may indeed hinder adult children’s ability to provide parental care. Some country differences were noted with lowest levels of parental support in Norway. Policy makers should consider the development of intergenerational family policies to support families facing multigenerational demands for care.
Whose choice? Self-Determination and the Motivations of Paid Family and Friend Caregivers
Authors: Kietzman Kathryn G , Benjamin A.E , Matthias Ruth E
Published: February 2019

This mixed method study focuses on the experiences of 383 family and friend caregivers paid to provide personal care services to Medicaid-eligible disabled and elderly through California’s In-Home Supportive Services program. While much discussion about consumer-directed care concerns the selfdetermination of care recipients, this study investigates related caregivers’ perceived choices about assuming these paid caregiver roles. We find that caregiver perception of choice is rooted in a wide array of cultural and gender norms and is quite variable, both within and across cases. Among this ethnically diverse sample of family and friend caregivers, these norms often underlie the motivations for providing paid care and influence the ways in which caregivers subsequently construct and manage their care arrangements. Findings indicate that related caregivers are well positioned to provide culturally appropriate care that is responsive to both care recipient and caregiver preferences. Moreover, the perception of choice in assuming a paid caregiver role has implications for caregiver well-being. Finally, while the availability of public payment was helpful to many, most caregivers describe motives unrelated to financial reward.
Children’s Perceptions and Definitions of Family in China, Ecuador, Turkey, and the United States
Authors: Qiu Wei , Schvaneveldt Paul L , Sahin Volkan
Published: February 2019

With rapid economic development and modernization, changes may be occurring among younger generations in regard to their attitudes towards family life and marriage. This research project is a cross-cultural comparison of how the broader social and cultural contexts have impacted the ways children perceive and define family functions, family structure, and roles within families. The sample included a total of 231 children aged 5 to 12 years and their parents from four countries: China, Ecuador, Turkey, and the United States. Mixed methods including qualitative interview questions, dyadic scenarios using dolls as manipulations with children, and a parent questionnaire were utilized for measurement. Regardless of the different social and cultural contexts influencing their lives, children who participated in this study were found to form similar understanding of family functions and parental roles. A universal theme influencing children’s perceptions of family was family as an ultimate source of survival, providing shelter, nutrition and protection. Distinct differences were found among the four cultures regarding children’s acceptance of traditional and non-traditional family structure and forms. Findings of this study provide important clues about how family-related concepts are being perceived and defined by children from vastly different cultures. In addition, this exploratory study provides a means of understanding culturally based shifts from traditional to diverse attitudes and practices across generations.
Long Distance Commuting and Couple Satisfaction in Israel and United States: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Landesman Judy , Seward Rudy Ray
Published: February 2019

Employment related mobility is on the increase and long distance extended commuting has become a substitute for migration. Details on patterns of voluntary long distance extended mobility were gathered and propositions based on deficit and resilience perspectives of the impact of commuting couple satisfaction were assessed. From 2010 to 2012, using a staticgroup comparison research design both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered from a non-probability convenience sample of 434 respondents in Israel and 130 in the U.S. Commuters, especially in Israel, were most often males, older, married and in relationships longer than non-commuters. While length of commuting did not impact overall satisfaction with commuting couples' relationships, frequency of commutes had a modest negative impact. While satisfaction reports from noncommuting couple members were consistently higher than the reports from commuting couples, the majority of both groups reported satisfaction with their relationships. But commuting appears to have a modest negative impact on couples' satisfaction with their relationships. Women who supported gender specific roles for couples were more likely than men to report greater satisfaction with their relationships. Data limitations identity obstacles to overcome and need to further assess potential risk and protective factors, especially resilience.
Cultivating the Difference: Social Class, Parental Values, Cultural Capital and Children’s After-School Activities in Taiwan
Authors: Shih Yi-Ping , Yi Chin-Chun
Published: February 2019

Inspired by Melvin Kohn and Annette Lareau’s works, this paper aims to uncover the mechanisms of social reproduction practiced via after-school activities. The world’s lowest fertility rate, patriarchal family system, and burgeoning cram institutes make Taiwan a solid case to explore. Drawing on data from the Youth Project from 2000 and 2001 (N=2,126), we examine, step-by-step, the associations between parents’ social class, parents’ child-rearing values, and children’s after-school activity participation. By comparing maternal and paternal models, this paper demonstrates how Taiwanese parents carefully arranged the fabric of after-school time as an Asian version of concerted cultivation, and illustrates how cultural capital in Taiwan is practiced in the local context of parenting. Separate models on seven activities, including music, calligraphy, arts, dance, computer, sports and chess lessons, are investigated as well. By identifying the dynamic embedded within after-school activities, this paper contributes a fundamental understanding of after-school learning, a popular form of childhood socialization in East Asia.
The Complex Relationship Between Values and Couple Patterns
Authors: Rossi Giovanna
Published: February 2019

One of the most significant changes in family structure is the formation of a couple: until a few decades ago this transition followed precise social norms (engagement, religious marriage, the birth of children), whilst today becoming a couple occurs in different ways. This paper illustrates the results of a cluster analysis of some couple patterns: currently married , separated/divorced, cohabiting, single, LAT. Findings are based on the 4th wave of the 2008 European Values Study involving 47 countries and focused on an Italian sample consisting of 1.519 individuals. The analysis highlights the complex relationship between some couple patterns and a number of factors, such as the importance and meaning of the family, work, religion, friends, marriage, motherhood and gender roles.
Urdu Translation of the California Inventory for Family Assessment for Use in Pakistan
Authors: Khalid Amna , Qadir Farah , Werner Paul D , Green Robert-Jay
Published: February 2019

In the absence of indigenously developed valid measures to study constructs related to marriage and family in Pakistan, the most economical way is to translate and adapt an instrument that has already been validated in other cultures. The purpose of this study was to translate into Urdu language and pilot test a measure of dyadic relationship behavior, the California Inventory for Family Assessment (CIFA; Werner & Green, 1999-2008). Brislin’s (1970) back translation method was employed. Our translation/backtranslation process is summarized in detail. Face validity and content validity were addressed by use of a committee of judges as well as by interviewing and pilot testing on 15 married couples. The translated version proved to be equivalent to the original version in semantic, idiomatic, experiential and conceptual domains. Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients as well as inter-spouse validity correlations indicate that most constructs measured by CIFA were applicable in the cultural context of Pakistan. However, subscales with weak reliability and validity results in the pilot study need to be explored further to better understand their suitability for research in Pakistan.
Fairy Brides from Heaven: Mate Selection in Rural China, 1949-2000
Authors: Song Jing , Luke Nancy
Published: February 2019

We investigated how men and women in rural China actively responded to macro-level government interventions with their marriage choices across three historical periods: nascent socialism, the Cultural Revolution, and the era of market reform. We outlined major shifts in ideological foci and redistributive policies and linked these macro-level “shocks” to detailed life history narratives (N = 42 spouses from 38 marriages) to explore changing meanings of gender preferences and the availability of preferred partners in the marriage market. The qualitative analysis revealed that the preferences of women and men for spouses with particular characteristics remained relatively stable over time: women used marriage as a vehicle for economic security and men sought brides who would be good homemakers and mothers. However, the shifting economic and political climate influenced the types of individuals endowed with essential resources and thus changed the characteristics most coveted in the marriage market across periods.
Households in Contemporary Southeast Asia
Authors: Dommaraju Premchand , Tan JooEan
Published: February 2019

Drawing on original empirical research, this paper presents a comparative and comprehensive portrait of household composition, size and structure in Southeast Asia, using data from various rounds of Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS). Countries included in the analyses are Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. Findings point to similarities across countries in the region on some aspects of household such as household structure. However there are important differences in other aspects such as household headship. Overall, the findings show both the diversity and similarities in households in Southeast Asia. The findings are interpreted by situating them within the broader historical, cultural, social and demographic frameworks.
Changes in Brideprice Payments in Christian and Muslim Villages of Kenya
Authors: Jensen An-Magritt
Published: February 2019

By looking at changes in brideprice practice over the last two decades, this article aims at understanding variations in marriage patterns and gender relations in rural Kenya. Attention is given to ways in which changes in brideprice payments impact women’s access to economic resources. The background for such changes in terms of culture and religion on the one hand, and education on the other is examined. The article builds on qualitative studies carried out in Christian villages in Western Province (1988) and Muslim villages in Coast (1990). Returning to the same villages in 2011 insight in continuities and changes is obtained in both areas. With the first round of studies as a background the article underlines present brideprice payments and how these have changed over time. Methods in both rounds are based upon ‘focused biographies’ in which basic demographic information and perceptions of childbearing, marriages and gender relations are collected. Data include in-depth interviews, interviews with key informants and focus groups, comprised of both women and men. The findings show that the burden of brideprice payment is gradually taken over by the younger generation. However, while in the Christian villages the bride has to share the burden, in the Muslim villages she has become a recipient. By this the more educated Christian women in Western remain strongly dependent on their husbands, while less educated Muslim women in Coast have gained some economic power.
South African Families of Indian Descent: Transmission of Racial Identity
Authors: Pillay Kathryn
Published: February 2019

This article examines how notions of ‘race’ are constructed and transmitted across generations within South African families of Indian descent. The qualitative data analysed and presented in this paper was collected by means of oral histories and semi-structured interviews with five South African families of Indian descent, and has been drawn from a larger data set that was gathered for my doctoral research. I argue in this paper that the continued focus of the democratic South African state on apartheid-era ‘race’ classification in various legislative and bureaucratic guises has resulted in the embeddedness of ‘race’ thinking in the national psyche. This has set limits to identity choices, and the family, therefore, while being an important site of racial identity formation, is superseded in significance by relationships with varying role players in society, including, and most important in this case, the South African state. The born-free and raised-free generation’s uncritical acceptance of the racial label ‘Indian’ does not conflict with the older generations understanding and appropriation of the category. This further points to the cogency of apartheid legislation in a democratic country, and while agency cannot be denied, this paper argues that agency has to be viewed relative to the constraints imposed by society. This paper demonstrates that rejection of the ‘race’ label by participants or resistance to it, is futile, as legally and socially South Africans of Indian descent are marked as ‘Indian’ by virtue of their phenotype and thus remain trapped by state imposed classifications.
‘Trying to Make South Africa My Home’: Integration into the Host Society and the Well-being of Refugee Families
Authors: Smit Ria
Published: February 2019

During the past two decades South Africa has increasingly become a host society for many forcibly displaced families from across the sub-Saharan region. This article draws on some of the findings of a qualitative study with the aim to investigate the impact of forced migration on the daily lives of refugee women and their families as well as their experiences in trying to integrate into the host society. The research population constitutes refugees from the conflict ridden countries of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zimbabwe who reside in the inner-city areas of Tshwane and Johannesburg. Ager and Strang’s (2008) conceptual framework, which uses indicators of integration experiences, proved useful as an analytical lens. In discussing the findings specific reference is made to (a) markers and means of integration, (b) processes of social connection, and (c) facilitators of integration. The data revealed that Zimbabwean respondents and their families were slightly better off than the Congolese and Burundian participants in terms of social connection and means to achieve integration into the South African host society.
Foster Children’s Educational Outcomes when Child Fostering is Motivated by Norms: The Case of Cameroon
Authors: Marazyan Karine
Published: February 2019

This paper investigates a new determinant of fostering a child and evaluate whether children who are fostered in due to this reason have different schooling outcomes than children who are fostered in for other reasons. The study tests whether households headed by a male who is the eldest of his brothers have a higher probability of hosting a foster child once the variables such as education, wealth and labor needs are controlled. Such a relationship is expected in patrilineal societies if social norms dictate that this is the duty of the kin group’s head—the eldest brother—to host a child fostered out following a shock and when no other household can take care of him. This hypothesis is tested in the context of Cameroon where many ethnic groups are patrilineal. The author notes that households headed by a male who is the eldest of his brothers have a higher probability of hosting school-age foster girls but not foster boys. This could be either because girls are more likely than boys to be fostered out in the country following an economic or a demographic shock or because they have more difficulties than boys to find a host household. However, no evidence suggesting that girls fostered in due to norms receive less education than girls fostered in for other reasons is found.
From Cohabitation to Marriage when a Child Is on the Way. A Comparison of three Former Socialist Countries: Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary
Authors: Hărăguş Mihaela
Published: February 2019

Recent research shows that in Eastern European countries more partnerships begin as consensual unions than direct marriages, but that few couples remain in this living arrangement after conceiving or giving birth to a child since marriage continues to be the preferred context for childbearing and childrearing. This article investigates first time cohabitating women and their transition to marriage once a child is conceived or born in three former socialist countries. We conduct our analysis based on data from the Generations and Gender Survey and we model the duration of cohabitation. Conversion rate is the highest in Bulgaria and lowest in Hungary and highest during the first three years of relationships in all countries. During socialism, due to strong social pressures, once pregnancy occurred during cohabitation, there was a rush to marry before it become visible to others. After 1989, although pregnancy still triggers marriage, this happens at a later stage of the pregnancy against a background of decreased normative pressure in shaping people’s behaviors. In Romania and Bulgaria there is a positive educational gradient for conversion from cohabitation into marriage which is lacking in Hungary. In Romania and Bulgaria, cohabitation as a prelude to marriage or as a stage in the marital process appears to be a pattern for higher educated women, while the least educated persist in their non-marital behavior throughout their life course. In Hungary a pregnancy increases the marriage risks for all educational categories but does so least in case of high educated women.
Emerging Adults’ Motivations for Parenthood Among Korean Undergraduate Students
Authors: Yoo Gyesook , Lee NaYeon , Jun Hey Jung , Park Ju Hee
Published: February 2019

This study, based on 1999 and 2011 surveys with emerging adult undergraduate students, examined their motivations for having children between two cohorts in Korea. A total of 300 in 1999 and 204 in 2011 participants were included and a partial structural equation modeling was used to investigate the effect of cohort. The results showed that cohort was significantly related to the motivations for parenthood, participants in 2011 had stronger motivations for parenthood than participants in 1999.
Behind the Myth of Puritan Bangladesh: Pre- and Extra Marital Sexual Reality Among Lower-Class Urban Men
Authors: Quddus Abul Hasnat Golam
Published: February 2019

The primary objective of the study was to determine the extent of pre- and extra-marital sexual involvement of married males of slums. Data were collected through a sample survey and in-depth interviews. The respondents were low-income married male household heads living in slums of Bangladesh. The systematic random sampling technique was used for selecting the respondents. A total of 408 male samples were drawn from a slum of about 10, 000 households. During the survey, resource persons were identified for in-depth interviews. A total of 37 in-depth interviews were conducted. A total of 89% of the respondents admitted having some kinds of pre-marital sexual experiences and about 81% of them had pre-marital intercourse. Among the respondents with pre-marital sex experience, about 63% of them had sexual intercourse with female sex workers. Over 26% of the respondents with pre-marital sex experience had intercourse with their unmarried first cousins before marriage. Nearly 37% of the respondents with premarital sex experience had intercourse with fictive kin. About 66% of the total sampled respondents of the study had extra-marital sexual affairs and about 55 % of them had intercourse with one or more women other than their wives. The major extra-marital sex partners were sex workers (43%), followed by fictive kin (32%), sisters-in-law (20%), and extra-marital lovers (16%). Religious distribution shows that Muslims and Hindus do not differ with regard to sexual behaviors. Although the samples of the study do not represent the entire population of the country, it definitely represents the growing lower class urban population who constitute considerable proportion of the city population. The above findings convincingly raise the question of puritan character of Bangladesh society.
Marriage, Cohabitation and LAT Relationships
Authors: Trost Jan
Published: February 2019

As long as we know, marriages have always existed in Europe. When Christianity came the rituals also came or changed. In, for example, Iceland, these new rituals were only to some extent accepted for hundreds of years. In most other countries marriage the Christian way became also a concern for the states. And the few existing non-marital cohabitation couples were “deviants” in the meaning that they did not follow the rules of the social institution of marriage. Many of these were based upon poverty. During the 1960’s many of the traditional way couples lived were questioned, especially by activists, and changes came in some countries and in the beginning of the 1970s in other countries. The three Scandinavian countries were first with the changes. Cohabitation rapidly came as a social institution along marriage. To start with people in these new cohabitations were actively against the social institution of marriage and were in that sense “deviant”. Soon many became followers and they were certainly not in opposition to the societal values. These changes will be discussed with a theoretical background on what marriage has meant and means today together with a view on a follower of the changes and cohabitation, namely LAT relationships.