 |
|
 |
|
30.8.06
RGS-IBG Annual International Conference 2006:
Understanding Population Trends and Processes (UPTAP)
Population Geography Research Group
News and Conferences :Related Pages: External Links: Session OutlineThese two sessions primarily involve presentations by a number of researchers participating in an ESRC secondary data analysis initiative which aims to improve our understanding of the demographic trends and processes that affect our society and population through the use of large-scale social science data sets. The initiative is predominantly targeted at those who are at an early stage in their research career or who are mid-career researchers from a variety of disciplines including geography, sociology, politics, economists and epidemiologists. There are, in addition, three contributions from other researchers. The sessions will contain papers on a range of population topics including childlessness, co-habitation, step-parenting and health, health and well-being amongst older age people, homelessness and drug/alcohol abuse, sex and ethnicity in employment, attitudes of Muslims, migration in Northern Ireland, the role of cities in national and regional development and the micro-geography of demographic change. Programme: Session 1 - Wednesday 30th August 14.45-15.45 (5 Papers)Delayed childbearing and childlessness in Britain: the 1958 and 1970 cohorts compared Roona Simpson, Abstract: Two related aspects of recent demographic change are a postponement in timing of first births (Sobotka, 2004), and an increase in childlessness (Frejka et al., 2001). In Britain, there is evidence of an increasing polarisation in age of first childbirth, given the stable and relatively high incidence of teenage motherhood, alongside an increasing mean age at first birth. In addition, Britain has one of the highest levels of childlessness in Europe (McAllister and Clarke, 1998). While attributions of such trends to processes such as the Second Demographic Transition (see Lesthaeghe, 1995) or the individualisation thesis (see Beck and Beck-Gernsheim, 2002) have received widespread academic support, several scholars have pointed to the diversity in patterns of both fertility postponement and lifetime childlessness to argue the importance of situational factors, as well as the social, economic and policy environment (see for example McDonald, 2000). One factor related to fertility change that has received relatively little attention in the literature is changes over time in partnership patterns. This paper presents the results of research investigating the relationships between partnership and fertility histories. It uses the 1958 National Child Development Study and the 1970 Birth Cohort study to explores differences across and between cohorts, comparing those women who remain childless with those with one child and with two or more children, in relation to educational achievement, and employment and partnership status. These results are broken down by factors such as ethnicity and geographical variation. Providing such information on the characteristics associated with particular fertility histories, as well as changes over time, contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the social processes underlying changing fertility patterns. Currently cohabiting: relationship attitudes, intentions and behaviour Ernestina Coast, Abstract: Non-marital cohabitation is heterogeneous and evolving, and changes in attitudes to cohabitation have been noted. Absent from most large-scale attitudinal studies is information from cohabiters and relationship intentions of current cohabiters have received little attention, an empirical oversight. This project will use event history analysis of secondary data on cohabitation behaviour, intentions and attitudes collected by the British Household Panel Survey. Analyses will compare currently cohabiting individual- and couple-responses to repeat (1998 and 2003) questions on relationship intentions and attitudes, contextualised within longitudinal relationship, fertility and socio-economic histories. Question repeat in BHPS waves will permit tracing and reconstruction of relationship biographies of individuals and couples. Attitudes, intentions and behaviours are inextricably linked, operating in complex multi-directional fashion. By examining in detail responses to attitude and intention questions about cohabitation addressed to people who are already cohabiters this study will be able not just to study what happens when and to whom, but will contribute to an understanding of why individual cohabitation trajectories evolve. Does being a step-parent influence your health? Paul Boyle & Elspeth Graham, School of Geography and Geosciences, University of St Andrews Abstract: The past few decades have seen significant changes in household arrangements in much of the developed world. Fewer and later marriages, rising rates of cohabitation, divorce and lone parenthood, and later childbirth characterise what some call the ‘second demographic transition’ (van de Kaa, 1987). One outcome is a growing number of stepfamilies where a parent, whether single, separated, widowed or divorced, forms a new marriage or partnership. However, despite the rising incidence of stepfamilies and the demographic and social differences between stepfamilies and traditional families with two biological parents, researchers concerned with family life and parenting were relatively slow in acknowledging the importance of such non-traditional families (Ferri and Smith, 1998; Utting, 1995). There has been an increase in social science research on stepfamilies in recent years but much remains to be done (Coleman et al. 2000). For example, a number of studies explore the effect of living in a stepparent family on children, including their psychological well-being. Perhaps surprisingly, though, little research has considered the potential psychological impacts on the parents and this is the focus of this study, which examines whether step-parenting influences mental health. Old, sick and alone? Living arrangements, health and well being amongst older people Harriet Young and Emily Grundy, Abstract: Demographic changes over the last century have led to older age structures in the UK, accompanied by major social, economic and family-related changes. There have been declines in the proportions of older people living with children and increases in proportions living alone. Research to date indicates that the consequences of different living arrangements for the health and well-being of older people are not clear-cut, and may be influenced by factors including social ties outside the household, socio-economic factors and cultural norms. In this research, we use data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) to analyse associations between living arrangements and health and well-being amongst older people in England. Additionally, we examine the influence of extra-household support and socio-economic status on this association, and examine whether there are any regional variations. Scoping a homelessness and drug/alcohol cohort dataset from routine information Iain Atherton and Chris Dibben Abstract: This paper presents early findings from a study evaluating the extent to which routinely collected data can provide information on the distribution and geographic mobility of people who misuse drugs in Scotland. Routinely collected data is a potentially rich source of information on which to base a quasi-experimental approach to policy analysis, particularly attractive where the lifestyles of the individuals who would form case groups are not conducive to using other epidemiological approaches. We discuss the results in the context of substance misuse and geographic literature. Programme: Session 2 - Wednesday 30 August: 16.00-18.00 (6 papers)Gender and ethnicity in employment: continuity and change in patterns of occupational segregation and disadvantage between 1991 and 2001 Daniel Guinea-Martin and Louisa Blackwell Abstract: Occupational segregation in England and Wales during the twentieth century was consistently high, but declining in the 1980s. This article shows a steeper fall during the 1990s. Longitudinal analysis of patterns of population change and economic activity suggests that the decline in segregation across all ethnic groups over the 1990s was fuelled by structural change in the labour market. By 2001, workers of both sexes and all ethnic groups were less likely to be concentrated in manual and manufacturing occupations and more likely to be concentrated in service sector jobs. The data sets used are the 1991 and 2001 Censuses, the ONS Longitudinal Study (LS) and the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The coverage of Census data allows analysis of segregation patterns by sex and ethnicity. In both 1991 and 2001 workers were less segregated by ethnicity than they were by sex. The only exceptions were the Bangladeshi and Chinese groups. In terms of disadvantage, in both 1991 and 2001 men were more likely to be in better-paid occupations than women. This was the case for all ethnic groups other than Bangladeshi. In 2001, only Indian men were more advantaged than White men. In contrast, Indian, Black Caribbean and Chinese women were more advantaged than White women. Bangladeshi men and women formed the most disadvantaged group relative to White people of the same sex. Labour market positions of the BMEs in Britain, 1972-2004 Yaojun Li, Department of Sociology, Birmingham University Abstract: There has been a longstanding debate amongst philosophers and social scientists on social justice based on ‘meritocracy’, that is, the interrelationships between origin, education and destination. However, there has been little empirical study to trace the trajectory of social integration of black and minority ethnic (BME) groups in Britain. This is incompatible with their numerical growth and the roles they play in the socio-economic lives of this country. In this paper, we shall use pooled data from the General Household Survey and the Labour Force Survey (1972-2004); standardise key variables on ethnicity, educational qualifications, employment status, social class, marital status, country of birth, etc. and assess the extent to which various ethnic groups ‘deviate’ from the Whites in their access to the salariat and in their avoidance of unemployment and whether the patterns and trends show signs of convergence as time goes on. In this way, we hope to see whether there is decreasing ethnic penalty (hence increasing social equality) over time and, if so, for which of the groups; and whether the various Race Relations Acts (1965, 1968, 1976, 2000) had any noticeable effects on racial equality. The influence of citizenship, institutional trust and racism on feeling ‘at home’ among Muslim groups in Europe Saffron Karlsen, Abstract: Feeling relaxed in your environment is a key issue in the pursuit of psychological wellbeing. An important indicator of wellbeing among migrant groups may therefore be related to how far migrants feel able, or even allowed, to feel settled and secure in a destination country; that they may feel able to consider that place their ‘home’. Muslim groups might be considered at particular risk of such feelings of displacement, especially in the aftermath of the terrorist incidents in New York and Washington in 2001, in Madrid in 2004 and in London in 2005. The ‘Muslims in Europe’ study explored the attitudes, circumstances and experiences of three Muslim groups: 225 Turkish Muslims living in Berlin, Germany; 205 Moroccan Muslims living in Madrid, Spain and 141 Bangladeshi Muslims living in London, UK. Multivariate analyses were conducted to explore the effects of citizenship, place of birth, experiences and attitudes towards discrimination, institutional trust, gender, age and educational qualifications on both reporting feeling at home in your country of residence and feeling less at home since the events of September 2001 and March 2004. Findings suggest that the majority of Muslims (from these groups) feel ‘at home’ in their country of residence, although there were variations by national context, place of birth, age, citizenship and experiences and perceptions of discrimination. Not surprisingly, the increased religious intolerance occurring since the terrorist incidents in 2001 and 2004 has caused some respondents to feel less settled, but this relationship was also influenced by place of birth, perceptions and experiences of discrimination and institutional trust. It is possible that these findings may provide an indication of means by which to engender continued feelings of support, security and trust between communities, even with this continuing horror. Internal migration flows in Northern Ireland: exploring patterns and motivations in a divided society Gemma Catney, Abstract: Internal migration within Northern Ireland takes place within a very specific and unique context, with the prevailing political, religious and social situations, conditions and interactions likely to play a distinctive role in the migration process. Such migration is likely to influence and be influenced by the persistent yet changing patterns of residential segregation in Northern Ireland. Drawing on current PhD research, this paper explores the movement of individuals and households in Northern Ireland, reasons behind these moves, and their impact on residential patterns. In order to explore these issues, a mixed methods approach has been adopted, utilising a range of both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The paper will briefly outline quantitative analysis undertaken to date which has utilised data from the 2001 Census of Population of Northern Ireland. This will include various analyses of geographical differences in migration rates, with a particular focus on community background (‘religion or religion brought up in’). However, the focus of the paper will be on qualitative research which seeks to probe into the potential motivations and rationale behind movements of individuals and households within selected case study areas. This will report on semi-structured interviews and focus groups, held with (i) local residents, reconstructing their migration life-histories, and (ii) a range of individuals including community workers, local politicians, and representatives of housing institutions. Resurgent Cities? European urban trajectories, 1960-2005
Vlad Mykhnenko and Ivan Turok, Abstract: There is renewed optimism and confidence among European institutions and national governments about the contribution of cities to national and regional development. The implication is that cities lead rather than lag national economic and demographic trends. This paper offers evidence from 36 European countries to assess whether there has been a genuine improvement in the position of cities, both in historical terms and relative to their national contexts. The evidence suggests that cities were indeed engines of population growth during the 1960s and early 1970s in Western Europe, and throughout the 1960s-1980s in Eastern Europe. However, cities then went through a sharp slowdown lasting a decade or so, before stabilising at a much lower rate of population growth. This growth rate is below national trends and amounts to actual contraction in Eastern European cities. There is some evidence that Western Europe cities have experienced some recovery from their nadir in the early 1980s. Furthermore, the position of large cities appears to have improved more than that of smaller cities. However, the turnaround is far from robust and sustained. It is also more apparent in the number of cities that are growing rather than shrinking, rather than in any significant increase in the average rate at which they are growing. It is therefore premature to say that there has been a resurgence of European cities and that they hold the key to accelerated economic growth and competitiveness. The micro-geography of demographic change, 1991-2001 Paul Norman, Before any interpretive analyses can be carried out, fundamental aspects relating to methods of data estimation must be addressed which otherwise prohibit the derivation of time-series for small area socio-demographic statistics. Population-related data directly comparable in both 1991 and 2001 are not available for areas smaller than local authority districts. This lack of comparability relates to changes in census geographies which occurred during the inter-censal period, to inconsistencies over time in census data detail as well as to adjustments made to the 1991 Census population counts after the 2001 Census was released. The project will apply methods previously developed under ESRC funding to solve these problems. The versatile dataset outputs produced will be made available to other researchers and will thereby provide a bedrock for further socio-demographic research. LocationRoyal Geographical Society, Kensington Gore AccommodationSee web site: |
|