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What shape great expectations? Gender, social origin and country differences in students’ expectations of university graduation
(2018-04-25) Ortiz Gervasi, Luis
Over the last decades, female educational attainment has progressively caught up with male one in many OECD countries. Expectations of university graduation have correspondingly been found to be higher among female adolescents than among male ones. The advantage is even higher for girls of lower social origin. In the present research, multilevel modelling is applied to a combination of national-level data, on the one hand, and individual- and school-level data drawn from PISA 2003 on the other hand, in order to explain lower expectations of university graduation among male kids of lowly educated parents. Attention is paid to gender egalitarianism, educational differentiation and economic structure. A more gender-egalitarian society is expected to make human capital investment more attractive for girls. This effect may not affect expectations of university graduation among offspring of highly educated fathers, but it is expected to raise educational expectations of daughters of lowly educated fathers well above expectations of boys of the same origin. As regards educational differentiation, vocational training may become more appealing for male kids of lower social origin than for female ones. Finally, the size and growth of employment and wages in strongly masculinised sectors (i.e. manufacturing and construction) may divert male kids from entry into university, making vocational training or straight entry into the labour market more attractive. Again, this effect could be stronger among male adolescents of lower social origin. The evidence supports the role of the economic structure and gender egalitarianism, but no evidence is found in support of the role of educational differentiation.
My house or our home? Entry into sole homeownership in British couples
(2015-10-01) Lersch, Philipp; Vidal Torre, Sergi
It is mostly assumed that both partners in couples own their homes jointly. We challenge this assumption and examine the individual ownership configurations within couples in Britain. We argue that the individual legal status as an owner will determine to what degree individuals can benefit from homeownership. Two research questions are addressed: (1) How frequent is homeownership by only one partner, i.e. sole homeownership, in British couples?/n(2) Which factors are associated with the entry into sole homeownership? Using longitudinal data from the British Household Panel Survey (1992-2008) and the UK Household Longitudinal Study (2010-2011), we apply (multinomial) logistic regression and discrete- time event history analyses. We find that in 13% of unions in owner-occupancy one partner solely owns the home. Many individuals enter sole homeownership through residential stability at union formation by remaining an owner of a pre-union home. A substantial share of partnered individuals enters sole homeownership at later times during their unions. Overall, entries into sole homeownership are more likely with more economic resources, with step children living in the home and for cohabitants. Within unions, the chances to enter into sole homeownership are reduced with longer union durations. Sole homeownership is partly an outcome of demographic processes such as increased union instability and more frequent cohabitation. In turn, sole homeownership may also impinge on these processes. For instance, sole homeownership may increase the risk of union dissolution compared to joint homeownership. This is one avenue for future research.
The policy context of fertility in Spain: toward a gender-egalitarian model?
(2015-10-01) Baizán, Pau
Fertility levels have remained very low in Spain since the mid-1980s, implying a future rapid aging of the population. The stagnation of fertility levels is closely linked to the substantial changes in the welfare regime experienced during this period, involving shifts in the share of the cost of children between social institutions. While exchanges of care and financial support across generations are still high, including a prolonged coresidence of young adults with their parents, the role of households as providers of care and other services has substantially declined. The rapid increase in women’s labor-market participation has ledthe dual full-time earner model of family tobecome the norm, although this trend has not been matched by a similar increase in men’s unpaid work. These processes have weakened the ability of households to provide care and have created a demand for both state intervention and market solutions. The resulting care gap has been partially filled by the expansion of non-family childcare, in which the state has had an important role both as provider and regulator of the market. At the same time, childcare within the family has been undermined by policies in the domains of parental leave, part-time opportunities, and child benefits/tax allowances that provide little support to parenthood. Moreover, labor-market deregulation, focused on the young, has brought with it an increase in uncertainty about income, leading to the postponement of family transitions and depressing fertility.
A functional taxonomy of the occupational structure
(2014-10-14) Rodríguez Menés, Jorge
This paper proposes to conceptualize the division of labor functionally,/nas a response to environmental variations and instabilities that lead to/nalternative forms of horizontal – task – and vertical – role –/ndifferentiation. Relying on contingency theory, the paper describes the/nmain sources and manifestations of these two forms of functional/ndifferentiation, and the alternative modes of integrating tasks and roles/nwithin structures that are more centralized, hierarchical, and formal as/nthe environment becomes more heterogeneous and unstable. The result/nof this exercise is a rich taxonomy of the division of labor with multiple/nand clear criteria intended for classifying occupations according to their/ntechnical characteristics.
The effect of gender policies on fertility: The moderating role of education and normative context
(2014-10-14) Baizán, Pau; Arpino, Bruno; Delclós Gómez-Morán, Carlos Eric
In this paper we aim to assess the extent to which individual-level completed/nfertility varies across contexts as characterized by policies that support different/ngender division of labor models. We examine key labor market and care policies/nthat shape gender relations in households and in the public domain. We also/nconsider the role of gender norms, which can act as both a moderator and a/nconfounding factor for policy effects. We hypothesize that, by facilitating role/ncompatibility and reducing the gendered costs of childrearing, policies that support/ngender equality lead to an increase in fertility levels and to a reduction in fertility/ndifferentials by level of education. We investigate two mechanisms. First, gender/nequality policies have a stronger positive impact on the better educated. Second, a/nhigh prevalence of gender equality norms in the population enhances the fertility/nimpact of these policies. Using individual-level data from the European Union/nSurvey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) for 16 countries combined/nwith country-level data, we analyze completed fertility through multilevel Poisson/nmodels. We find that the national level of childcare coverage has a positive impact/non the number of children. Furthermore, its impact is greater among highly/neducated women. The overall effect of family allowances, prevalence of women’s/npart-time employment, and the length of paid leaves were also found to be/npositively associated with completed fertility, though the associations were not/nstatistically significant. However, these variables also show a significant positive/npattern according to education. A high number of average working hours for men/nhas a negative effect on completed fertility, with a strong negative pattern by/neducational level. These results suggest that policies steering gender equality have a/npositive effect on fertility, yet their effects are heterogeneous in the population. The/nprevalence of gender egalitarian norms is highly predictive of fertility levels, yet/nwe found no consistent evidence of a lower impact of gender equality policies in/ncountries where egalitarian values are less prevalent.
Mother's educational level and family structure: comparing Spain and Italy
(Max Planck Society, 2014) Garriga Alsina, Anna; Sarasa Urdiola, Sebastià; Berta, Paolo
During the second half of the twentieth century, there has been a positive relationship between single parenthood and the mother’s educational level in Spain and Italy. However, several important transformations contemplated in Goode’s theory suggest that this relationship might have been inverted in Spain but perhaps not in Italy. The purpose of our study is to test this hypothesis using EU_SILC data from waves 2005 and 2011 and logistic regressions. We found the relationship between the mother’s education and being a single mother is negative in Spain, while it is not significant in Italy. However, we found that for Italian mothers aged 40 and younger, and mothers from northwest Italy, this relationship is also negative. In contrast, for older mothers and mothers from the islands or southern Italy, this association is positive, while for mothers from the central and northeast regions, the relationship between education and single motherhood is not significant. These results show how Spain and some parts of the Italian society are moving towards family models similar to those in the northern European countries. As Sara McLanahan (2004) noted for United States, this social transformation in southern Europe cannot be considered without recognizing the potential negative consequence for future generations. The single-mother households dealing with the economic crisis which started in 2008 have lower socioeconomic backgrounds than single mothers who suffered through previous crises, and, therefore, the consequences of this crisis for children in single-parent families might be even more negative, especially in Spain.
What drives Senegalese migration to Europe? The role of economic restructuring, labor demand and the multiplier effect of networks
(2014-07-10) Baizán, Pau; González-Ferrer, Amparo
International migration from Sub-Saharan Africa to Europe is poorly/nunderstood. Furthermore, existing studies pay insufficient attention to/nthe links between the micro-level factors and political, social and/neconomic processes in both origin and destination areas. Here we/nintegrate insights from institutional approaches in migration and/ndevelopment research with perspectives that highlight the role of labor/nmarket and social capital./nWe analyze the contextual and individual level determinants of/nmigration from Senegal to France, Italy and Spain since the mid-1970s./nWe examine the following hypotheses: (a) In Senegal, the deterioration/nof living conditions, heightened economic insecurity and the widening/nof social inequalities, have created the conditions for increasing outmigration/npropensities. (b) In Europe, labor market restructuring has/nincreased job opportunities in particular places and job niches. (c) In/nfacilitating access of Senegalese migrants to jobs in Europe, social/nnetworks have linked these two processes./nWe use event history models to analyze life course data from the/nMigrations between Africa and Europe survey (2008)./nOur results support institutional perspectives emphasizing the role of/nmigration as a household strategy to diversify resources and counter/ndownward social mobility. Furthermore, our analyses show that the/navailability of personal networks in Europe creates a boosting effect on/nindividual migration probabilities during periods of strong labor/ndemand. The initiation and expansion of migration between Senegal/nand Europe stem from the interplay between historically changing/nsocial and political factors at origin and destination, as well as the/nmutually reinforcing process of social capital formation and changing/nlabor market conditions.
Changes in gender role attitudes and fertility : a macro-level analysis
(2014-07-08) Arpino, Bruno; Esping-Andersen, Gøsta, 1947-; Pessin, Léa
This study explores whether changes in fertility rates are associated/nwith the diffusion of gender-equitable attitudes. We argue that any/npositive effect on fertility requires not only that the level of genderequitable/nattitudes must be high overall, but also that they are similar/nfor men and women. Our analyses are based on a sample of twentyseven/ncountries using data from the World Values Surveys and/nEuropean Values Studies. We find support for a U-shaped relationship/nbetween changes in gender role attitudes and fertility: an initial drop in/nfertility is observed as countries move from a traditional to a more/ngender symmetric model. Beyond a certain threshold, additional/nincreases in gender egalitarianism become positively associated with/nfertility. This non-linear relationship is moderated by the difference in/nattitudes between men and women: when there is more agreement,/nchanges are more rapid and the effect of gender egalitarian attitudes on/nfertility is stronger.
Social capital and cognitive attainment
(2013-05) Rodríguez Menés, Jorge; Donato, Luisa
We review the different meanings that researchers have given to theconcept of social capital, differentiate four types – bridging, bonding,linking, and overheads –, and discuss their different functions as public,club, and common goods.For each form of social capital we distinguish its productivity (acollective characteristic) from the factors that account for individual’sdifferential access to its returns, and propose alternative ways formeasuring each.We show the utility of our theoretical and measuring approach byanalyzing the impact of the each form of social capital on 15 year-oldstudents’ cognitive attainment across OECD countries, using 2006 PISAdata.The results show that students’ cognitive attainments are a direct functionof the richness or productivity of each form of social capital and ofstudents’ degree of access to each.
Decisiones de empleo y cuidado en parejas de dos ingresos en España
(2013-03-11) Abril, Paco
¿Hasta qué punto se preparan las parejas jóvenes en España para una parentalidad corresponsable? Los estudios muestran que gran parte de las desigualdades de género en las sociedades occidentales emergen y se recrudecen durante la primera maternidad/paternidad. En España existe un gran vacío en estudios que analicen la toma de decisiones y las justificaciones de los miembros de la pareja en sus decisiones sobre el cuidado de su primogénito. Esta investigación viene a suplir esta laguna en la literatura mediante un estudio cualitativo basado en entrevistas en profundidad realizadas a 136 hombres y mujeres activos (ocupados y desempleados) que esperaban su primer hijo en el año 2011. La investigación indaga sobre las justificaciones repecto a quién y cuánto tiempo disfrutará de licencias parentales o reducciones de jornada laboral, los ideales de cuidado, los planes de implicación del padre y la madre y el significado de una "buena" maternidad y paternidad.El estudio muestra que gran parte de las parejas aspiran a mantener el empleo de ambos miembros tras el parto y que, por tanto, el modelo de familia basado en dos sustentadores está ampliamente arraigado en el imaginario cultural de estas parejas. Sin embargo, en el caso de prever dificultades en la conciliación del empleo y el cuidado - situación bastante frecuente en el contexto español - las mujeres continúan mostrando una mayor predisposición a adaptar su empleo a las necesidades de la maternidad, mientras que solo una pequeña parte de los hombres entrevistados parecen dispuestos a asumir ajustes laborales importantes para atender a sus hijos y acercarse al ideal de la paternidad corresponsable.
What lies behind the devaluation of educational credentials?
(2012-10) Ortiz Gervasi, Luis; Rodríguez Menés, Jorge
Applying fixed-effects models to EULFS data on Spain from 1998 to2006, the paper explores the effects of educational expansion on theoccupational returns to education across different levels of education.We build an indicator of the positional value of education, based on theidea that the value of a given educational credential partly depends onthe percentage of labour market entrants who have reached that level atthe time when individuals enter the labour market -- it is higher whenfewer individuals have reached it, lower otherwise. Our analysis for theSpanish case shows that the decrease in the occupational returns toeducation goes in parallel with the decrease in the positional value ofeducation, but this devaluation of credentials has been stronger ingeneral education (e.g., in humanities or social sciences universitydegrees, or in upper secondary general education) than in specializededucation (e.g., in technical fields in the university, or in uppervocational training). We argue that the reason for this is most likely thatgeneral education provides a more diffuse signal of candidates’ skillsthan specialized education. We also find that this devaluation ofcredentials has been stronger in fields accessed by women in largernumbers in last decades.
Asymmetries in the opportunity structure. Intergenerational mobility trends in Europe
(2012-05) Esping-Andersen, Gøsta, 1947-; Wagner, Sander
It remains unclear whether social mobility is increasing in the advancednations. The answer may depend on mobility patterns within very recentbirth cohorts. We use the inter-generational module in the 2005 EUSILCwhich allows us to include more recent cohorts. Comparingacross two Nordic and three Continental European countries, weestimate inter-generational mobility trends for sons both indirectly, viasocial origin effects on educational attainment, and directly in terms ofadult income attainment. In line with other studies we find substantiallymore mobility in Scandinavia, but also that traditionally less mobilesocieties, like Spain, are moving towards greater equality. We focusparticularly on non-linear relations. Most interestingly, we revealevident asymmetries in the process of equalizing life chances, inDenmark. The disadvantages associated with low social class originshave largely disappeared, but the advantages related to privilegedorigins persist.
Claves para el trabajo con la muestra continua de vidas laborales
(2010-09-23T11:27:14Z) Lapuerta, Irene; Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Departament de Ciències Polítiques i Socials
Desde el año 2005 la comunidad científica cuenta con una nueva fuente de información anual para el estudio de las dinámicas del mercado de trabajo y del sistema de previsión social de carácter contributivo en España. Sus microdatos, que reciben el nombre de Muestra Continua de Vidas Laborales (MCVL), proceden de tres registros administrativos: la Seguridad Social, el Padrón Continuo Municipal y la Agencia Tributaria. En este trabajo se exponen sus características fundamentales, al tiempo que se plantean algunas pautas básicas para afrontar las dificultades en el manejo de sus datos. Entre ellas destacan las peculiaridades de su estructura panel; el tratamiento del pluriempleo y las situaciones simultáneas; el modo en que se computa una relación laboral; y los problemas para la identificación de la estructura familiar.
Parental investments in children: how bargaining and educational homogamy affect time allocation
(2007-05-29T18:09:39Z) Esping-Andersen, Gøsta, 1947-; Bonke, Jens; Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Departament de Ciències Polítiques i Socials
This study examines parental time investment in their children, distinguishing between developmental and non-developmental care. Our analyses centre on three influential determinants: educational background, marital homogamy, and spouses' relative bargaining power. We find that the emphasis on quality care time is correlated with parents' education, and that marital homogamy reduces couple specialization, but only among the highly educated. In line with earlier research, we identify gendered parental behaviour. The presence of boys is an important condition for fathers' time dedication, but primarly among lower educated fathers. To the extent that parental stimulation is decisive for child outcomes, our findings suggest the persistence of important inequalities. This emerges through our special attention to behavioural differences across the educational distribution among households.
The Generational contract in the family : explaining regime differences in financial transfers from parents to children in Europe
(2008-10-21T07:48:06Z) Kohli, Martin; Albertini, Marco; Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Departament de Ciències Polítiques i Socials
The exchange of social and economic support between the generationsis one of the main pillars of both family life and welfare systems. Thedebate on how to reform the generational contract is still truncated, however, by focusing on its public dimension only, especially on pensions and health care provisions. For a full account, the transfer of resources between adult generations in the family needs to be included as well. In our previous research we have shown that intergenerationalexchange is more likely to take place but less intense in the Nordicwelfare regime than in the Continental and Southern ones. In thepresent paper we analyze the social mechanisms that create and explain this nexus between patterns of intergenerational transfers and welfare regimes. The notion that Southern European family support networksare stronger and more effective than those of Continental and Northern European countries is only partially confirmed. In Southern (and partly in Continental) countries, children are mostly supported by means of co-residence with their parents till their complete economicindependence. However, once they have left the parental home thereare fewer transfers; support tends to be restricted to children who have special needs (such as for the formation of their own family), and depends more on their parents’ resources. In the Nordic countries, in contrast, transfers are less driven by children’s needs and parentalresources.
Joint determinants of education enrolment and first birth timing in France and West Germany
(2006-03) Baizán, Pau; Martín García, Teresa; Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Departament de Ciències Polítiques i Socials
We examined the reciprocal influence between educational decisions and the timing of first births, using the Family and Fertility Surveys of France and West Germany. Since these two processes are potentially endogenous, we modelled them jointly, using event history models. We hypothesise that the reciprocal impact of educational and fertility careers, as well as the impact of the common determinants of both processes, are gender specific and context specific.The results show a significant endogeneity for women and men in both countries. This endogeneity is stronger for women than for men, while no substantial differences are found between the two countries. Removing this shared and unobserved heterogeneity, the results show a stronger reciprocal impact between the processes for women than for men. A similar impact of being enrolled in education on first birth in both countries is found, while the effect of the birth (and especially of the pregnancy) of the first child on terminating one’s education appeared to be more marked in West Gernany than in France.
Explaining parental dedication to child care in Spain
(2010-12-28T11:02:54Z) Baizán, Pau; Domínguez Folgueras, Marta; González, María José; Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Departament de Ciències Polítiques i Socials
The quality of the time dedicated to child care has potential positive effects on children’s life chances. However, the determinants of parental time allocation to child care remain largely unexplored, particularly in context undergoing rapid family change such as Spain. We assess two alternative explanations for differences between parents in the amount of time spent with children. The first, based in the relative resources hypothesis, links variation in time spent with children to the relative attributes (occupation, education or income) of one partner to the other. The second, derived from the social status hypothesis, suggests that variation in time spent with children is attributable to the relative social position of the pair (i.e. higher status couples spend more time with children regardless of within-couple difference).To investigate theses questions, we use a sample of adults (18-50) from the Spanish Time Use Survey (STUS) 2002-2003 (n=7,438). Limiting the analysis to adults who are married or in consensual unions, the STUS allows to assess both the quantity and quality of parental time spent with children. We find little support for the “relative resources hypothesis”. Instead, consistent with the “social status hypothesis”, we find that time spent on child care is attributable to the social position of the couple, regardless of between-parent differences in income of education.
The Sociology of educational mismatch
(2010-05-12T07:13:56Z) Kucel, Aleksander; Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Departament de Ciències Polítiques i Socials
This paper studies the theoretical relationships between core research lines of sociology such as intergenerational mobility, class structure, cultural capital and educational mismatches. By educational mismatch we mean two things. Firstly an individual can be horizontally mismatched whereby their field of study is inadequate for the job. Another direction of educational mismatch is the so called vertical mismatch where worker possesses more/less education than the job requires resulting in over-/under-education. While analyzing the educational mismatches I keep present the conclusions of Rational Action Theory on individuals’ rational choices in their educational careers. I arrive to conclusions where the influences between educational mismatches and social classes are bidirectional and one can establish fairly clear theoretical links between class of origins and likelihood of being educationally mismatched.
Union activism in an inclusive model of industrial relations: evidence from an Spanish case
(2008-11-10T09:39:06Z) Jódar, Pere; Vidal Torre, Sergi; Alós, Ramon; Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Departament de Ciències Polítiques i Socials
In this article we analyze the reasons, within the context of Spanish industrial relations, for trade union members’ active participation in their regional union. The case of Spain is particularly interesting as the unions’ main activity, collective bargaining, is a public good. The text, based on research involving a representative survey of members of a regional branch of the “Workers” Commissions” (Comisiones Obreras) trade union, provides empirical evidence that the union presence in the workplace has a significant influence on members’ propensity for activism. By contrast, the alternative hypothesis based on instrumental reasons appears of little relevance in the Spanish industrial relations context.
Sustainable and equitable retirement in a life course perspective
(2005-05) Esping-Andersen, Gøsta, 1947-; Myles, John; Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Departament de Ciències Polítiques i Socials
We argue that long term sustainability of social security systems requires not only better equilibrium between the proportion in retirement and in employment but also an equitable distribution of the additional financial burden that aging inevitably will require. We examine how a proportional fixed ratios model of burden sharing between the aged and non-aged will establish inter-generational equity. Additionally we address the question of intra-generational equity and argue that the positive association between lifetime income and longevity requires more progressive financing of pensions and of care for the elderly.

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