Aim of this presentation is to discuss some aspects of the dynamic relationship between fertility, changing values and the generational turnover in Europe and especially in Southern Europe/Italy. Attention will be devoted to the Millennial Generation, a group of young people whose birth years roughly range from 1982 to late 1990s (22-38 years). Millennials are today beginning to form their families and having children. ABSTRACT Aim of this presentation is to explore demographic patterns together with socioeconomic and institutional determinants of low fertility trends in Southern Europe, and especially in Italy. We will focus on the effecs of familism: Italy can be defined as a familistic culture. By familism we mean a set of normative beliefs that describes a strong attachment and loyalty to one’s family, emphasizes the centrality of the family unit, and stresses the obligations and support that family members owe to both nuclear and extended kin. In Italy family has acted as an informal support network (a social security cushion), offering care services for children, the elderly and sick people—services provided by the welfare state in other countries.The survival of the familistic cultural system depends on ‘traditional’ gender relations: the role of women’s inter-generational networks considered as mainly responsible for care work; the legalized absence of men’s support to prenatal and postnatal care. Even among young couples, the traditional division of labour seems to predominate and wives/mothers/daughters, in general, remain the main carers for children. Rather than on relying on Italian men, care services for the elderly, sick, and children are increasingly provided by foreign women (and men) in Italian families. Familism is a very strong force pushing toward low fertility, too: in Italy the average number of children per woman was 1,26 in 2016 (Istat data). The familistic culture has contributed to creating the model of ‘few but high quality children’, and couples are investing very high energies and expectations in their only child. However, the situation is today becoming more complex. Women’s and men’s life courses appear to be converging: this convergence challenges the polarization of gender roles and thus the familistic cultural framework. The methodology used in this paper is a combination of: a review of existing literature; secondary analysis of existing data; documentary analysis.
Ruspini, E. (2018). Low Fertility in Southern Europe. Causes, Trends, Challenges (and the Generational Turnover). Intervento presentato a: ESA-European Sociological Association, RN33-Women's and Gender Studies Mid term Conference "‘Gender Relations and Welfare Policies in Transition: Markets, States, and Families’, Bergen, Norway.
Low Fertility in Southern Europe. Causes, Trends, Challenges (and the Generational Turnover)
Ruspini, E
2018
Abstract
Aim of this presentation is to discuss some aspects of the dynamic relationship between fertility, changing values and the generational turnover in Europe and especially in Southern Europe/Italy. Attention will be devoted to the Millennial Generation, a group of young people whose birth years roughly range from 1982 to late 1990s (22-38 years). Millennials are today beginning to form their families and having children. ABSTRACT Aim of this presentation is to explore demographic patterns together with socioeconomic and institutional determinants of low fertility trends in Southern Europe, and especially in Italy. We will focus on the effecs of familism: Italy can be defined as a familistic culture. By familism we mean a set of normative beliefs that describes a strong attachment and loyalty to one’s family, emphasizes the centrality of the family unit, and stresses the obligations and support that family members owe to both nuclear and extended kin. In Italy family has acted as an informal support network (a social security cushion), offering care services for children, the elderly and sick people—services provided by the welfare state in other countries.The survival of the familistic cultural system depends on ‘traditional’ gender relations: the role of women’s inter-generational networks considered as mainly responsible for care work; the legalized absence of men’s support to prenatal and postnatal care. Even among young couples, the traditional division of labour seems to predominate and wives/mothers/daughters, in general, remain the main carers for children. Rather than on relying on Italian men, care services for the elderly, sick, and children are increasingly provided by foreign women (and men) in Italian families. Familism is a very strong force pushing toward low fertility, too: in Italy the average number of children per woman was 1,26 in 2016 (Istat data). The familistic culture has contributed to creating the model of ‘few but high quality children’, and couples are investing very high energies and expectations in their only child. However, the situation is today becoming more complex. Women’s and men’s life courses appear to be converging: this convergence challenges the polarization of gender roles and thus the familistic cultural framework. The methodology used in this paper is a combination of: a review of existing literature; secondary analysis of existing data; documentary analysis.
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