Life-Course Trajectories of Childless Women: Country-Specific or Universal?

Valentina Tocchioni (), Anna Rybińska, Monika Mynarska, Anna Matysiak and Daniele Vignoli
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Valentina Tocchioni: University of Florence
Anna Rybińska: Duke University
Monika Mynarska: Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw
Daniele Vignoli: University of Florence

European Journal of Population, 2022, vol. 38, issue 5, No 17, 1315-1332

Abstract: Abstract While existing research has documented complexities in biographies of childless women, few studies to date have systematically examined the life-course pathways of the childless from a comparative, cross-country perspective. In this paper, we analyse biographies of childless women in four countries—Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United States—in order to investigate whether pathways into childlessness are country-specific or commonly shared across institutional, cultural, and geographical settings. Partnership, education, and employment histories are examined using sequence analysis with dynamic Hamming distance and cluster analysis. Discrepancy analysis indicates a country-effect in women’s biographies although life-course patterns identified in each country share similarities. Overall, seven life-course trajectories have been identified, with the most numerous cluster comprising single, working women who completed their education at a relatively young age. The results highlight a marked variation in the life-courses of childless women. Put together, these findings provide descriptive evidence for both country-specificity and cross-country similarity in the pathways to childlessness.

Keywords: Childless women; Life-course; Sequence analysis; Discrepancy analysis; Cluster analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1007/s10680-022-09624-5

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