PSC Discussion Papers Series

Fertility Behavior of Immigrants in Canada: Converging Trends

Gebremariam Woldemicael et al. — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:53:06 PDT

Using data from the 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey (EDS), this paper compares fertility behavior across four groups of generations: recent and long-term immigrants of 1st generation, plus second and third generations. Several important findings emerge from this study: First, consistent with previous studies, we have documented higher current fertility among recent immigrants, but childbearing is lowest in the second generation. Second, although cumulative fertility tends to be significantly higher among long-term immigrants than recent immigrants, it becomes more similar to that of second and successive generations after adjusting for socio-demographic composition. This suggests that it is not generation per se, but compositional characteristics associated with generation groups that underlie fertility differentials. It can be argued that differences in the fertility patterns of long-term immigrants in Canada are likely to diminish as their socio-economic and cultural characteristics converge to those of the Canadian-born. This study also documents ethnic minority and age at arrival differences, suggesting higher fertility for those who are less acculturated or assimilated into the society.

Life Course and Structural Factors in Childlessness: The Waiting Game and Constrained Choices in the Second Demographic Transition

Zenaida Ravanera et al. — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:38:10 PDT

No abstract available

Social Integration of Young Canadians: What Do Types of Attachment Tell Us?

Zenaida Ravanera et al. — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:38:05 PDT

No abstract available

Synthesis Report on Canadian Youth: A Focus on Minority Youth

Zenaida R. Ravanera et al. — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:37:59 PDT

Using data from the 2006 Census and the 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey, this report provides demographic, economic, and socio-cultural profiles of young Canadians aged 15-24, with focus on visible minority groups, Aboriginal, Anglophone living in Quebec, and Francophone living in the rest of Canada. The profiles of young followers of various religions are also examined with the use of data from the 2001 Census.

The focus on the youth stems from a life course perspective recognizing that transitions in education, work, and family life in adolescence and early adulthood may differ for young Canadians belonging to minority groups from those in the majority. The use of aggregated data could provide comparative indicators of which groups of young Canadians are doing well in terms of education and work, and which groups may be lagging behind.

Child and Young Adult Headed Households in the Context of the AIDS Epidemic in Zimbabwe, 1988-2006

Daniel Ciganda et al. — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:50:48 PDT

The emergence of Child-Headed Households (CHH) and Young Adult Households (YAH) has largely been taken as an indicator of the erosion of the traditional safety nets in sub-Saharan countries and a direct consequence of the increasing number of orphans in the region. However, the initial evidence presented so far suggests that the process of formation of CHH and YAH is more complex than it appears to be. Using the four available waves of the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Surveys (1988, 1994, 1999, and 2005/2006) we find that the proportion of households with no adults have remained stable in the last years, although the number of orphans have increased significantly. In fact, a large number of children living in CHH are non-orphans, which suggests that this kind of living arrangements is not always a direct consequence of parental death. Moreover, our analysis show that children living in CHH and YAH are less likely to have unmet basic needs than children in households headed by working-age adults and other vulnerable households.

Child Care: Preferences and Opportunity Costs

Beaujot Roderic et al. — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:50:40 PDT

Family and work questions over the life course can be analyzed as constrained choices within structural and normative contexts. We focus here on the preferences and opportunity costs associated with child care, using data from the 2006 General Social Survey on Family. We start with the extent of usage of various forms of child care, for respondents with children aged 0-4, along with the reasons for the choice and the preferences for alternate forms of care. Among respondents with children under five years of age, 48% are currently using regular child care of some kind, and 79% of persons using child care are using their preferred form of care. We then consider the paid work status of parents with children aged 0-4, in comparison to other respondents, including their preference to work more or fewer hours. When there are young children present, women on average have lower employment rates, and lower average hours of work, along with a higher proportion who would prefer to work fewer hours. The opposite applies to men, who have their highest employment rates when there are young children at home. These patterns can be interpreted as opportunity costs of child care for women, but they may also represent preferences for given forms of care and for the amount of paid work to be done by women and men when they are parenting young children. The differences between Quebec and the rest of Canada suggest that a greater availability of publicly funded child care prompts a higher usage of child care, and reduces the opportunity costs of child care to women’s work.

Religious Differences in Rates of Infant and Child Mortality: Evidence from Alsace, 1750-1870

Kevin McQuillan — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:38:06 PDT

Abstract not available

La Commission de la population et du développement des Nations Unies et la suite de la Conférence du Caire

Roderic Beaujot — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:38:04 PDT

No abstract available

The Role of Family Functioning in the Association Between Childhood Sexual Victimization and Substance Use in Non-treatment Populations: Results from a Native Canadian Community and Comparisons with the General Population

Margaret L. De Wit et al. — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:31:54 PDT

Using path analytic techniques, this study examines the relationship between childhood sexual victimization and alcohol consumption in adult life, focusing in particular on the role of family functioning and the surrounding social support network of family and friends. Two non-treatment populations are compared, one, an Ontario Native community, and the other, the general Ontario population. The models are estimated separately for males and females. While the results for the two samples differ significantly in certain respects (including by sex), the importance of family functioning as an intervening factor is apparent for both Natives and non-Natives. The results of the path analyses for the two samples suggest that, among the Native group, sexual abuse is significantly and positively related to alcohol consumption through the family dysfunction measure for both males and females and through non-family support for females alone. In the general population sample, conversely, none of the three social support measures tested link sexual abuse to alcohol consumption. Instead, quality of parental relationships appears relatively more important among males in particular in predicting level of family dysfunction and supportive relations with family. These findings provide limited support for the hypothesized mediating influence of the informal support network in the relationship of childhood sexual victimization to substance abuse outcomes; they also point to notable differences for males and females in the dynamics of family life and substance use. The comparability of the Native and non-Native populations with respect to prevalence estimates and implications of the findings for policy are discussed.

Comportements démographiques et statut socio-économique des immigrants canadiens

Roderic Beaujot — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:31:52 PDT

Abstract not available

Language Maintenance among Selected Immigrant Groups in Canada 1971-1991

T. R. Balakrishnan et al. — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:19:04 PDT

Abstract not available

Should a Second Demographic Transition Follow the First? Demographic Contrasts: Canada and South Korea

Zenaida R. Ravanera et al. — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:35:03 PDT

Abstract not available

Early Life Transitions of Canadian Women: A Cohort Analysis of Timing, Sequences, and Variations

Zenaida R. Ravanera et al. — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:30:14 PDT

This paper looks into the timing and sequences of early life transitions of Canadian women using data from the 1995 General Social Survey of Family and Friends. Six events occurring in early adulthood are examined: school completion, first job, home-leaving, first cohabitation, first marriage, and first birth. Our analysis of birth cohorts spanning 60 years shows that the biggest changes in timing occurred in school completion and start of work; that the trajectories involving work before marriage have gained popularity among later cohorts; and that education appreciably delays early life transitions.

Determinants of the Risk and Timing of Alcohol and Illicit Drug Use Onset Among Natives and Non-natives: Similarities and Differences

Margaret L. De Wit et al. — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:21:41 PDT

Objective: Employing probability samples from the Ontario Health Survey Supplement (Ontario Ministry of Health, 1990/91) and a community of Native Ontario reserve residents (Embree, 1993), this study compared and contrasted Natives' and Non-natives' determinants of drug and alcohol use onset. Method: Proportional Hazards techniques identified factors associated with the risk and timing of onset of substance use (alcohol and illicit drugs) for both cultural groups, and special attention was paid to the role of family background characteristics as precursors to early alcohol and drug-use onset. Results: The multivariate results reveal that, for both Natives and Non-natives alike, and considering both drinking and drug use onset together, age cohort predominates as a risk factor, with youngest groups at greatest risk, and especially in the case of drug use other than alcohol. Males also exhibit consistently higher risks of both alcohol and other substance use, and this is true to a greater extent for Non-natives. For the model of drug use timing, age of alcohol use onset is the second best predictor for Natives, although its effect is still apparent, albeit weaker, in the case of Non-natives. The results concerning age at first regular drinking lend further support to previous findings that alcohol use is a powerful predisposing factor to the use of illicit substances. However, the evident cultural disparity in the predictive power of this measure also suggests that Natives may lag behind the general population with respect to recently observed shifts in the pattern of substance use progression (i.e., away from alcohol use as a necessary precondition to illicit use of other drugs). As for family characteristics, a number of factors emerge as determinants of risk but appear to depend, at least in part, on the cultural group and the substance under consideration: namely, parental substance abuse, paternal history of depression, quality of parental relations, parental occupational background, and sexual abuse during childhood. Conclusions: Overall, the findings point to the salience of family background in affecting early onset drinking and drug use, behaviors well-recognized to have potentially adverse mental and physical health consequences, as well as negative social outcomes.

Fertility Decline: Toward a Synthetic Model

Thomas K. Burch — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:13:48 PDT

Abstract not available

Urbanization in Cuba

G. Edward Ebanks — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:34:44 PDT

Abstract not available

Contrasting Population Challenges: Cuba and the Dominican Republic in the Next Millenium

G. Edward Ebanks — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:31:09 PDT

Abstract not available

Neo-Malthusian Dilemma: Latin America and the Caribbean

G. Edward Ebanks — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:24:35 PDT

Neo-malthusian dilemma manifests itself in a growing population of 500 million in 1998 and an additional net growth of 9 million people each year in Latin America and the Caribbean (LA & C) and low level of productivity resulting in poverty, a threat to sustainable development and prospects of continuing low level of the quality of life. To escape this dilemma it is necessary to reduce growth in the population while at the same time following the United Nations “Programme of Action” and the United Nations, The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), “Social Equity and Changing Production Patterns: An Integrated Approach”.

This paper examines the size of the population and its rate of growth and the contributing factors to these two, namely fertility, mortality and international migration. The population of Latin America and the Caribbean is large and is growing very significantly. Fertility is still high. Mortality is low, and the rate of natural increase is substantial in many countries. Emigration from outside the region is non-existent. Immigration exists but overall it is inconsequential, but for some individual countries it is important. There are some inter-regional migration.

Internal migration is still important. Rural to urban migration is being superceded by urban to urban migration. The spatial distribution of the population is of great concern. Overall, densities are satisfactory. But the population is located in small areas of the national territory.

Urbanization is a major aspect of the spatial distribution of the population. L A & C is a highly urbanized area. With few exceptions, the capital cities are primate cities. There are four mega cities of 10 million and more. Urbanization and the concentration of the population in a few small areas have many adverse effects for a sustainable development.

Low level of productivity is seen in the low per capital income of less than $4000 for the region. Poverty is rampant throughout the countries. Food is scarce. Housing is inadequate and insufficient. Latin America and the Caribbean is classified as a middle income region. This may be true, but some countries are very poor, and there is much poverty in all countries.

Trends and Variations in the Early Life Courses of Canadian Men

Zenaida R. Ravanera et al. — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:24:34 PDT

Abstract not available

Variations in the Length of Male Parenting: Evidence from the 1995 GSS Canada

Zenaida R. Ravanera et al. — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:11:00 PDT

Abstract not available