Title: The third child in the 1974 Hungarian marriage cohort.

POPLINE Document Number: 101273

Author(s):

Carlson E
Kamaras F

Source citation:

In: Demographic and social effects of population policies in Europe, edited by Henry P. David and Daniel Pierotti. Copenhagen, Denmark, World Health Organization [WHO], Regional Office for Europe, 1993. :23-5.

Abstract:

Family formation decisions in Hungary can be best understood from an analysis of data collected in 1974 and reinterviews in 1990 among 500 couples. During this period the Hungarian government instituted a variety of pronatalist policies in order to influence production of larger families. There were initial fluctuations in fertility and then stabilization at low fertility. Debate has centered on whether pronatalist policies were effective. The data set has been transferred for analysis to the University of South Carolina. The first interviews involved detailed information on family and living arrangements, housing conditions, opinions about prospective fertility, and attitudes on child care allowances, contraceptive practices, and other items. Other demographic information from the marriage certificate was merged with the survey data set. The survey in 1977 included reinterviews and information on marital events, residential and work conditions, and reproductive events for each pregnancy. There were subsequent panels in 1980, 1984, and 1987. Preliminary analysis has shown some evidence for the impact of pronatalist policy on the timing of fertility rather than cohort total fertility. More detailed analysis of parity-specific patterns and the influences of school, work, and family contexts as well as pronatalist policies such as allowances is anticipated. The systematic data collection affords a wonderful opportunity to examine at the personal level couple decision making about family building over a 14-year period.

Keywords:

Hungary
Critique
Marriage Patterns
Cohort Analysis
Fertility Changes
Family Life Surveys
Data Analysis
Developing Countries
Europe, Central
Europe
Marriage
Nuptiality
Research Methodology
Fertility
Population Dynamics
Demographic Factors
Population
Family Research
Family and Household