中欧社会论坛 - China Europa ForumHousehold Formation and the “Second Demographic Transition” in Europe and the US
Insights from Middle Range Models
Authors: Ron LESTHAEGHE
Date: 2006
Published by Second Demographic Transition
URL: sdt.psc.isr.umich.edu/pubs/online/rl_romantic_unions_paper.pdf
In this chapter we shall first of all introduce the reader to the basic features of the demographic changes in patterns of household formation, by now often referred to as a “second demographic transition” (SDT), and link these to some more general societal changes that emerged roughly from the 1960s onward. These changes pertain to various domains and include economic transformations as well as cultural shifts. It is clear that we are using a multi-factor explanation for the SDT in which both economic and cultural factors are necessary. None of these factors taken separately are sufficient, and all are non-redundant. But their respective weight and role can vary across societies, and much of this variation is an outcome of historical path dependency.