From the German Statistical Office:
1st quarter of 2007: Births rising just slightly
WIESBADEN – As reported by the Federal Statistical Office on the basis of provisional results, the number of live births in the first quarter of 2007 (149,300 children) rose just slightly (+0.4%) on the same quarter of 2006 (148,700). The number of boys born was 76,700, that of girls 72,600. The high rates of increase as reported by some media were hence not achieved.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Is There a Deadline for Parenthood?
Is There a Deadline for Parenthood?
An Example from Poland
Monika Mynarska
Abstract
The postponement of childbearing is occurring across Europe and the USA, but the paths of this trend differ profoundly from country to country. In Poland, as in other Central and Eastern European countries, most women have their first child at a relatively young age. This paper asks about the role of age norms in sustaining the pattern of early motherhood. We investigate young adults’ perceptions of age in relation to their fertility choices. We find that age is indeed a salient dimension that structures and regulates individual childbearing plans. The qualitative approach of our study allows for gaining insights into how age norms are explained, argued about and sanctioned. We also reconstruct the mechanisms of the normative influence of age limits (deadlines) on fertility behavior. Thus, the study not only improves our understanding of the timing of childbearing but also contributes to the general discussion on age norms.
An Example from Poland
Monika Mynarska
Abstract
The postponement of childbearing is occurring across Europe and the USA, but the paths of this trend differ profoundly from country to country. In Poland, as in other Central and Eastern European countries, most women have their first child at a relatively young age. This paper asks about the role of age norms in sustaining the pattern of early motherhood. We investigate young adults’ perceptions of age in relation to their fertility choices. We find that age is indeed a salient dimension that structures and regulates individual childbearing plans. The qualitative approach of our study allows for gaining insights into how age norms are explained, argued about and sanctioned. We also reconstruct the mechanisms of the normative influence of age limits (deadlines) on fertility behavior. Thus, the study not only improves our understanding of the timing of childbearing but also contributes to the general discussion on age norms.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Family Benefits in Germany
This file is useful.
The family allowance is paid for all children up to the age of eighteen. From 1st January, 2007, the period during which the family allowance is paid has been prolonged up to the age of 25 for children undergoing training, and up to age 21 for children without a job. For children undergoing training, who reach the age of 26 and 27 years (birth years 1980-1981), the period during which the family allowance is paid will be continued up to the age of 27; for children undergoing training, who turn 25 in 2007 (birth year 1982), it will be paid until the age of 26 years. Should military or civilian service (which suspend the payment of family allowance) be undertaken by the child during this period, the maximum age-limit is adjusted correspondingly. There is no age-limit for handicapped children who are unable to earn their living.
As is this whole thread.
The family allowance is paid for all children up to the age of eighteen. From 1st January, 2007, the period during which the family allowance is paid has been prolonged up to the age of 25 for children undergoing training, and up to age 21 for children without a job. For children undergoing training, who reach the age of 26 and 27 years (birth years 1980-1981), the period during which the family allowance is paid will be continued up to the age of 27; for children undergoing training, who turn 25 in 2007 (birth year 1982), it will be paid until the age of 26 years. Should military or civilian service (which suspend the payment of family allowance) be undertaken by the child during this period, the maximum age-limit is adjusted correspondingly. There is no age-limit for handicapped children who are unable to earn their living.
As is this whole thread.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Polish Migrants and the Scottish Birth Rate
From the Scotsman:
Polish immigrants swell Scotland's new baby boom
IMMIGRANTS from eastern Europe have helped trigger a baby boom in Scotland this year, new official figures have revealed.
There were 646 more babies born in the first quarter of 2007. Of that number, one in five were born to mothers from Eastern Europe.
It is the first time the General Register Office for Scotland has broken down its statistics to uncover the extent of the impact on Scotland's population of mass immigration from Eastern Europe.
A spokesman said: "Births in Scotland went up by 646 as a whole compared with the first quarter of 2006.
"One in five of those babies were born to parents from the EU accession states.
"Of that number, the majority of babies were born to Polish parents, followed by parents from Latvia."
In the past four years, about 600,000 eastern European immigrants have arrived in the UK from the eight nations that have recently joined the EU, including Poland, which joined in 2004, and Romania and Bulgaria, which joined this year.
The Executive believes there are about 40,000 Poles living in Scotland, while the Polish Council believes there are about 50,000. The true figure could be as high as 100,000.
The figures released yesterday showed that while the birth rate in Scotland has continued to grow this year, it was outweighed by the number of deaths.
The first three months of 2007 saw 14,214 babies born, an increase of 4.8 per cent on the same period the previous year.
It continues a five-year trend and is the highest number during the first quarter of the year since 1997.
However, deaths increased by 6.3 per cent from 14,876 to 15,818, the highest total since the same period in 2000.
While the number of deaths from cancer fell by 0.6 per cent, deaths from coronary heart disease increased by 2.4 per cent and deaths from stroke by 1.9 per cent.
The figures give Scotland an estimated population of 5,116,900.
The Registrar General for Scotland, Duncan Macniven, said: "The increase in the number of deaths was disappointing, though it was partly a reflection of the unprecedentedly small number of deaths in the first quarter of 2006.
"The increase was relatively small and it is too early to suggest a change in the trend of a falling death rate."
The figures also showed that the number of marriages dropped, by 4.6 per cent from 3,493 to 3,333, and - as had been expected - the number of same-sex civil partnerships also fell.
Robert Whelan, of the Civitas think tank, said: "We have to bear in mind with immigration that we are not just looking at the numbers of adults coming into the country, but at large numbers of children being born.
"It will make a growing difference to the balance of the population because birth rates among the existing population are low. Immigrant groups have higher birth rates than the existing population."
• THE most popular names for Polish children are quite different from Jack and Sophie - the names most often chosen by parents of Scottish children.
The most popular name for a Polish baby boy is Jan, with Anna being the favourite name for a girl.
Following Jan, the names most commonly picked by Polish parents for boys are: Andrzej, Piotr, Krzysztof, Stanislaw, Tomasz, Pawel, Józef, Marcin and Marek.
For girls, the next most popular after Anna are: Maria, Katarzyna, Malgorzata, Agnieszka, Krystyna, Barbara, Ewa, Elzbieta and Zofia.
Polish immigrants swell Scotland's new baby boom
IMMIGRANTS from eastern Europe have helped trigger a baby boom in Scotland this year, new official figures have revealed.
There were 646 more babies born in the first quarter of 2007. Of that number, one in five were born to mothers from Eastern Europe.
It is the first time the General Register Office for Scotland has broken down its statistics to uncover the extent of the impact on Scotland's population of mass immigration from Eastern Europe.
A spokesman said: "Births in Scotland went up by 646 as a whole compared with the first quarter of 2006.
"One in five of those babies were born to parents from the EU accession states.
"Of that number, the majority of babies were born to Polish parents, followed by parents from Latvia."
In the past four years, about 600,000 eastern European immigrants have arrived in the UK from the eight nations that have recently joined the EU, including Poland, which joined in 2004, and Romania and Bulgaria, which joined this year.
The Executive believes there are about 40,000 Poles living in Scotland, while the Polish Council believes there are about 50,000. The true figure could be as high as 100,000.
The figures released yesterday showed that while the birth rate in Scotland has continued to grow this year, it was outweighed by the number of deaths.
The first three months of 2007 saw 14,214 babies born, an increase of 4.8 per cent on the same period the previous year.
It continues a five-year trend and is the highest number during the first quarter of the year since 1997.
However, deaths increased by 6.3 per cent from 14,876 to 15,818, the highest total since the same period in 2000.
While the number of deaths from cancer fell by 0.6 per cent, deaths from coronary heart disease increased by 2.4 per cent and deaths from stroke by 1.9 per cent.
The figures give Scotland an estimated population of 5,116,900.
The Registrar General for Scotland, Duncan Macniven, said: "The increase in the number of deaths was disappointing, though it was partly a reflection of the unprecedentedly small number of deaths in the first quarter of 2006.
"The increase was relatively small and it is too early to suggest a change in the trend of a falling death rate."
The figures also showed that the number of marriages dropped, by 4.6 per cent from 3,493 to 3,333, and - as had been expected - the number of same-sex civil partnerships also fell.
Robert Whelan, of the Civitas think tank, said: "We have to bear in mind with immigration that we are not just looking at the numbers of adults coming into the country, but at large numbers of children being born.
"It will make a growing difference to the balance of the population because birth rates among the existing population are low. Immigrant groups have higher birth rates than the existing population."
• THE most popular names for Polish children are quite different from Jack and Sophie - the names most often chosen by parents of Scottish children.
The most popular name for a Polish baby boy is Jan, with Anna being the favourite name for a girl.
Following Jan, the names most commonly picked by Polish parents for boys are: Andrzej, Piotr, Krzysztof, Stanislaw, Tomasz, Pawel, Józef, Marcin and Marek.
For girls, the next most popular after Anna are: Maria, Katarzyna, Malgorzata, Agnieszka, Krystyna, Barbara, Ewa, Elzbieta and Zofia.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Latvians Abroad
EU Business has this:
Outgoing Latvian leader hopes migrants will return to boost homeland
RIGA) - In a farewell address to Latvians Saturday, outgoing President Vaira Vike-Freiberga said she hoped the thousands of citizens who now work in Ireland would someday return home to boost the Baltic country.
Vike-Freiberga, who is stepping down after two four-year terms as head of state of the former Soviet-ruled republic, helped steer Latvia into the European Union and NATO in 2004.
In a televised speech, Vike-Freiberga recalled that she had forecast how freedom of movement within the EU would "lure the most energetic and able of our people abroad."
"Latvia misses their absence painfully," she said.
"Every single person is needed by this country. We expect them back dearly. They will return with the capital of knowledge, wealth, experience."
Latvian authorities estimate that about 50,000 people from the Baltic country work in other EU countries, mainly in Britain and Ireland, which is now home to some 22,000 Latvians.
The departures have dented the labour force in Latvia, which has a population of just 2.3 million people.
However, Vike-Freiberga recalled a remark by her Irish counterpart, President Mary McAleese, that migration was "the opportunity for both sides to benefit."
"Ireland has not always been as affluent and successful as it is now," said Vike-Freiberga, adding that it "had to go through some very tough times."
Emigration from Latvia is driven in part by the fact that the minimum wage here -- 90 lats a month (129 euros, 176 dollars) -- is one of the lowest in the 27-nation EU.
In addition, breakneck growth is going hand in hand with rampant inflation, and there are increasing jitters about a "hard landing" for the Latvian economy.
"We will also get through these difficult times, maybe even faster than the Irish whom we so admire," said Vike-Freiberga.
Studies have shown that the gap in wealth between the richest and poorest Latvians is among the greatest in the EU, with the income of the top 20 percent a full 6.7 times higher than that of the bottom 20 percent in recent years.
"We have proportionally more millionaires than in some other more developed countries. Meanwhile, we have many people who live under the poverty line," said Vike-Freiberga.
"The task of the future is to narrow this gap, so that the rich sustain the country, given all the resources that a democracy provides them, and the less fortunate can move forward in society, so that we can create a stable middle class which is a guarantee of democracy," she added.
The highly popular Vike-Freiberga was first elected president in 1999 and won a second term in 2003.
Her successor, Valdis Zatlers, is due to be sworn in on Sunday.
Outgoing Latvian leader hopes migrants will return to boost homeland
RIGA) - In a farewell address to Latvians Saturday, outgoing President Vaira Vike-Freiberga said she hoped the thousands of citizens who now work in Ireland would someday return home to boost the Baltic country.
Vike-Freiberga, who is stepping down after two four-year terms as head of state of the former Soviet-ruled republic, helped steer Latvia into the European Union and NATO in 2004.
In a televised speech, Vike-Freiberga recalled that she had forecast how freedom of movement within the EU would "lure the most energetic and able of our people abroad."
"Latvia misses their absence painfully," she said.
"Every single person is needed by this country. We expect them back dearly. They will return with the capital of knowledge, wealth, experience."
Latvian authorities estimate that about 50,000 people from the Baltic country work in other EU countries, mainly in Britain and Ireland, which is now home to some 22,000 Latvians.
The departures have dented the labour force in Latvia, which has a population of just 2.3 million people.
However, Vike-Freiberga recalled a remark by her Irish counterpart, President Mary McAleese, that migration was "the opportunity for both sides to benefit."
"Ireland has not always been as affluent and successful as it is now," said Vike-Freiberga, adding that it "had to go through some very tough times."
Emigration from Latvia is driven in part by the fact that the minimum wage here -- 90 lats a month (129 euros, 176 dollars) -- is one of the lowest in the 27-nation EU.
In addition, breakneck growth is going hand in hand with rampant inflation, and there are increasing jitters about a "hard landing" for the Latvian economy.
"We will also get through these difficult times, maybe even faster than the Irish whom we so admire," said Vike-Freiberga.
Studies have shown that the gap in wealth between the richest and poorest Latvians is among the greatest in the EU, with the income of the top 20 percent a full 6.7 times higher than that of the bottom 20 percent in recent years.
"We have proportionally more millionaires than in some other more developed countries. Meanwhile, we have many people who live under the poverty line," said Vike-Freiberga.
"The task of the future is to narrow this gap, so that the rich sustain the country, given all the resources that a democracy provides them, and the less fortunate can move forward in society, so that we can create a stable middle class which is a guarantee of democracy," she added.
The highly popular Vike-Freiberga was first elected president in 1999 and won a second term in 2003.
Her successor, Valdis Zatlers, is due to be sworn in on Sunday.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
EU 8 Health Worker Migrant Intentions
From:Labour Mobility in the Enlarged European Union: International Migration from the EU8 countries it is possible to speculate that Polish emigrants substituted other destination countries for Germany with the new possibilities that arose upon accession to the EU (Fihel, 2006).
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