This book is a unique integration of social theory and longitudinal empirical analysis to study women’s partnerships within three diverse contexts of Canada, the Netherlands and the Russian Federation. Since the late 1940s, there have been several remarkable shifts in life course patterns in industrialized countries, which include the transformation of cohabitation, marriage, union dissolution and re-partnering behaviour. Many of these changes are a direct consequence of major shifts in society, characterized as ‘modernity’ by sociologists and ‘the second demographic transition’ by demographers.
The social theory of British sociologist Anthony Giddens is used as a framework to understand women’s partnerships decisions. The impact of time on life course behaviour and quantitative life course research is also explored. To capture the complex and dynamic nature of partnerships, and their relation to fertility decisions, this study uses life history survey data and connects multistate life tables with event history modelling techniques. Concepts are described in a clear, practical, and applied manner, making the theoretical and empirical applications accessible to those from a variety of disciplines. Readers will also find several practical elements that fill a gap in existing methodological literature in the field. The strong theoretical and empirical basis of this study makes it a novel contribution.
Melinda Mills received her Bachelor and Master Degrees in Sociology from the University of Alberta, Canada and her PhD in Demography from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, on the basis of this book. She is now a Senior Researcher in the GLOBALIFE project at the Department of Sociology, University of Bielefeld, Germany.
