Domestic Violence in Australia: Are Men and Women equally violent?

Marriage and mental Health: Does marriage improve the mental health of men at the expense of women?

Fertility decline in Australia: a demographic context

Marriage fertility and births

Changing patterns of partnering

Family transitions among Australia's children

Premarital cohabitation and subsequent marital stability?

Despite the opportunities that cohabitation should provide for screening out unsuitable matches , a large body of research suggests those who cohabit before they marry (indirect marriage s) have a higher risk of divorce than those who marry without first cohabiting (direct marriages). There are at least three possible reasons for this pattern. 

First, the observed difference is a result of the period of the relationship examined and would disappear if the total length of the live ­in period were examined (rather than just the marriage period). Second, any difference in relationship (or marital) stability are due to selective factors whereby couples who choose the alternative pathways to marriage differ systematically in ways that influence the likelihood of their relationship lasting (regardless of whether they lived together before marrying). This explanation has received considerable support. Previous research has suggested that those who are at most risk of divorce are also the most likely to cohabit before they marry. However, indirect marriages have become normative, with 72 per cent of couples now living together before they marry. Any real link between pathway to marriage and marital stability may thus have weakened or disappeared. Alternatively, selective factors may still apply, with the minority who opt for direct marriages possessing characteristics that are particularly likely to favour marital happiness or at least stability. Third, the experience of cohabitation alters attitudes or behaviour in ways that threaten the stability of later marriage – an issue that requires longitudinal data and will not be dealt with in this paper.

· Is the separation rate for indirect marriages higher than that for direct marriages if the overall length of the relationship is taken into account?

· If there are overall differences in the separation rate for indirect and direct marriages, have they diminished for more recent birth cohorts?

· How have any selective factors that exist changed across birth cohorts?

Three datasets will be employed to address these questions: the AIFS 1996 Life Course Survey; the ANU 1997 Negotiating the Life Course Survey, and th e 2001 (wave 1) data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey.

Measuring the value of the unpaid work of older people

Determinants of Australian Mother's Employment: An analysis of Lone and Couple Mothers

While the lower rates of employment of lone mothers as compared with couple mothers has been well documented, the reasons for the employment gap are less well understood. This paper uses data from the 1996 Australian Census to analyse the factors which explain the employment gap. 

The analysis reveals that the determinants of the probability of employment are generally similar for lone and couple mothers, although there are several important differences. In general, factors that are typically associated with lower rates of employment, and could be considered a barrier to employment, have a larger negative effect upon the probability of employment of lone mother than couple mothers. Importantly, it is found that the presence of children have a similar impact on the employment of lone and couple mothers.

The analysis also reveals that around one-third of the employment gap is due to differences in the characteristics of the lone and couple mothers. This gap is explained by differences in a number of characteristics. Of particular interest is that only a small amount of the employment gap explained by differences in educational attainment. The remaining two-thirds of the employment gap is caused by variables impacting on the employment rates of lone and couple  mothers differently.

Changes in the labour force status of lone and couple Australian mothers, 1983-2002

Over the last twenty years there has been a substantial increase in the proportion of lone mothers employed part-time, while the proportion employed full-time is much the same in 2002 as it was in 1983. The experience of couple mothers is quite different, with both full-time and part-time employment increasing at similar rates. This paper uses data from the 1986 and 1996 Censuses to explore the possible reasons for the differences in the labour market trends of lone and couple mothers

Measuring the value of the unpaid work of older Australians

As the populations in many countries age, the direct financial costs to governments are expected to rise due to the income support and health costs associated with an older population. A focus on these financial costs has led to an unduly negative, problem-oriented view of population ageing that neglects the contribution of older citizens to the social and economic wellbeing of the nation. This paper explores just one aspect of the contributions of older Australians and demonstrates that, as an age cohort, older people make valuable economic contributions to Australian society through the time they spend in voluntary work and in unpaid caring in their own household, to their family members in other households, and to non-family members in the wider community. It is estimated that Australians aged over 65 years contribute almost $39 billion per year in unpaid caring and voluntary work and, if the unpaid contribution of those aged 55 to 64 years is included, this contribution rises to $74.5 billion per annum.

Changes in the family transitions experienced by Australia's children, 1946-2000

Survey Research

This is a chapter of a brief introduction to survey research methodology

Religious Community

This is a chapter of an introductory sociology textbook.  It explores the sense in which religious groups in Australia constitute communities.

Social Surveys - an overview

On overview the collection of papers in this 4 volume collection.  Deals with the nature of social surveys, the history of survey research, debates about survey research, ethics of survey research, the institution context, methods of data collection, research design, sampling and the whole range of types and sources of survey error

Questionnaires

Work Stress and Caregiver Stress

Stress among Older Workers and Retirees