Fathers in Context: Comparative Analysis of Father Involvement in Bulgaria and the Netherlands

This report compares father involvement with their children in Bulgaria and the Netherlands by examining country differences in family formation patterns, policy context, and cultural prescriptions regarding family life. In studying the time fathers spend with their children, it is important to distinguish between time-structuring and time-flexible tasks because these tasks tend to be divided along gendered lines. Time-structuring tasks are those tasks that take a longer time to complete or have to be performed at a certain time of the day, such as bathing or feeding the child, and often fall to mothers to perform. Time-flexible tasks, on the other hand, are commonly performed by fathers. These are the tasks that can be performed at any time of the day and include reading to and playing with the child. Major conclusions are as follows: With regard to family formation patterns, the two-child family model is persistent in both Bulgaria and the Netherlands, despite the Netherlands being farther along the individualisation process than Bulgaria. The policy context in Bulgaria can be characterised by continuity with the country’s socialist past. Maternity, paternity, and parental leave remain long by international standards, and both mothers and fathers are expected to participate full-time in the labour market. Policy recommendations include: - Fathers in Bulgaria may benefit from more flexible work arrangements that allow them to combine work and childcare, - whilst mothers may benefit from shorter maternity leave which helps prevent discrimination on the labour market. - High quality childcare services for all children would benefit both mothers and fathers - as would policy supporting grandparental care

Non-kin ties as a source of support in Europe: understanding the role of cultural context

The ‘crowding-out’ and the ‘decline of the family’ hypotheses are the fundamental theoretical notions underlying the literature on cross-country differences in informal support. In this study, we expand upon these notions to develop and test the premise that cultural context shapes European’s views about an often overlooked source of support: non-kin. We carefully conceptualise cultural context as individualistic values and familialistic norms. Employing multilevel multinomial models and European Quality of Life Survey data from 27 countries, we confirm the importance of decomposing the broader notion of culture by demonstrating that contexts with both less pronounced individualistic values and less pronounced familialistic norms are conducive to non-kin rather than kin or professional help. Moreover, unlike prior work, which suggested the existence of a north/west-south/east divide in support patterns, our findings show nuanced cross-national differences in the importance of non-kin ties as a source of advice and help when looking for a job. We find some of the highest levels of non-kin reliance in countries in southern and eastern Europe, and in northern and western Europe more generally. We conclude by proposing ways in which future research can advance our understanding of the role of context in shaping support patterns

Non-kin ties as a source of support in Europe: Understanding the role of cultural and institutional contexts

This study scrutinises the role of cultural and institutional contexts in shaping Europeans’ choices for a source of support. We draw attention to an often overlooked source of support: non-kin. Taking an interdisciplinary theoretical approach, we formulate a number of hypotheses on the impact of individualistic values, familialistic norms, generalised trust, and social protection expenditure. We test these contextual hypotheses by means of multilevel multinomia

Long-Term Care Use Among Older Migrants in the Netherlands:What to Expect in the Next Decade?

The number of older adults in the Netherlands is growing rapidly, and an increasing share of them is foreign-born. This may have implications for long-term care (LTC) demand. This study provides insights into older migrants’ current and future use of LTC provisions under the Dutch long-term care act (LTCA). We distinguish three types of LTC and six groups of older migrants and analyze register data of all foreign-born older adults. Descriptive statistics for the 2016–2022 period and logistic regression analyses show considerable heterogeneity regarding the LTC-services used and the origin of care users. Most notably, Moroccan and Turkish older adults are least likely to use residential care and more likely to use personal care budgets. By combining our models’ results with population projections, we project that older migrants’ use of home-based care and personal budgets will increase rapidly in the next decade. Migrants with western and Surinamese origin will most often use LTC. Although the demand for residential care will rise less markedly, residential care will remain most used by older migrants under the LTCA. The rising demand for home-based care calls for policy efforts accommodating flexibility, room for differences, and grounds for establishing trustworthy relationships between all involved actors.</p

Non-kin Ties as a Source of Support in Europe: On the role of context

The process of modernisation brought about new contexts, such as ageing, individualism, and migration – to just name a few – posing questions about the organisation of support and the role of different providers in individuals’ support networks. A key premise across Europe has been the idea that kin and non-kin ties should take more responsibility in the future, but little is known about the circumstances under which they are willing and able to do so. This holds particularly true for non-kin ties – ties which are not related by blood or legal arrangements, e.g. friends, neighbours and colleagues. Non-kin ties have been largely neglected in European research on support. A link between generous social spending and non-kin support has been established, but questions such as how do non-relatives situate in individuals’ support networks remain open. Our knowledge remains equally scarce when it comes to the mechanics underlying non-kin help. This dissertation addresses this knowledge lacuna and poses two key questions: (1) To what extent do non-kin ties form part of individuals’ support networks across Europe? and (2) How are contemporary cultural, social, and demographic contexts, at both the individual and the country level, linked with potential and actual non-kin support in Europe

The experience of aging and perceptions of "Aging Well" among older migrants in the Netherlands

Background and Objectives: In this study, we examine the experience of aging and subjective views of what it means to age well among older adults with a migrant background in the Netherlands. We embed the study within the successful aging debate and tackle two of its most persistent critiques: the failure to adequately include subjective views in the definition of aging well and the failure to recognize that the process of aging is culturally determined.Research Design and Methods: The research draws on qualitative data collected through eight focus-group discussions with the six largest migrant groups in the Netherlands, namely Indo-Dutch and Moluccans, and migrants with Western, Surinamese, Antillean, Turkish, and Moroccan background.Results: The study findings show that in general older migrants experience aging more positively than commonly assumed. Nevertheless, some negative aspects of aging were also mentioned. These together with fears about the future underpin participants' perceptions about aging well. Key aspects of successful aging include remaining healthy, independent, and engaged. Differences between and within groups exist in the meaning given to these concepts and the extent to which other specific aging-related wishes were mentioned. These differences are rooted in participants' experiences of the migration event, employment history, and their current socioeconomic conditions.Discussion and Implications: We conclude that the life course perspective is essential in understanding migrants' aging process and their views on successful aging, and suggest that policies and interventions which promote disease prevention and tackle social exclusion will be beneficial for older adults with a migration background