Explaining Family Changes

Abstract

What are the factors that maintain the patterns of early marriage and childbearing in the CEE countries compared to the rest of Europe? Do Eastern and Southern European societies share some characteristics that support marriage as the basis of family formation and cause their lowest-of-low birth rates? And, what societal factors might explain the commonality of non-marital cohabitation and relatively high birth rates in northern and western parts of Europe? Are the reasons for the parallel demographic trend common in different countries or have similar outcomes resulted from different causes? Or do similar macro-level developments create different outcomes in different societies or clusters of societies with different historical backgrounds?