ISBN-13: 9783531177847 / Angielski / Miękka / 2011 / 274 str.
Although the relevance of social interactions for fertility research has been increasingly acknowledged in recent years, little is known about how social influences on individuals fertility decision making are exerted and the social network structures involved. Using a mixed-methods design, this study combines problem-centred interviews and network data collected among young adults in western Germany. The author shows that personal relations strongly influence the perceptions, meanings and plans individuals express concerning parenthood and identifies basic mechanisms and channels of social influence as well as relevant network structures. The study shows how the network perspective can increase our knowledge on processes of individualization- and modernization and their effects on fertility behaviour. This book is valuable reading for academics, students and policy makers interested in family research, the network perspective, mixed-methods research.