Understanding an important aspect of current-day family dynamics: the institution of repartnering in Australia. Families are at the core of Australia's social fabric. Understanding their dynamics assists in developing good policies and mechanisms to support them. Repartnering is an important aspect of current-day family dynamics. Yet we know relatively little about how these partnerships operate. This project will illuminate the patterns and issues central to repartnering and provide a significa ....Understanding an important aspect of current-day family dynamics: the institution of repartnering in Australia. Families are at the core of Australia's social fabric. Understanding their dynamics assists in developing good policies and mechanisms to support them. Repartnering is an important aspect of current-day family dynamics. Yet we know relatively little about how these partnerships operate. This project will illuminate the patterns and issues central to repartnering and provide a significant contribution to social research. Results from this study will equip policy makers with appropriate knowledge to develop policies aimed at assisting families. The findings will contribute to growing international knowledge on family dynamics in repartnered relationships, as well as strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric through stronger families.Read moreRead less
Do Australian parents want both a son and a daughter? From the late 1990s, policy makers became more aware of the importance of fertility in influencing population age structure and growth rates in Australia. The proposed project will augment our understanding of fertility dynamics both current, and over high and low fertility regimes. It will also highlight an important factor in fertility decision-making. There is considerable speculation on the impact of shifting gender-role attitudes on sex ....Do Australian parents want both a son and a daughter? From the late 1990s, policy makers became more aware of the importance of fertility in influencing population age structure and growth rates in Australia. The proposed project will augment our understanding of fertility dynamics both current, and over high and low fertility regimes. It will also highlight an important factor in fertility decision-making. There is considerable speculation on the impact of shifting gender-role attitudes on sex preference, but evidence supporting this is mixed. By developing a deeper understanding of the factors influencing progression to having more children we will be better able to predict fertility trends and provide support to Australian parents. Read moreRead less
Ready to launch? young Australians’ work and family transitions. This project aims to establish reasons for young Australians delaying life-course milestones such as nest leaving and marriage. Are we seeing a shift of these milestones from “cornerstones” that lay the foundations for accomplishment to “capstones” that depend on economics accomplishments in areas such as employment? The project will investigate the timing of and conditions surrounding young Australians’ economic accomplishments an ....Ready to launch? young Australians’ work and family transitions. This project aims to establish reasons for young Australians delaying life-course milestones such as nest leaving and marriage. Are we seeing a shift of these milestones from “cornerstones” that lay the foundations for accomplishment to “capstones” that depend on economics accomplishments in areas such as employment? The project will investigate the timing of and conditions surrounding young Australians’ economic accomplishments and key household transitions. This will provide significant benefits such as identifying the economic, personal and family drivers of life-course transitions that are consequential for Australians' health, economic and social well-being, and use of public assistance programs.Read moreRead less
The time of our lives: Time equity and the balancing of market and non-market production in the modern Australian population. This project will yield new information relevant to the national social inclusion agenda and the research priority goal of understanding and strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric to help families and individuals live healthy, productive, fulfilling lives. Through a multilayered analysis of gender, class, life course stage, time allocation and the connection ....The time of our lives: Time equity and the balancing of market and non-market production in the modern Australian population. This project will yield new information relevant to the national social inclusion agenda and the research priority goal of understanding and strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric to help families and individuals live healthy, productive, fulfilling lives. Through a multilayered analysis of gender, class, life course stage, time allocation and the connections between them, it will demonstrate links between various forms of social and economic participation and identify how they could be distributed more evenly. This knowledge is important to inform policy to better enable young people to become independent, families to both earn a living and care well for their children, and older people to be productive and socially engaged.Read moreRead less
If men did more housework, would women have more babies? Cross-national fertility rates and the gender division of labour. This project could contribute to the future well being of Australian society and its citizens by addressing the increasingly pressing social issue of fertility decline, and its consequence, population aging. The Treasury Intergenerational Report 2002-3 has identified structural aging of the population as a major social challenge because it threatens labour supply, social sta ....If men did more housework, would women have more babies? Cross-national fertility rates and the gender division of labour. This project could contribute to the future well being of Australian society and its citizens by addressing the increasingly pressing social issue of fertility decline, and its consequence, population aging. The Treasury Intergenerational Report 2002-3 has identified structural aging of the population as a major social challenge because it threatens labour supply, social stability and economic growth. The taxes of a shrinking work force may have to support a mounting number of dependent elderly. The proposed research could identify practical social interventions to facilitate higher birth rates, which would slow population aging by increasing the ratio of young people to elderly. Read moreRead less
An econometric analysis of the effects of family benefit policies on fertility, saving and labour force participation in Australia. This project will help to 'strengthen Australia's economic fabric' by improving our understanding of the effect of family benefit policies on fertility, saving and labour force participation. This is important because boosting fertility and labour force participation are both seen as ways of mitigating the economic burden of population ageing, thereby helping Austra ....An econometric analysis of the effects of family benefit policies on fertility, saving and labour force participation in Australia. This project will help to 'strengthen Australia's economic fabric' by improving our understanding of the effect of family benefit policies on fertility, saving and labour force participation. This is important because boosting fertility and labour force participation are both seen as ways of mitigating the economic burden of population ageing, thereby helping Australia to 'age well, age productively' in a national sense. Also, achieving a desired level of national saving is a medium term goal of government economic policy. Hence it is important to understand the interaction of saving, fertility and labour force participation in order to develop compatible and effective economic policies.Read moreRead less
Housing affordability: the use and misuse of reverse mortgages by older households. Many retirees are without compulsory superannuation although daily living costs have risen substantially. As additional workers in the 'baby boom' generation retire and less tax will be paid to the government, it appears there will be increasing pressure placed on the pension system. A large proportion of the population may struggle to enjoy a fulfilling retirement and be drawn towards a reverse mortgage, which ....Housing affordability: the use and misuse of reverse mortgages by older households. Many retirees are without compulsory superannuation although daily living costs have risen substantially. As additional workers in the 'baby boom' generation retire and less tax will be paid to the government, it appears there will be increasing pressure placed on the pension system. A large proportion of the population may struggle to enjoy a fulfilling retirement and be drawn towards a reverse mortgage, which in turn may be misunderstood. With an increasing proportion of older residents leaving the workforce, the community would be adversely affected if this cohort required government financial assistance due to the misuse of home equity loans.Read moreRead less
Interpersonal and Family Relations in Transcultural/Transnational Marriages. The research explores recent developments in internet-mediated courtship and the interpersonal and social relationships it generates. Literature on this topic is largely concerned with textual interpretations of match-making web sites, while media comment and academic writing promotes negative stereotypes of those who contract transnational marriages. Focusing on Australia's Indonesian and Filipino immigrant communitie ....Interpersonal and Family Relations in Transcultural/Transnational Marriages. The research explores recent developments in internet-mediated courtship and the interpersonal and social relationships it generates. Literature on this topic is largely concerned with textual interpretations of match-making web sites, while media comment and academic writing promotes negative stereotypes of those who contract transnational marriages. Focusing on Australia's Indonesian and Filipino immigrant communities we analyse such marriages in the context of contemporary forms of electronic intimacy and relationship brokering and develop a more nuanced picture of family values and gender relations in them. This timely study of an increasingly utilised means contracting Australian marriages takes current debates beyond narrow stereotypes.Read moreRead less
Measurement and explanation of family change in Australia in comparative perspective: a longitudinal approach. As other similar countries are now well-advanced in the use of longitudinal analysis of family change, the Australian research proposed here will provide a better comparative view of the efficacy of Australian policies and programs related to families. Policy based on static analysis is more limited because it conceives people's family lives as being static where the reality is dynamic. ....Measurement and explanation of family change in Australia in comparative perspective: a longitudinal approach. As other similar countries are now well-advanced in the use of longitudinal analysis of family change, the Australian research proposed here will provide a better comparative view of the efficacy of Australian policies and programs related to families. Policy based on static analysis is more limited because it conceives people's family lives as being static where the reality is dynamic. We have little understanding of the causes and consequences of this dynamism in Australia. Such an understanding is essential if policy is to enable people to make choices that lead to positive pathways to self reliance and supportive family structures.Read moreRead less
Indonesian young adults facing the future. While much Indonesian research has focused on adolescent issues, young adults, those aged 20-34, the largest generation in Indonesian history, have been largely ignored both by researchers and policy makers. As the vanguard generation in Indonesia's new democratic, economic and cultural future, this generation's successful transition to adulthood is crucial. Research findings will engage the attention of key policy makers in Indonesia, many of whom are ....Indonesian young adults facing the future. While much Indonesian research has focused on adolescent issues, young adults, those aged 20-34, the largest generation in Indonesian history, have been largely ignored both by researchers and policy makers. As the vanguard generation in Indonesia's new democratic, economic and cultural future, this generation's successful transition to adulthood is crucial. Research findings will engage the attention of key policy makers in Indonesia, many of whom are parents of the study generation. The researchers have been working in this policy arena for over two decades. Indonesia's social, economic, religious and cultural stability will contribute to Australia's future and security.Read moreRead less