Home Login Contact us Site Map

 

Scientific Panel on Nuptiality

 

International Seminar on First Union Patterns around the World
Madrid, Spain, 20-22 June 2012

Seminar organized by the IUSSP Scientific Panel on Nuptiality and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), and hosted by the Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales (Madrid).

CALL FOR PAPERS

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 31 January 2012.

In the great majority of countries around the world, family ties are increasingly becoming more indistinct, unstable and flexible. In recent decades, some regions of the world have witnessed a substantial transformation of the institution of marriage, in the form of postponement, retreat, and the appearance of new kinds of unions. In other areas and subpopulations, marriage remains a strong institution. The diversification of conjugal and reproductive trajectories is transforming not only individual life courses, but also family responsibilities, the patterns of gender relations and the wellbeing of women, men and children. The consequences of these processes of family change are unclear and can be interpreted from competing and frequently contradictory standpoints. New and traditional models coexist because of the heterogeneity among countries and the large social inequalities within them. Thus, a sociodemographic behavior such as an increase in informal unions can be interpreted as advancing personal autonomy or as leading to social exclusion; and it can also be interpreted as a triumph of individual liberty over institutional formalism or as an adaptation strategy that produces limited commitment in the face of economic or biographical uncertainty. A similar clash of meanings is occurring with respect to marital unions. Overall, the changes we see in conjugal unions can be considered as an indication of the weakening of family ties and possibly as a decrease of social capital or as an expression of greater personal choice in reaction to economic, religious or social pressures.

In this context, the Panel has adopted as a central and cross-cutting aspect of its activities the study of ways of entering into first conjugal unions and how they vary in timing and intensity, and according to culture and geographical location (country, regions, rural/urban), cultural and ideational aspects, and socio-economic characteristics (education, occupation, gender, etc.).

Seminar organizers seek contributions on first union patterns around the world, their trends, their determinants and the associated emerging challenges for family demography. They are especially interested in research that is based on a comparative approach (across countries or within a country) or that addresses the issue of trends and differentials in first union formation. Papers exploring more than one dataset are encouraged. Submissions that offer deep insight on a particular problem are also welcome. The seminar is open to contributions on all regions of the world.

Issues of interest to the Panel include, but are not limited to the following:

  1. Entering into first union: tempo and quantum. Spatial differentials, converging/diverging trends over time, gender patterns. Determinants and factors of change (micro/meso/macro level); including structural determinants (e.g., change in marriage markets or in educational structures).
  2. Changes in conjugal union types: marital vs. informal unions, religious vs. non religious marriages, traditional vs. legal or other combinations. Are there general trends? What is the meaning of coexisting forms of union?
  3. Who marries whom? Assortative mating and matching of the characteristics of the spouses (ethnic endogamy, social homogamy, age and sex homogamy, educational homogamy, religious homogamy, etc.).
  4. Early marriage (union) or lifetime singlehood? Trends, determinants and meaning of the behaviors which are at the extremes of the typical union patterns.

 

Online Submissions:

The IUSSP Panel on Nuptiality and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Sociales (CSIC) invite researchers in the field of family formation to submit online by 31 January 2012 a short 200-word abstract AND upload an extended abstract (2 to 4 pages, including tables) or a full paper, which must be unpublished. To submit please complete the online submission form

The seminar will be limited to a maximum of 20 completed papers. While abstracts may be submitted in English, French or Spanish, the working language at the seminar will be English and final papers should be submitted and presented in English. If the paper is co-authored, please indicate the names of co-authors at the end of the abstract. Submission should be made by the author who will attend the seminar.

Applicants will be notified whether their paper has been accepted by 29 February 2012. In the case of acceptance on the basis of an abstract, the completed paper must be uploaded on the IUSSP website by 4 June 2012.

Papers submitted should be unpublished and remain the property of the IUSSP until the committee makes a decision with regard to their possible publication.

Current funding for the seminar is limited; efforts are under way to raise additional funds, but the outcome is at this point uncertain. Seminar organizers cannot ensure that travel support will be available. Applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to seek their own travel funding. Those who are applying for financial assistance from the IUSSP should indicate this when they submit their abstract by ticking the appropriate box on the on-line submission form. Funding is contingent upon submission of a complete paper of acceptable quality by the deadline for papers.

For further information:
Please contact Seminar Organizers Julieta Quilodrán (jquilo@colmex.mx) and Clara Cortina (clara.cortina@cchs.csic.es).

IUSSP Scientific Panel on Nuptiality:
Chair: Julieta Quilodrán. 
Members: N. Audinarayana, Andrew J. Cherlin, Clara Cortina, and Bilampoa Gnoumou Thiombiano.

 

IUSSP
3-5 rue Nicolas, F-75980 Paris cedex 20, France
Tel +33 1 56 06 21 73 - Fax +33 1 56 06 22 04
contact us