Programme

Mardi 2/02, 14h00

Luisa FADEL (with Christine Schnor and Diederik Boertien)

Trends in educational profiles of male lone parents. Evidence from Belgium (1991-2018)

The study investigates the socio-demographic changes in lone fatherhood in Belgium, using register and census data over a 20-year period (1992-2012). Nowadays, with the diversification of family forms and the rise in divorce and separation, a growing number of children live in lone parent families, i.e. families composed by a mother or a father and her or his minor child(ren), with no partner living in the same household. Research has focused mainly on lone mothers because women form the a largest share of lone parents and because they are known to accumulate among the lower social strata facing high risks of poverty. Over the past decades, there has been a substantial increase in lone father families, but their position still remains insufficiently investigated: what is the socio-economic profile of lone fathers and how has it changed over time? We use descriptive and logistics regression analysis to investigate trends in lone fathers’ educational differences in Belgium. Our first results show that education differences in lone fatherhood have increased over time.

Emmanuel IDOHOU

Under-five mortality of children born to native and immigrant mothers in France and Belgium

Immigrants’ health is a challenge for public health both in the countries of origin and in the host countries because of their particularly vulnerable status and their social and economic contribution both in the countries of origin and in the host countries. Immigrants experience many difficulties in their host country that may affect their health & survival and that of their children. The purpose of this research is to document health disparities that are less well known than those related to socio-economic difficulties (lower levels of education and lower incomes, unemployment, etc.) and the phenomena of discrimination against immigrants. More precisely, the aim will be to analyse how parental origin, immigrant’s administrative status, origin and host countries does it affect under-5 mortality (U5M) in France and Belgium.

We will estimate U5M according to parental origin and immigrant’s administrative status then make a comparison between France and Belgium in order to examine possible variations. Our study will be based on longitudinal quantitative models by using a large number of data, the main ones being the Permanent Demographic Sample (EDP) in France and the Belgian population register.

Martina OTAVOVA

The multiple deprivation index in Belgium

Despite the joint efforts of the Belgian authorities and other stakeholders to close the gap in socio-economic (SE) inequalities, there is still a high proportion of Belgian population who is affected by material or social deprivation. Studies have shown that disparities persist not only between the SE groups but also within the SE groups between Flanders and Wallonia and between the districts in Belgium. New studies, using a more complex indicator of SE deprivation is needed to precisely identify the hot spots of SE deprivation in Belgium.

Our goal is to develop an innovative area-level index of multiple deprivation (IMD) that would measure SE deprivation accurately and over time, and that would offer us a different perspective than that gained by income or education alone. To do so, we will utilize the 1991, 2001 and 2011 censuses and implement the IMD at the level of statistical sector (i.e. the smallest administrative subdivision of Belgium). This presentation is a first perspective on how the Belgian Index of Multiple Deprivation is constructed.

Jeudi 4/02, 14h00

Mélanie BOURGUIGNON

Fécondité différentielle au début du 20e siècle selon la classe sociale des femmes

Cette présentation a pour objectif d’analyser la relation entre la fécondité et la classe sociale des femmes dont la vie reproductive se déroule durant les premières décennies du XXe siècle en Belgique et en France. Le niveau d’instruction de ces femmes est considéré ici comme une mesure de l’appartenance sociale et l’analyse repose sur l’exploitation de données rétrospectives extraites des recensements de la population de la Belgique et des enquêtes Famille réalisées en France.

Durant cette période de « fin de transition », marquée par des contextes socioéconomique et politique de crises, observe-t-on des différences significatives de fécondité entre catégories sociales ? Et les « mécanismes » de la restriction de fécondité (contraception d’arrêt, report de naissance, célibat définitif…) varient-ils selon ces catégories ? Des analyses, il ressort que le déclin de la fécondité est généralisé, quel que soit la classe sociale des femmes, mais qu’il survient selon des ampleurs variables. L’antériorité du mouvement chez un groupe particulier est toutefois difficilement confirmée, la perspective historique des données ne permettant pas d’observer les premiers signes de décrochage de la fécondité. Les comportements de fécondité sont davantage orientés vers une contraception d’arrêt, avec une maîtrise de plus en plus efficace du destin génésique, surtout au sommet de la pyramide sociale.

Joan DAMIENS (with Christine Schnor)

Do tenants suffer from status syndrome? Homeownership, norms and suicide in Belgium

Homeownership is considered the most desired tenure status and relates to feelings of security, control and success. It also presents a social norm: being a tenant at a certain age and living arrangement can be perceived as a failure. This study examines the varying effect of housing tenure on suicide risks across gender, adult ages and household composition. We used Belgian National Register data linked to 2001 Census and Death certificates to study suicide rates in the population aged 20 to 69 during the year 2002 separately by sex. We find a negative association of homeownership on suicide risk for both men and women, before and after controlling for age, housing quality, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Interacting age and housing tenure, we find that renting increases the risk of suicide among adults in their 40s and 50s, but not among younger and older adults. Looking closer on marital and parental status, foremost married fathers and single childless women face a suicide peak in mid-life when renting. Our findings indicate that the impact of housing tenure on suicide risk depends on people’s age, gender, and household composition. Self-harm-oriented policies need to account for the impact of social norms and gender norms on suicide risk.

Benjamin-Samuel SCHLÜTER

A comparison of small-scale mortality estimation models– the case of Belgian commune.

There is an increasing demand for small-area mortality estimates as indicators of overall health and well-being. Reliable mortality estimates at fine geographical scales make it possible to measure health disparities within countries, to assess the impact of policy changes at local level, to associate local exposures with health outcomes, to compare the evolution of mortality for various age groups across the country and it could also lead to the development of a surveillance system of all-cause mortality at small subnational levels.

Calculating life tables at small geographical scales is subject to methodological challenges. It involves constructing mortality estimates for small populations at risk. This translates into higher stochastic variation in the data and leads to failures of conventional life-table methods (large confidence intervals and over-estimation of life expectancy). In this context, hierarchical Bayesian models allow reliable estimation by allowing information on mortality to be shared across time and through space, making the model sensitive where it can be, and robust where it needs to be. An advantage of the Bayesian framework is that it allows uncertainty intervals around mortality estimates to be easily transferred to various life table quantities.

At least three hierarchical Bayesian models have been proposed so far to performed small-scale mortality estimation. We aim to compare mortality estimates obtained by three models on their degree of agreement, their precision and the amount of smoothing implied. We compared the models on death and population counts by sex in Belgian communes from the period 1991-2015 using the data from the Belgian national register.