MPIDR Working Paper

Anticipatory analysis and its alternatives in life-course research. Part 2: Marriage and first birth

Hoem, J. M., Kreyenfeld, M. R.
MPIDR Working Paper WP-2006-007, 13 pages.
Rostock, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (March 2006)
Open Access

Abstract

In the second part of these reflections, we use the connection between marriage and first childbearing to demonstrate further issues involved in anticipatory analysis. We show that an anticipatory approach cannot be used to represent intentionality: People may marry with the intention of having a child, but the analyst should be weary of using anticipatory analysis to pick that up. (Keywords: anticipatory analysis, conditioning on the future, intentionality, marriage and first childbearing)
The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock is one of the leading demographic research centers in the world. It's part of the Max Planck Society, the internationally renowned German research society.