Part I. Previous analyses of samples of women in the 1950's revealed that intentions for further births were affected by the sex of the previous children. More recent analyses found however that the effect of previous childrens' sex on fertility intentions has either diminished or disappeared completely, and some writers on the subject concluded that the decline in family size norms could account for that finding. The research reported herein, using samples of married women interviewed in the 1965 and 1970 National Fertility Studies, shows that at least among women with two children there has been no change over time in the tendency for mothers of similar sex children to be more likely to want an additional child than mothers of opposite sex children. The persistence of that tendency among mothers of two children argues strongly for including the sex of previous children as an independent variable in models of fertility intentions, since the decline in family size norms makes factors which affect the decision to have (or not have) a third child increasingly important. Part II. Since Stouffer's pioneering effort to ascertain the public's intolerance of various nonconformists, numerous researchers have relied on summary measures and scales to investigate intolerance and have stressed the effects of such general processes as aging and education on such measures. Parallel analyses of four of Stouffer's original items that were recently replicated and of four items included in the 1958 and 1971 Detroit Area Studies schedules indicates however that the use of such summary measures or scales is unjustified and that the processes of education and aging alone are inadequate in explaining changes in intolerance over time. While a small proportion of both samples are consistently (and perhaps ideologically) tolerant or intolerant in their responses to both sets of items, most respond situationally to the items and changes in tolerant and intolerant responses over time vary according to the item considered. Differential change by color in the Detroit sample suggests that short term and less predictable period effects must be considered (along with such general processes as aging and education) in explaining the level of intolerance at any given time, and changes in that level over time. Part III. An analysis of juveniles attending six Arizona high schools in the fall of 1975 shows that how homes were disrupted (by death, divorce or separation, or some other reason) has little impact on delinquent behavior and referrals to court, but whether homes were broken had a strong and consistent effect on both. Further, whereas it was the absence of a mother or father which affected the juveniles' delinquent behavior, it was the absence of a mother (but not a father) which affected their being referred to court.

This study compared women with a highly positive interest in becoming mothers with women having little interest in having children,with respect to biographical data, childrearing attitudes, and personality characteristics. One hundred twenty-one undergraduate college women were administered a biographical questionnaire, the Parental Attitude Research Instrument, the Adjective Check List, and an attitude index designed to assess level of interest in having children. A statistical analysis revealed the remarkable similarity of the two groups of women, as the groups differed significantly in only two areas. Women with little interest in having children scored higher on the subscale Ascendancy of the Mother, and the women also differed in their view of the ideal situation for an adult woman.

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This thesis is a study of the family farm, the authority of government as it relates to agriculture, the background of agriculture price support programs, agriculture price supports, the effects of agriculture price support, subsidy payments by the United States government, and the present trends.

The objective of this study was to explore women's perceptions of family size and to investigate factors that influence women's decisions on family size. An exploratory research design was used. Fifty women who had completed their families, fifty women who had not started with their families and twenty five males who had not started with their families all residing at Sebokeng, were interviewed. The results showed that the women's perceptions of family size were changing towards a small family norm. A small family was defined in terms of a family that one can afford to maintain financially and educate. Men support the idea of smaller families. Decisions on family size are influenced by external factors and experience in growing up in big families. Rearing a lot of children also influences women to prefer smaller families either for themselves or for their children. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Science (Social Work))

The objective of this study was to explore women's perceptions of family size and to investigate factors that influence women's decisions on family size. An exploratory research design was used. Fifty women who had completed their families, fifty women who had not started with their families and twenty five males who had not started with their families all residing at Sebokeng, were interviewed. The results showed that the women's perceptions of family size were changing towards a small family norm. A small family was defined in terms of a family that one can afford to maintain financially and educate. Men support the idea of smaller families. Decisions on family size are influenced by external factors and experience in growing up in big families. Rearing a lot of children also influences women to prefer smaller families either for themselves or for their children. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Science (Social Work))

Fertility studies have often focused on the behavioral and attitudinal attributes of women with regard to fertility. Until recently, the role of men in fertility studies have often been ignored within much of the literature concerning fertility decisions. The focus of this study will examine if differences exist between husbands and wives with regard to the following four aspects of fertility decisions: spacing of children, methods of family planning, sex preference, and desired family size. The data were collected from 125 households in Kitwe, Zambia. Identical questionnaires were submitted to the husbands and wives during separate interviews. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. Overall, no significant differences exist among husbands and wives with regard to the four aspects of fertility decisions being researched.

This thesis examines family formation in Scotland, with a focus on having a first birth. I argue that fertility behaviour must be researched as part of a process of family formation across the life course and informed by the conceptual framework of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Starting from geographical patterns in fertility rates, housing and partnership, I establish relationships between shared social attitudes, partnership, housing, and family formation behaviour. I use cross-sectional and panel data from the Scottish Social Attitude Survey, the Scottish Census, the Scottish Longitudinal Study and the British Household Panel Study. The methodological contribution lies in the use of a Latent Class Analysis to identify shared social attitudes groups, which are then incorporated in more generic models predicting fertility intentions and first birth outcomes. The findings indicate that social attitudes and norms are important for family formation. While the Second Demographic Transition Theory argued that social norms are being replaced by more independent choices, more recent fertility literature has called for more attention to social norms. The current thesis thus supports these recent calls by showing how social norms might be (indirectly) measured in quantitative research. A key focus is on relationships between housing and family formation, especially normative ideas of 'proper' family housing. I demonstrate that family housing is a significant predictor of first births, at least for women. The gendered nature of family formation is also demonstrated by the different indicators found to predict men's and women's fertility intentions and realisations. I conclude that improved understanding of fertility behaviour requires longitudinal research that goes beyond the usual fertility indicators such as partnership and recognises the importance of gender differences, housing, shared social attitudes, and, above all, the continuing relevance of social norms in the family formation process.

Atopic allergy is the most common chronic disease among children in the developed world. This high prevalence could be associated with low microbial exposure. The early gut microbiota appears to be important for immune maturation. Immunomodulatory components in human milk might differ between mothers and could therefore explain the contradictory results seen regarding breastfeeding and allergy development. The aim of this thesis was to investigate whether early colonization with certain gut microbiota species influences childhood immune responses and allergy development up to age five. Also, as human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) might stimulate the growth of certain gut microbiota species, the consumption of neutral colostrum HMOs was investigated for their role in allergy development up to 18 months. The concentrations of neutral colostrum HMOs varied considerably between women; however this variation could not be explained by their allergic status. Neither was the consumption of neutral colostrum HMOs related to allergy development in their children up to 18 months. Infants who harboured lactobacilli group I and Bifidobacterium adolescentis one week after birth developed allergic disease less frequently during their first five years than infants who did not harbour these bacteria at the same time. Also, colonization with several Bifidobacterium species was associated with higher levels of house dust endotoxin and larger family size. The early Bifidobacterium flora influenced levels of salivary secretory IgA at six and 12 months but not during later childhood. Moreover, the intensity of early Bacteroides fragilis colonization was inversely associated with spontaneous Toll-like receptor 4 mRNA expression in peripheral blood cells collected 12 months after birth. In conclusion, these results indicate that the early infant gut microbiota influences systemic and mucosal immune maturation during infancy, and that it might be altered in infants developing allergic disease.

This article examines the relationship between women's education and fertility in KwaZulu Natal based on data from the 1993 Project for Statistics on Living Standards and Development survey (PSLSD) and the 1998 KwaZulu Natal Income Dynamics Study (KIDS). This study shows that fertility has declined between 1993 and 1998. Additionally, fertility declines as the level of education increases. However, women with lower levels of education have higher fertility than those with no schooling and women with tertiary education have higher fertility than those with secondary education. Moreover, education has a stronger effect on fertility in 1998. / Thesis (M.Sc.U.R.P.)-University of Natal, 2000.