Social Networks and Family Formation Processes: Young Adults’ Decision Making About Parenthood

Dr. Sylvia Keim completed her doctoral studies at the Institute for Sociology and Demographic Research at the University of Rostock, Germany. Her research interests focus on social networks, sociology of the life course, and family research.

How do young adults decide to become parents or to remain childless? Is this an individual choice, a couple’s decision or are there other social influences involved, such as social networks? Using a mixed-methods design, Sylvia Keim combines problem-centred interviews and network data collected among young adults in western Germany. The author shows that personal relations strongly influence the perceptions, attitudes, and plans individuals express concerning parenthood. She identifies basic mechanisms and channels of social influence as well as relevant network structures.

This book is valuable reading for academics, students, and policy makers interested in family research, the network perspective, and mixed-methods research.

A mixed-methods study on personal relations and social influence on family formation