Gunnar Andersson, Stockholm University

About the Presentation

Presentation by Gunnar Andersson based on work in progress by Stefano Cantalini, Sofi Ohlsson-Wijk and Gunnar Andersson at Stockholm University.

Sweden, just as the US, has experienced a decade-long period of falling birth rates. Analyses of Swedish register data reveal that the decline was confined to first births of women and men in co-residential unions, but that the decline in first-birth rates has been strikingly similar across socio-demographic groups as defined by rural-urban residence, employment status, or parental migration background. At the same time, rates of marriage formation have declined, too. In the current study, we take a deeper look into patterns in union formation in Sweden during the 2010s and its relation to the decline in birth rates. We show that the propensities to form cohabiting unions did not decline, and that the declines in marriage formation and the propensity to become a parent hold independently of each other. We conclude that cohabiting women and men refrain from elevating their union status to a more committed level, as manifested by marriage or parenthood. These trends cannot be linked to any structural changes occurring in Sweden, such as those related to the business cycle or changes in social policies. In our concluding discussion, we discuss our findings and present more recent data on patterns in union formation during and immediately after the recent Covid-19 pandemic.

About the Speaker

Gunnar Andersson is Professor in Demography at Stockholm University. His research has a focus on demographic processes in Sweden and the Nordic countries, primarily based on analyses of longitudinal register data. Empirical studies and media outreach during 2022 addressed the continued trend of Swedish fertility decline as well as fluctuations in fertility and excess mortality during the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022, he also secured participation in Swedish and international Roadmaps of the Generations and Gender Programme. He chairs the Stockholm University Demography Unit and organizes research programs with focus on fertility trends, migration and integration, and ageing and mortality. He gives the introductory course in the master’s program in Demography and supervises PhD projects in Sociological Demography at Stockholm University. He is the co-organizer of a research school in register-based research together with epidemiologists at the Karolinska institutet.

Location ONLINE VIA ZOOM: Online via Zoom - Zoom Link to Register. Upon registration you will receive an automatically generated email with the direct link for the seminar. 

COVID-19 Information

MPRC public events for Spring 2023 will be a mix of in person and online via Zoom.  For in person events, all event attendees must follow current protocols