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Is precarious employment associated with women remaining childless until age 35 years? Results from an Australian birth cohort study. (Steele et.al, 2014)
Article review.
The study described in the article attempts to demonstrate that precarious employment conditions force women to procrastinate first childbirth till age 35. Below here there are the short summary of this article and its evaluation, focused on the choice of variables, the article structure and the study results.
The base for the study was the same as in the Life Journeys of Young Women Project (LJYWP), mentioned in Steele et.al (2011, cited in Steele et.al. 2014, p.156). Women (n=970) born in 1972-1975 in Adelaide hospital (March et al. 2010, cited in Steele et.al. 2014, …show more content…

The study has a number strength. First of all, it is an appropriate structure. The article contains a comprehensive literature review, presented in the introduction section. The literature review shows the breadth of the observed previous research worldwide, identifies the research gap, and states a clear research question. The section of materials and methods provides adequate reasons for all decisions about the measurement of variables and demonstrates a thought out study design. The study also observes a significant and representative sample. It consists of 643 women from different socio-economic groups, living at the same period on the same area, and they have different ethnic background. The authors excluded from participation those women who were not involved in the reproduction process (non-heterosexual) and those who at the time of first childbirth were too young to make a thought out decision (younger than 15 years old).
The study leaves a question to the choice of variables. In particular, authors mentioned the partner’s education and employment status, showing by this that they agree that the partner’s situation is important. At the same time a partner’s employment status was not taken into account. As article is dedicated to demonstrate that the stability of the family income is one the most significant moments that woman relies on while making the decision, the work status of a partner seems to be as important as a woman’s. On the

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