Jirina Kocourkova

Charles University in Prague | CUNI · Department of Demography and Geodemography

Background: Fertility postponement, which has comprised the most significant reproductive trend in developed countries over the last few decades, involves a number of social, personal and health consequences. The length of stay (LOS) in hospital following childbirth varies considerably between countries. Czechia, where the fertility postponement p...

Objective: To investigate the association between a mother's age and the risk of caesarean section (CS) when controlling for health factors and selected sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: Binary logistic regression models for all women who gave birth in Czechia in 2018 (N = 111,749 mothers who gave birth to 113,234 children). Results:...

This article presents a detailed analysis of the fertility changes in Czechia since 1990 using the cohort approach and contributes to the overall understanding of the fertility postponement process. Because the timing of childbearing since 1990 has changed significantly, particular attention is devoted to the differences in the timing of fertility...

Abstract Background Although the percentage of cesarean sections (CS) in Czechia is below the average of that of other developed countries (23.6%), it still exceeds WHO recommendations (15%). The first aim of the study is to examine the association between a CS birth and the main health factors and sociodemographic characteristics involved, while t...

The increasingly widely used assisted reproductive technologies are associated with many uncertainties regarding not only potential health risks, but also the cost of childbirth and subsequent hospitalisation. The aim of this work is to find differences in the cost of hospitalisation for mothers and their new-born children who were most likely born...

The paper investigates the transition to second births in Czechia and Slovakia in the context of the development of parental leave policies since the beginning of the 1990s. We focus on two countries that share many similarities in terms of their economic, cultural and institutional settings but differ in their parental leave policies. We analyse t...

Childbearing postponement is a key demographic change that has been experienced by most European countries. It leads to a late-fertility pattern, with women realizing their reproductive plans preferentially after the age of 30. This may result in a lower fertility level. Since the ideal family size has not changed in most European countries, it has...

The postponement of the fertility of women to higher ages is reflected in increased health risks that may pose a threat to both the mother and the new-born child. The aim of the article is to assess the impact of the age of women at childbirth on the health of the child and the risk of the occurrence of complications during hospitalisation followin...

The various health risks associated with the increasing age of mothers at childbirth include the low birth weight of new-born children. The aim of the article is to verify the relationship between the birth weight of new-born children and the age of mothers at childbirth employing data on new-born children from the General Health Insurance Company...

The shift in fertility to higher ages over the last few decades represents one of the most distinctive features of reproductive behaviour in Czechia. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the process of fertility postponement in the European context and assessment of the Czech situation. While the fertility postponement is a universa...

The aim of this paper is to assess the impact of the economic crisis which commenced in 2008 onfertility levels across the EU, i.e., whether the onset of the crisis influenced the fertility trends andwhether the various countries differed in terms of their response to the crisis. The relationshipbetween the two economic indicators GDP per capita an...

In the last quarter century, women’s reproductive behaviour underwent a marked change in Czechia. The 2011 census showed a fall in cohort fertility below two children per woman by the end of her reproductive span. Factors behind changes in fertility, particularly from a cohort perspective, have not been sufficiently analyzed. The aim of this articl...

This paper investigates differences in population development in the European Union and the United States. The population projections recently published by the United Nations forecast expected a slowdown in growth and a shrinking of the EU population and a continued growth in the US. Therefore, the paper aims to find out which components of populat...

The transition to childbearing at a later age is one of the most striking features of demographic change in recent years. Employing both vital statistics and survey data, the paper analyses the causes and consequences of fertility postponement in the Czech Republic. The authors focus on the planned age of childbearing and on the reasons why women f...

The transition to childbearing at a later age is one of the most striking features of demographic change in recent years. Employing both vital statistics and survey data, the paper analyses the causes and consequences of fertility postponement in the Czech Republic. The authors focus on the planned age of childbearing and on the reasons why women f...

Before 1990, abortions were highly prevalent in Eastern Europe, including Czechoslovakia. After 1990, the Czech and Slovak populations experienced a significant decrease in the abortion rate. Because both states have complete statistics on abortion and identical histories of abortion legislation, trends in abortion rates between 1988 and 2008 can b...

The theory of second demographic transition is particularly unique in trying to capture both the transformation of reproductive behaviour and a change in the attitudes towards new forms of partnership life and a new reproductive pattern. This study has set as its target to find out to what degree second demographic transition can be used as an expl...

The long-time formation of a multiethnic population in Kazakhstan during the Soviet period formed a potential source for population outflow while a sizable Kazakh diaspora abroad was a potential source of immigration to Kazakhstan after 1991. Since the 1991 independence of Kazakhstan, the strategic demographic goals have been to increase its popula...

In 2012, the Czech Republic established the women's age limit for access to assisted reproduction techniques at age 49 years. In this paper, the acceptability of this age limit from the children's perspective in the Czech Republic is assessed. Although the necessity of balancing the interests of parents and children is acknowledged, little research...

For quite some time, the population dynamics in Kazakhstan have largely depended on migration processes. At the end of the 19th century, the territory of the country became the main migration space for a large part of Eurasia which was under the governance of the Russian Empire, and later of the Soviet Union. The large scale resettlement of Russian...

There is a growing trend in European countries for childbearing to occur later in women’s lives. The recent increase in the use of ART, together with the long-term trend towards later childbearing, raises questions as to the acceptable age of childbearing in contemporary society. ART legislation varies considerably across Europe and age limits for...

Background Delayed childbearing in European countries has resulted in an increase in the number of women having children later in life. Thus more women face the problem of age-related infertility and cannot achieve their desired number of children. Childbearing postponement is one of the main reasons for the increasing use of assisted reproductive...

To analyse changes in contraceptive practice among Czech women, during the last two decades, and to evaluate the associated demographic impacts. Recent trends in fertility and abortion are presented and compared with earlier survey data on contraceptive use. Data from four Czech surveys carried out as part of international projects in 1993, 1997, 2...

The aim of this study was to identify risk factors and possible predictors of severity of suicidal behavior of children and adolescents. Seventy-seven patients (15 boys and 62 girls) aged 15.5+/-1.6 years on average, hospitalized due to a suicidal attempt in the department of pediatric psychiatry, were examined. Structured interviews with patients...

The aim of study was to evaluate the importance of induced abortions for reproduction medicine in Czech Republic. Demographic analysis of data published by EUROSTAT and Czech statistical office. Department of Demography and Geodemography Faculty of Science, Charles University Prague. Widespread use of the liberal abortion law in socialist countries...

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the importance of increased use of assisted reproduction technologies (ART) for the fertility trends in the Czech Republic. Data and methods: Comparative analysis based on demographic and ART data was used. Demographic data have been published by EUROSTAT and the Czech Statistical Office. ART data...

Attitudes and preferences regarding parental leave and child allowance arrangements are compared with actual schemes. The focus is on the length and mode of taking parental leave, as well as on the dependence of child allowance rates on family income, the age of the child and the number of children. The results have shown a weak correlation between...

The paper provides a comparative analysis of childcare and leave policies in four Central European countries. The first part considers developments in policy since the 1960s, including the first extended leave scheme introduced in Hungary in 1967 and the changes that have taken place since the end of the communist regimes. Although the transition p...

PIP: This is a collection of brief papers from a 1998 conference on population dynamics in Europe. Papers are included on demographic developments in Eastern and Western Europe from 1950 to 1990; current trends of demographic behavior; the second demographic transition; the Czech Republic within the context of European demographic developments; mac...

Unti the late 1980s, marriage and reproductive behaviour in the Czech Republic remianed relatively unchanged. Extremely high first marriage rates and feritilty rates which hovered around the replacement level were closely connected to a pattern of early marriage and childbearing. The political upheaval of 1989, followed by economic and social trans...