Keera Allendorf
Biographic Data
| ID | 81275 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Keera Allendorf |
| GIVEN NAMES | Keera |
| FAMILY NAME | Allendorf |
| SIGNATURE | ALLENDORF K |
| AFFILIATIONS | Indiana University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4346-6121 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 28 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 409 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 28 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 10 |
The Influence of Developmental Idealism on Fertility
Developmental idealism theory poses a collection of schemas, known as developmental idealism (DI), as an important influence on demographic behavior and change. We test this proposition for fertility behavior by examining if individuals’ endorsement of DI influences their subsequent progression to a birth. The assessed DI schemas include beliefs that low fertility is a cause and effect of societal development and a positive attitude toward fertil…
Tackling Traditional
Modernization theory posited gender ideology as a unidimensional continuum from “traditional” to egalitarian, with societies becoming more egalitarian as they progress. Recent research replaces this unidimensional view with multidimensionality, but other remnants of modernization theory remain. We tackle such remnants by examining gender ideologies and their socioeconomic correlates in Tamil Nadu, an Indian state often labeled “traditional.” Usin…
Developmental Idealism and a Half-Century of Family Attitude Trends in the United States
This article examines a half-century of trends in family attitudes and beliefs in the United States, including attitudes toward gender, marriage, childbearing, cohabitation, sex outside marriage, divorce, and same-sex relations. These trends are viewed through the lens of developmental idealism. We also describe how the developmental idealism framework applies to Western contexts generally and the United States specifically. We trace family attit…
Developmental Idealism and Beliefs about Marriage in the United States
This paper examines endorsement of developmental idealism (DI) about marriage in the United States, as well as differences in such endorsement by demographic characteristics. It is the first study to assess whether Americans relate changes in marriage to societal development—a key dimension of DI. The analysis draws on nationally representative survey data with 44 items designed to measure DI beliefs and attitudes about nine different marriage at…
The Rise of Sonless Families in Asia and North Africa
A neglected consequence of declining fertility is the likely rise of families with children of one sex—only sons or only daughters. Increases in such families present important demographic shifts that may weaken patrilineal family systems. We assess whether sons-only and daughters-only families rose in Asia and North Africa from the early 1990s to around 2015. Using 88 surveys and two censuses, we examine how the number and sex composition of chi…
A Good Age to Marry? An Intergenerational Model of the Influence of Timing Attitudes on Entrance into Marriage
Another Gendered Demographic Dividend: Adjusting to a Future without Sons
Sonless families may pose a gendered demographic dividend. As fertility declines, families with only daughters are likely to grow. In turn, patriarchal family systems may weaken when many families are unable to engage in patriarchal practices. I examine some of these theorized dynamics in India. Sonless families did grow as fertility declined, reaching 10 percent in India as a whole in 2015 and approaching 20 percent in states with earlier fertil…
New Research on Developmental Idealism
In this introduction, we offer an overview of developmental idealism (DI) theory and the contributions of this special issue. DI is a collection of values and beliefs about socioeconomic development and its causal links to other elements of societies. Within DI, some societal elements are identified as “modern,” inherently good, and helpful to development, while others are identified as “traditional,” undesirable, and unhelpful to development. DI…
The Influence of Developmental Idealism on Marital Attitudes, Expectations, and Timing
Recent theory suggests that developmental idealism (DI) is an important source of variation and change in family behavior, yet this suggestion is largely untested at the individual level. This study examines the influence of DI beliefs and values on individuals' entrance into marriage. We hypothesize that when individuals and their parents endorse DI, they enter into marriage later or more slowly. We also hypothesize that two pathways connecting …
Parents' Valuation of Approving a Child's Spouse in a Context of Marital Change
Previous research on arranged marriage focuses on young people getting married. In this article, the author turns the focus toward parents, examining whether Nepali parents value approving their child's future spouse. A fifth of parents did not value approving their child's spouse. They then investigated which parents value such approval less than others and how these connections differ by gender. Parents who had low-quality relationships with th…
Like Her Own: Ideals and Experiences of the Mother-In-Law/Daughter-In-Law Relationship
This article explores ideals and experiences of the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship using semistructured interviews with 46 members of 22 families living in one Indian village. Ideally, the relationship is characterized by love and understanding, where one's mother-in-law or daughter-in-law is like one's own daughter or mother. In practice, the relationship varies in quality. Some women experienced affectionate, high-quality relationsh…
Early Women, Late Men: Timing Attitudes and Gender Differences in Marriage
Around the world, women marry earlier than men, but it is not well understood why this gender gap exists. Using panel data collected in Nepal, the authors investigate whether attitudes about marital timing held by unmarried youth and their parents account for women marrying earlier than men. They also examine whether the influence of timing attitudes differs by gender. On average, unmarried youth and their parents viewed 20 to 25 as acceptable ag…
Conflict and Compatibility? Developmental Idealism and Gendered Differences in Marital Choice
Developmental idealism (DI) theory suggests that individuals who endorse DI schemas about marriage are more likely to choose their own spouses and do so for love. Such DI schemas conflict with South Asian gender schemas about marriage for women, but not for men. In turn, such conflict and compatibility may create gender differences in incorporating DI into expectations and experiences of marital choice and love in South Asia. Connections between …
The Decline of Arranged Marriage? Marital Change and Continuity in India
This article evaluates whether arranged marriage declined in India from 1970 to 2012. Specifically, the authors examine trends in spouse choice, the length of time spouses knew each other prior to marriage, intercaste marriage, and consanguineous marriage at the national level, as well as by region, urban residence, and religion/caste. During this period, women were increasingly active in choosing their own husbands, spouses meeting on their wedd…
Fertility Decline, Gender Composition of Families, and Expectations of Old Age Support
Caste and Choice: The Influence of Developmental Idealism on Marriage Behavior
Is the marriage behavior of young people determined by their socioeconomic characteristics or their endorsement of developmental idealism? This article addresses this question using a unique longitudinal data set from Nepal and provides the first individual-level test of developmental idealism theory. The authors find that unmarried individuals with greater endorsement of developmental idealism in 2008 were more likely by 2012 to choose their own…
Gender and Attitudes toward Protected Areas in Myanmar
From grassroots conservation projects to international committees on the environment, women's representation is an important component of a fair, inclusive, and effective conservation process. In this article, we focus on gender differences in local residents' attitudes toward protected areas in Myanmar. We found women are less likely to have a positive attitude toward the protected areas and are less likely to express perceptions of problems and…
Going Nuclear? Family Structure and Young Women’s Health in India, 1992–2006
Scholars traditionally argued that industrialization, urbanization, and educational expansion lead to a decline in extended families and complementary rise in nuclear families. Some have suggested that such transitions are good for young married women because living in nuclear families benefits their health. However, extended families may also present advantages for young women’s health that outweigh any disadvantages. Using the Indian National F…
To Love and Look After: Exploring the Pathways Linking Family Relationship Quality to Maternal Health in India
Domestic violence, which is one aspect of family relationship quality, is now well established as a determinant of maternal health in non-Western contexts. However, the potential health benefits of positive aspects of relationship quality remain neglected. Thus, this study uses qualitative data to explore the pathways linking high-quality family relationships to maternal health in one non-Western context, namely, one Indian village. The explorati…
Schemas of Marital Change: From Arranged Marriages to Eloping for Love
In recent decades, arranged marriages have become less common in many parts of Asia. This paper explores people's schemas surrounding just such a marital change in one Indian village using semi-structured interviews (N = 30) and ethnographic fieldwork. Respondents categorize marriages into two main types: arranged marriages and elopements, also called love marriages. Arranged marriages were common in the past, while elopements are now dominant. B…
Determinants of marital quality in an arranged marriage society
Women’s Agency and the Quality of Family Relationships in India
Marital Quality from a Rural Indian Context in Comparative Perspective
This article describes the conception of marital quality held by respondents living in one Indian village, as identified through an analysis of semistructured interviews (n=46). The respondents' conception of marital quality is summed up in the overarching ideal of the life partner and characterized by the dimensions of love, peace, understanding, communication, trust, and balance. This conception is then compared to the conception of marital qua…
Like daughter, like son? Fertility decline and the transformation of gender systems in the family
An important question for population research is whether fertility decline transforms gender systems
The Role of Gender in Park-People Relationships in Nepal
Do Women’s Land Rights Promote Empowerment and Child Health in Nepal
The Decline of Arranged Marriage? Marital Change and Continuity in India
This article evaluates whether arranged marriage declined in India from 1970 to 2012. Specifically, the authors examine trends in spouse choice, the length of time spouses knew each other prior to marriage, intercaste marriage, and consanguineous marriage at the national level, as well as by region, urban residence, and religion/caste. During this period, women were increasingly active in choosing their own husbands, spouses meeting on their wedd…
Caste and Choice: The Influence of Developmental Idealism on Marriage Behavior
Is the marriage behavior of young people determined by their socioeconomic characteristics or their endorsement of developmental idealism? This article addresses this question using a unique longitudinal data set from Nepal and provides the first individual-level test of developmental idealism theory. The authors find that unmarried individuals with greater endorsement of developmental idealism in 2008 were more likely by 2012 to choose their own…
Schemas of Marital Change: From Arranged Marriages to Eloping for Love
In recent decades, arranged marriages have become less common in many parts of Asia. This paper explores people's schemas surrounding just such a marital change in one Indian village using semi-structured interviews (N = 30) and ethnographic fieldwork. Respondents categorize marriages into two main types: arranged marriages and elopements, also called love marriages. Arranged marriages were common in the past, while elopements are now dominant. B…
Determinants of marital quality in an arranged marriage society
Going Nuclear? Family Structure and Young Women’s Health in India, 1992–2006
Scholars traditionally argued that industrialization, urbanization, and educational expansion lead to a decline in extended families and complementary rise in nuclear families. Some have suggested that such transitions are good for young married women because living in nuclear families benefits their health. However, extended families may also present advantages for young women’s health that outweigh any disadvantages. Using the Indian National F…
Women’s Agency and the Quality of Family Relationships in India
Couples' Reports of Women's Autonomy and Health‐care Use in Nepal
Using data from interviews with matched couples recorded in the 2001 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, this report explores how incorporating both spouses' reports of household decisionmaking may change the understanding of the determinants and consequences of women's autonomy. Results indicate that a substantial proportion of couples disagree about who makes household decisions, but the determinants of women's autonomy are still largely simil…
Early Women, Late Men: Timing Attitudes and Gender Differences in Marriage
Around the world, women marry earlier than men, but it is not well understood why this gender gap exists. Using panel data collected in Nepal, the authors investigate whether attitudes about marital timing held by unmarried youth and their parents account for women marrying earlier than men. They also examine whether the influence of timing attitudes differs by gender. On average, unmarried youth and their parents viewed 20 to 25 as acceptable ag…
Conflict and Compatibility? Developmental Idealism and Gendered Differences in Marital Choice
Developmental idealism (DI) theory suggests that individuals who endorse DI schemas about marriage are more likely to choose their own spouses and do so for love. Such DI schemas conflict with South Asian gender schemas about marriage for women, but not for men. In turn, such conflict and compatibility may create gender differences in incorporating DI into expectations and experiences of marital choice and love in South Asia. Connections between …
Another Gendered Demographic Dividend: Adjusting to a Future without Sons
Sonless families may pose a gendered demographic dividend. As fertility declines, families with only daughters are likely to grow. In turn, patriarchal family systems may weaken when many families are unable to engage in patriarchal practices. I examine some of these theorized dynamics in India. Sonless families did grow as fertility declined, reaching 10 percent in India as a whole in 2015 and approaching 20 percent in states with earlier fertil…
Marital Quality from a Rural Indian Context in Comparative Perspective
This article describes the conception of marital quality held by respondents living in one Indian village, as identified through an analysis of semistructured interviews (n=46). The respondents' conception of marital quality is summed up in the overarching ideal of the life partner and characterized by the dimensions of love, peace, understanding, communication, trust, and balance. This conception is then compared to the conception of marital qua…
The Quality of Family Relationships and Use of Maternal Health‐care Services in India
Marital quality is well established as a determinant of health in Western contexts, yet the importance of relationship quality to health in non‐Western contexts is largely limited to a focus on domestic violence. Using the Women's Reproductive Histories Survey, this study examines whether women with higher‐quality family relationships are more likely than others to use maternal health‐care services in Madhya Pradesh, India. Results show that amon…
The Influence of Developmental Idealism on Marital Attitudes, Expectations, and Timing
Recent theory suggests that developmental idealism (DI) is an important source of variation and change in family behavior, yet this suggestion is largely untested at the individual level. This study examines the influence of DI beliefs and values on individuals' entrance into marriage. We hypothesize that when individuals and their parents endorse DI, they enter into marriage later or more slowly. We also hypothesize that two pathways connecting …
Like Her Own: Ideals and Experiences of the Mother-In-Law/Daughter-In-Law Relationship
This article explores ideals and experiences of the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship using semistructured interviews with 46 members of 22 families living in one Indian village. Ideally, the relationship is characterized by love and understanding, where one's mother-in-law or daughter-in-law is like one's own daughter or mother. In practice, the relationship varies in quality. Some women experienced affectionate, high-quality relationsh…
Gender and Attitudes toward Protected Areas in Myanmar
From grassroots conservation projects to international committees on the environment, women's representation is an important component of a fair, inclusive, and effective conservation process. In this article, we focus on gender differences in local residents' attitudes toward protected areas in Myanmar. We found women are less likely to have a positive attitude toward the protected areas and are less likely to express perceptions of problems and…
Like daughter, like son? Fertility decline and the transformation of gender systems in the family
An important question for population research is whether fertility decline transforms gender systems
A Good Age to Marry? An Intergenerational Model of the Influence of Timing Attitudes on Entrance into Marriage
The Rise of Sonless Families in Asia and North Africa
A neglected consequence of declining fertility is the likely rise of families with children of one sex—only sons or only daughters. Increases in such families present important demographic shifts that may weaken patrilineal family systems. We assess whether sons-only and daughters-only families rose in Asia and North Africa from the early 1990s to around 2015. Using 88 surveys and two censuses, we examine how the number and sex composition of chi…
Fertility Decline, Gender Composition of Families, and Expectations of Old Age Support
Parents' Valuation of Approving a Child's Spouse in a Context of Marital Change
Previous research on arranged marriage focuses on young people getting married. In this article, the author turns the focus toward parents, examining whether Nepali parents value approving their child's future spouse. A fifth of parents did not value approving their child's spouse. They then investigated which parents value such approval less than others and how these connections differ by gender. Parents who had low-quality relationships with th…
To Love and Look After: Exploring the Pathways Linking Family Relationship Quality to Maternal Health in India
Domestic violence, which is one aspect of family relationship quality, is now well established as a determinant of maternal health in non-Western contexts. However, the potential health benefits of positive aspects of relationship quality remain neglected. Thus, this study uses qualitative data to explore the pathways linking high-quality family relationships to maternal health in one non-Western context, namely, one Indian village. The explorati…
The Role of Gender in Park-People Relationships in Nepal
Do Women’s Land Rights Promote Empowerment and Child Health in Nepal
Couples' Reports of Women's Autonomy and Health‐care Use in Nepal
Using data from interviews with matched couples recorded in the 2001 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, this report explores how incorporating both spouses' reports of household decisionmaking may change the understanding of the determinants and consequences of women's autonomy. Results indicate that a substantial proportion of couples disagree about who makes household decisions, but the determinants of women's autonomy are still largely simil…
The Quality of Family Relationships and Use of Maternal Health‐care Services in India
Marital quality is well established as a determinant of health in Western contexts, yet the importance of relationship quality to health in non‐Western contexts is largely limited to a focus on domestic violence. Using the Women's Reproductive Histories Survey, this study examines whether women with higher‐quality family relationships are more likely than others to use maternal health‐care services in Madhya Pradesh, India. Results show that amon…
Women’s Agency and the Quality of Family Relationships in India
Marital Quality from a Rural Indian Context in Comparative Perspective
This article describes the conception of marital quality held by respondents living in one Indian village, as identified through an analysis of semistructured interviews (n=46). The respondents' conception of marital quality is summed up in the overarching ideal of the life partner and characterized by the dimensions of love, peace, understanding, communication, trust, and balance. This conception is then compared to the conception of marital qua…
Like daughter, like son? Fertility decline and the transformation of gender systems in the family
An important question for population research is whether fertility decline transforms gender systems
The Role of Gender in Park-People Relationships in Nepal
Gender and Attitudes toward Protected Areas in Myanmar
From grassroots conservation projects to international committees on the environment, women's representation is an important component of a fair, inclusive, and effective conservation process. In this article, we focus on gender differences in local residents' attitudes toward protected areas in Myanmar. We found women are less likely to have a positive attitude toward the protected areas and are less likely to express perceptions of problems and…
Going Nuclear? Family Structure and Young Women’s Health in India, 1992–2006
Scholars traditionally argued that industrialization, urbanization, and educational expansion lead to a decline in extended families and complementary rise in nuclear families. Some have suggested that such transitions are good for young married women because living in nuclear families benefits their health. However, extended families may also present advantages for young women’s health that outweigh any disadvantages. Using the Indian National F…
To Love and Look After: Exploring the Pathways Linking Family Relationship Quality to Maternal Health in India
Domestic violence, which is one aspect of family relationship quality, is now well established as a determinant of maternal health in non-Western contexts. However, the potential health benefits of positive aspects of relationship quality remain neglected. Thus, this study uses qualitative data to explore the pathways linking high-quality family relationships to maternal health in one non-Western context, namely, one Indian village. The explorati…
Schemas of Marital Change: From Arranged Marriages to Eloping for Love
In recent decades, arranged marriages have become less common in many parts of Asia. This paper explores people's schemas surrounding just such a marital change in one Indian village using semi-structured interviews (N = 30) and ethnographic fieldwork. Respondents categorize marriages into two main types: arranged marriages and elopements, also called love marriages. Arranged marriages were common in the past, while elopements are now dominant. B…
Determinants of marital quality in an arranged marriage society
Fertility Decline, Gender Composition of Families, and Expectations of Old Age Support
Caste and Choice: The Influence of Developmental Idealism on Marriage Behavior
Is the marriage behavior of young people determined by their socioeconomic characteristics or their endorsement of developmental idealism? This article addresses this question using a unique longitudinal data set from Nepal and provides the first individual-level test of developmental idealism theory. The authors find that unmarried individuals with greater endorsement of developmental idealism in 2008 were more likely by 2012 to choose their own…
The Decline of Arranged Marriage? Marital Change and Continuity in India
This article evaluates whether arranged marriage declined in India from 1970 to 2012. Specifically, the authors examine trends in spouse choice, the length of time spouses knew each other prior to marriage, intercaste marriage, and consanguineous marriage at the national level, as well as by region, urban residence, and religion/caste. During this period, women were increasingly active in choosing their own husbands, spouses meeting on their wedd…
Like Her Own: Ideals and Experiences of the Mother-In-Law/Daughter-In-Law Relationship
This article explores ideals and experiences of the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship using semistructured interviews with 46 members of 22 families living in one Indian village. Ideally, the relationship is characterized by love and understanding, where one's mother-in-law or daughter-in-law is like one's own daughter or mother. In practice, the relationship varies in quality. Some women experienced affectionate, high-quality relationsh…
Early Women, Late Men: Timing Attitudes and Gender Differences in Marriage
Around the world, women marry earlier than men, but it is not well understood why this gender gap exists. Using panel data collected in Nepal, the authors investigate whether attitudes about marital timing held by unmarried youth and their parents account for women marrying earlier than men. They also examine whether the influence of timing attitudes differs by gender. On average, unmarried youth and their parents viewed 20 to 25 as acceptable ag…
Conflict and Compatibility? Developmental Idealism and Gendered Differences in Marital Choice
Developmental idealism (DI) theory suggests that individuals who endorse DI schemas about marriage are more likely to choose their own spouses and do so for love. Such DI schemas conflict with South Asian gender schemas about marriage for women, but not for men. In turn, such conflict and compatibility may create gender differences in incorporating DI into expectations and experiences of marital choice and love in South Asia. Connections between …
New Research on Developmental Idealism
In this introduction, we offer an overview of developmental idealism (DI) theory and the contributions of this special issue. DI is a collection of values and beliefs about socioeconomic development and its causal links to other elements of societies. Within DI, some societal elements are identified as “modern,” inherently good, and helpful to development, while others are identified as “traditional,” undesirable, and unhelpful to development. DI…
The Influence of Developmental Idealism on Marital Attitudes, Expectations, and Timing
Recent theory suggests that developmental idealism (DI) is an important source of variation and change in family behavior, yet this suggestion is largely untested at the individual level. This study examines the influence of DI beliefs and values on individuals' entrance into marriage. We hypothesize that when individuals and their parents endorse DI, they enter into marriage later or more slowly. We also hypothesize that two pathways connecting …
Parents' Valuation of Approving a Child's Spouse in a Context of Marital Change
Previous research on arranged marriage focuses on young people getting married. In this article, the author turns the focus toward parents, examining whether Nepali parents value approving their child's future spouse. A fifth of parents did not value approving their child's spouse. They then investigated which parents value such approval less than others and how these connections differ by gender. Parents who had low-quality relationships with th…
Another Gendered Demographic Dividend: Adjusting to a Future without Sons
Sonless families may pose a gendered demographic dividend. As fertility declines, families with only daughters are likely to grow. In turn, patriarchal family systems may weaken when many families are unable to engage in patriarchal practices. I examine some of these theorized dynamics in India. Sonless families did grow as fertility declined, reaching 10 percent in India as a whole in 2015 and approaching 20 percent in states with earlier fertil…
A Good Age to Marry? An Intergenerational Model of the Influence of Timing Attitudes on Entrance into Marriage
The Rise of Sonless Families in Asia and North Africa
A neglected consequence of declining fertility is the likely rise of families with children of one sex—only sons or only daughters. Increases in such families present important demographic shifts that may weaken patrilineal family systems. We assess whether sons-only and daughters-only families rose in Asia and North Africa from the early 1990s to around 2015. Using 88 surveys and two censuses, we examine how the number and sex composition of chi…
Developmental Idealism and a Half-Century of Family Attitude Trends in the United States
This article examines a half-century of trends in family attitudes and beliefs in the United States, including attitudes toward gender, marriage, childbearing, cohabitation, sex outside marriage, divorce, and same-sex relations. These trends are viewed through the lens of developmental idealism. We also describe how the developmental idealism framework applies to Western contexts generally and the United States specifically. We trace family attit…
Sociology (22 works) · Psychology (20 works) · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences (16 works) · Family Dynamics and Relationships (16 works) · Political science (14 works) · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving (13 works) · Social Psychology (13 works) · Demography (11 works) · Population (11 works) · Developmental psychology (9 works)