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Village genealogies (Ortssippenbiicher) containing the reconstituted family histories of every family to have lived in the community so far as they can be reconstructed from the parish or community records are a unique and apparently reliable source of historical demographie data for Germany. A comparison of the content of several of the Ortssippenbiicher with the original parish register entries to check the accuracy and comple- teness of the transcription of births (both legitimat e and illegitimate), deaths, and marriages revealed an extremely high level of accuracy. A reconstitution of a sample of families from several of the Ortssippenbiicher according to the established rules of modem historical demography yielded results largely identical to those reported by the original compiler. In addition, the calculation of selected demographie statistics from samples of families from fourteen Ortssippenbiicher typically yielded consistent and plausible results. Because of the high quality of many Germon parish records and the accuracy of the genealogist-compilers, Ortssippenbiicher compare favorably with the family reconstitution data compiled and ana- lyzed by historical demographers in other European countries.

Population aging and the wellbeing of older persons are major emerging challenges for families, communities, and government in Thailand as in much of Asia. Traditionally, support and care for the elderly are met within the family. Adult children are important providers of material support as well as other forms of assistance to their older-age parents. The state and communities typically provide limited care services for the older population. Currently, Thailand is facing demographic and socioeconomic changes that pose significant challenges for the roles that family members, especially adult children, play in providing support for the elderly. This paper empirically examines the state of Thai family care for older persons in various aspects (such as material and social support as well as personal care) and the challenges and opportunities facing the Thai family.

In recent years, both population aging and gender issues have gained prominence in international forums concerned with population. It is frequently asserted or implied that older women are universally more vulnerable to social, economic, and health disadvantages than older men. The most significant manifestation of this exclusive concern with women when considering gender and aging is the Plan of Action adopted by the Second World Assembly on Aging in 2002. The assumed relative disadvantage of elderly women is commonly attributed to gender differences in earlier life experiences. But are older women truly disadvantaged globally with respect to all or most essential aspects of well‐being? The authors provide empirical evidence that clearly shows that older women are not invariably disadvantaged vis‐à‐vis men. In particular, they call into question the wisdom and equity of a virtually exclusive emphasis on the needs of women when incorporating gender concerns into policies and programs related to aging. A more balanced perspective that recognizes gender as a potential, but not necessarily central, marker of vulnerability for various aspects of well‐being in specific settings and times, and that allows for male as well as female disadvantage, would serve the current and future elderly generations far better.

Sozialwissenschaftler und Historiker, die sich mit der Gesellschaft des 19. Jahrhunderts beschäftigten, haben eine Anzahl von Modellen in bezug auf städtisches und ländliches Leben entwickelt, die häufig auf Stadt-Land-Unterschiede im demographischen Verhalten hindeuten. Von den umfangreichen demographischen Daten aus, die für die städtischen und ländlichen Bevölkerungsteile des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts existieren, sollten diese Modelle mit systematischem Beweismaterial konfrontiert werden, da sich gerade das demographische Verhalten für quantitative Studien eignet. Im Mittelpunkt der vorliegenden Arbeit, die die Stadt-Land-Unterschiede in Deutschland hinsichtlich der Heiratshäufigkeit, Fruchtbarkeit, Unehelichkeit und Säuglingssterblichkeit eingehend behandelt und einer kritischen Überprüfung unterzieht, ist die 2. Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts, besonders die Zeit um 1880. Die Untersuchung der Bedeutung des städtischen bzw. ländlichen Wohnsitzes für das demographische Verhalten zeigt, daß er nur für einige Aspekte des demographischen Verhaltens von Bedeutung ist. Stärkere Unterschiede ergaben sich bei den verschiedenen Verwaltungsbezirken und Ländern, so daß angenommen werden kann, daß die Schlüsseldeterminanten für städtische und ländliche Bewohner desselben Gebiets gleichermaßen bestimmend waren. (SD)