Despite amendments to inheritance laws aimed at promoting gender equality in many countries, the effectiveness of gender-equal inheritance rights remains uncertain. This study focuses on South Korea, which reformed inheritance rights toward gender equality in 1991. The research uses data from two nationwide household surveys to examine intergenerational transfers (inheritance and inter vivos gifts) over a 40-year span (1971–2010) and categorizes three groups on the basis of when the heirs’ father died: before reform, shortly after reform, and long after reform. Results reveal that the gender gap in intergenerational transfers did not narrow—even after reform—among the small number of individuals who reported receiving inheritance or gifts. Inter vivos gifts became a more prevalent method of passing wealth to sons shortly after reform. Equal legal shares also proved ineffective in dividing inheritance, as many households continued to experience unequal division through wills and family negotiations. These findings highlight that eliminating discriminatory clauses in inheritance laws is just the initial step toward achieving gender equality in intergenerational transfers, with norms and cultural contexts often taking precedence over legal reforms.

Career Breaks and Mothers’ Health After Age 50: The Role of Social Position. Evidence from the Constances Cohort
Constance Beaufils

This article examines the influence of social position on the links between career breaks and the health of mothers after age 50. It draws on data collected from a sample of 32,357 mothers at the time of their inclusion in the Constances cohort and from 30 semi-structured interviews with women who have experienced a career break. Logit models with interaction effects are used to measure the probability, for these mothers, of reporting a depressive episode and functional limitations according to their employment trajectories at ages 18–50 and indicators of social position (educational level, partner’s occupational category). While for disadvantaged mothers, long or permanent career breaks are associated with a higher risk of functional limitations and depressive episodes, this is not observed at the top of the social gradient. The interviews shed light on this finding; depending on mothers’ social position, these types of career breaks have an unequal impact on their living conditions, working career and identity. They also point to the existence of mental health risks for highly educated mothers specifically linked to shorter career breaks, although this is not confirmed by the statistical results.

Spatial Locations and Dynamics of Immigrants in Rural Areas: Research Directions in France and Recent International Perspectives
Julie Fromentin

This article offers an overview of the literature on the settlement of immigrants in rural areas of France, as well as a comparison with similar research conducted in other Western countries. It notes the paucity and compartmentalization of research on this topic due to the following factors: the subject’s disappearance from the research agenda in the 20th century, in parallel with demographic changes occurring in rural areas and a decline in rural studies; the influence of government demand, sensitive to the political and social context, which directs research on immigration towards urban studies; the segmentation between the fields of rural studies and migration studies; and the lack of theorization of the connections between individual trajectories and spatial patterns. It concludes by suggesting lines of research based on a biographical approach, to enable a more dynamic conceptualization of the geography of immigration.

Life-Course Patterns of Young Russian-Origin Estonians: An Origin-Destination Comparison
Katrin Schwanitz

Using extensive census data from Russia and Estonia and employing a synthetic cohort approach, I conducted the first origin-destination comparison of key life-course statuses during the transition to adulthood to provide holistic insights into the demographic dynamics among Russian-origin Estonians (aged 15–35). The analysis scrutinized the degree of similarity or dissimilarity between Russian-origin Estonians and their native counterparts in Russia and Estonia across three dimensions: timing (i.e., age-specific status prevalence), ordering (i.e., proportions of noncompleted status pairs), and heterogeneity (i.e., age-specific status combinations). Overall, findings suggest a semblance of demographic similarity between Russian-origin Estonians and native Estonians in family domains (i.e., union status and parenthood), indicating an adaptation to family life-course patterns. Dissimilarities in the timing, ordering, and heterogeneity of key statuses between Russian-origin and native Estonians predominantly manifest in nonfamily domains. Descriptively, I observe signs of immigrant disadvantage (pertaining to school attendance and employment) alongside facets of cultural maintenance (regarding residential independence).

Long-Term Trends of Partner Age Differences by Educational Pairings: An Exploratory Study in Four Countries
Alessandra Trimarchi, Ignacio Pardo, Laurent Toulemon

Although extensive research has been conducted on the evolving patterns of educational assortative mating, the interplay between this phenomenon and partners’ age differences has received limited attention. This study offers a twofold contribution. First, it examines trends in both age and educational assortative mating over 5 decades across four countries. Second, it explores age-difference trends in educationally heterogamous and homogamous couples, with a focus on patterns related to educational homogamy. We used IPUMSi harmonized census microdata for Brazil, France, Panama, and the United States, available since the 1960s. Results indicate a slight increase in the proportion of same-age couples among tertiary-educated couples over time, while proportions across other educational pairings remain stable. Additionally, we observe a growing prevalence of relationships in which the man is much older than the woman, particularly among educationally hypergamous and homogamous low-educated couples. These trends are consistent across all contexts examined.

Population Ageing and Economic Dependency in Thailand: A Multidimensional Prospective Analysis
Guillaume Marois, Stuart Gietel-Basten, Wiraporn Pothisiri

While population ageing poses fiscal and dependency challenges for Thailand, conventional measures of population ageing may misrepresent future burdens by overlooking key societal changes under way. Given improvements in health and life expectancy which should slow down the pace of population ageing, this paper argues that the threshold of ‘old age’ (65+) should be redefined. Additionally, the analysis considers changes in labour force participation and productivity brought about by improved educational attainment and a shift from the informal to the formal sector. By using a microsimulation population projection model, the study forecasts the population of Thailand from 2020 to 2070 and calculates dependency ratios that incorporate these dimensions. The analysis highlights the mitigating potential of measures to facilitate economic formalization and human capital development.