The Demographic profile of twins : temptation of mimetism or dissimilarity among co-twins ?

Nadège Couvert, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)

In our societies, twins evoluate under some «external» representations of twinning fact, representations that they can integrate and appropriate, or reject. This work aims at evaluating similarity or dissimilarity in demographic and social twins’ behaviours by studying very basic facts as studies’ and professional orientation, fertility, nuptiality, and other. Thanks to the French Longitudinal Study (EDP or Permanent Demographic Sample), we will be able to compare discrepancies between twin’s pairs to those observed among ordinary couples of brothers and sisters with close characteristics. It will represent the occasion of estimating differences in behavioural patterns among twins themselves and of identifying special situations and risk’s factors, as familial composition (two or more children) or type of twins pair (identical or fraternal).