Determinants of Couple Agreement In U.S. Fertility Decisions

Abstract

An analysis of data from 8,450 women interviewed in 1988 for the National Survey of Family Growth finds that teenagers, never-married women, black women and those with less than a high school education are less likely than other women to have a birth that is jointly desired by both partners; 29%, 35%, 45% and 51% of births, respectively, are wanted by both partners, compared with an overall average of 69%. Third and higher order births are also less likely than earlier births to be jointly planned--58%, compared with 69% of first births and 76% of second births. In situations in which the birth is not jointly planned, black women, unmarried women, teenagers and women having third or higher order births are all significantly more likely than other women in their race, marital status, age and birth-order categories to have a birth when the man's preference is unknown. Never-married women are significantly more likely than married women to have a birth when the woman desires one but the man does not, while black women are significantly more likely than white women to have a birth that the man wanted but that the woman did not.