Family context and adolescents' fertility expectations.

Abstract

Data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience of Youth are used to examine and contrast the effects of family context and individual characteristics on adolescents' expectations about adolescent fertility, nonmarital childbearing, family size, and childlessness. The findings indicate that family structure has modest but specific effects on adolescents' fertility expectations. Living with mothers only increases expectations for nonmarital childbearing, and living with fathers (without biological mother) lowers the total number of children expected. Larger subsize raises expectations for nonmarital childbearing and family size. Poverty raises expectations for adolescent childbearing but does not affect other fertility expectations. Adolescent women are less likely than men to expect nonmarital childbearing, and overall, expect fewer children. Blacks are more likely than Whites to expect adolescent and nonmarital fertility and Hispanics are significantly less likely than non-Hispanic Whites to expect childlessness.