Abstract
Data from a subsample of 237 couples interviewed simultaneously for a 1971 fertility survey in Quebec are used to examine the evolution of the spouses' family size desires, the influence of the husband's desires on those of the wife, and the influence of the interacting family size desires on achieved fertility. Wives reported desiring 3.38 children the first time they thought about it, while husband wanted only 3.08. At the time of the survey, wives reported wanting 3.35 and husbands 3.34 children. Despite the apparent stability in the number desired by wives, many women reported changing their desired number of children. The number of couples desiring the same number of children increased from 48.9% initially to 55.3% at the survey date. The change in women's fertility desires appeared to be related to certain fertility "norms" and to the fertility desires of their husbands. Comparison of the stated desires and fertility performance of the couples indicates that the relative desires of the spouses directly influences the couple's fertility. The wife's fertility desires at the outset of marriage guide but do not entirely determine subsequent fertility.
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