Timing of the Transition to Parenthood: A Multidimensional Birth-Interval Approach

Abstract

A conceptual framework for analyzing 1st-birth timing is outlined and potential determinants are examined using an appropriate multivariate methodology and data from the 1973 US National Survey of Family Growth. More specifically the impact of 3 dimensions on birth timing are tested for: historical time individual or couple time and socioeconomic background characteristics. Utilizing a birth-interval approach the socioeconomic characteristics considered refer to both husbands and wives. All analyses are conducted separately for whites and blacks. Women are observed beginning at their marriages and are followed until the date of survey noting the occurrence of live births. A discrete-time least-squares approximation is used. Life-table results indicate that historical time is significant for whites only. There appears to be a quickening and then a slowing of 1st-birth timing over the 1950s and 1960s that cannot be explained by compositional variables on the predictive variables used. This is not the case with blacks for whom historical time seems to be unimportant. This may be due to the unique minority position of blacks in US society. For both races couple time was an important factor with the conditional probability of having a birth declining with increased time from 1st marriage. In terms of background characteristics of substantive importance in determining 1st-birth timing age at marriage and working in the interval are common to both blacks and whites. Working in the 1st-birth interval evidences the strongest impact on birth timing with work acting to delay entry into parenthood. A comparison of husbands and wives background characteristics indicated that the former has little to no impact on 1st-birth timing. Of some note is the fact that couple time does not interact with other variables contrary to findings of other studies. It remains that factors influencing births occurring before marriage are different from those reported here or that they exert an influence through marital timing. A full understanding of all elements of the transition to parenthood will require consideration of these points.