Fertility Behavior Research Articles

Ideals and realities: Chinese singleton daughters negotiating family size preferences and migrant motherhood in Spain

ABSTRACT Chinese young women’s fertility choices have attracted growing interest in the last years, however, the effects of women’s singleton status and transnational motherhood experience on their fertility behaviours remain understudied. Using 12 qualitative interviews with Chinese migrant mothers in Spain, we firstly examine how women’s family size preferences are constructed by their singleton status associated with changing gender norms and strong normative expectations of future family caregiving obligations; secondly, we explore the challenges faced by participants towards realizing their fertility expectations in transnational spaces from a gendered perspective. We find that although singleton status can contribute to women’s larger ideal family size, their gendered roles as only-daughters and migrant mothers increase care responsibilities, which negatively influence their childbearing decisions. By situating singleton daughters’ experiences within a broader institutional and sociocultural context, our study offers a unique opportunity to examine how changing gender norms, care, and responsibility structure fertility norms of one generation at the micro level.

Legal Status and Fertility Patterns: Regulation-Induced Disruption Among Previously Undocumented Immigrant Women in Italy

We explore, using a unique survey dataset containing retrospective information on immigrants’ legal status, the relationship between previous irregular experience—from arrival up to the first residence permit achievement—and fertility patterns among non-EU immigrant women in Italy. While competing hypotheses explaining migrants’ fertility behaviour have been recurrently offered, there is a substantial lack of knowledge on the role of undocumented experience as a contextual barrier in shaping international migrants’ family formation processes. We adopt a life-course approach, employing event history analysis and Poisson regression modelling, to investigate how irregularity among immigrant women intertwines with the timing of the first childbirth and the total number of births occurred in Italy. We find that irregular experience—as a time-dependent process—delays the transition to childbirth post-migration. Furthermore, having experienced irregular status reduces completed fertility, offering few possibilities to catch-up over the life-course with fertility levels of women continuously having the legal status. Findings suggest long-lasting effects of irregular status and the potential disruption of migrant’s fertility induced by migration policies, admission systems, and regulation factors. The reduced possibility of legal entry channels and lack of migration policies for planning and managing migration into Italy may thus have an impact on family formation trajectories among international immigrant women.

Gender preference and fertility behavior among married women: A community based study from far western Nepal

Gender preference and fertility behavior among married women: A community based study from far western Nepal

Son Targeting Fertility Behaviour in Albania

The collapse of communism led to highly skewed sex ratios in Albania, which had a long patriarchal tradition before the advent of communism. While the use of sex-selective abortions in the region is well-known, little is known about other forms taken by revealed son preference, such as differential stopping behaviour and birth spacing. Pooling data from the Demographic Health Surveys in 2008–2009 and 2017–2018, we find evidence of a higher proportion of boys being born at the last birth, indicating that parents practice differential stopping behaviour. Using a logit model, we also show that in sonless households parents shorten the birth intervals significantly, endangering mothers’ and children’s health. We conclude that differential stopping behaviour and short birth spacing are prevalent in all regions and across the socio-economic spectrum.

Research on influencing factors of college teachers' second child fertility intentions--Taking Jinan as an example.

Fertility intentions, as a direct driver of fertility behavior, play an important role in the implementation of national fertility policy and population development. This study explored the influencing factors of college teachers' second child fertility intentions in Jinan, China on the basis of TPB. Based on the theory of planned behavior, this paper employs basic characteristics analysis, difference analysis, and factor analysis related to the fertility intentions of the participants. Analysis found participants between 31 and 40 years old had the highest second child fertility intentions, and participants with a college-age first child had the lowest second child fertility intentions. Attitude and subjective norms had a positive impact on second child fertility intentions, and policy awareness had a positive impact on attitude, which indirectly affected second child fertility intentions. Subjective norms had the greatest influence on second child fertility intentions, followed by attitude, and policy awareness had the least influence on second child fertility intentions. The findings of this paper can enrich the theoretical research on fertility intentions, and also provide more optimal practical references for the formulation and propagation of China's fertility policy as well as the improvement of the division of family roles in China. Future research can further explore the impact of fertility policy on the fertility intentions of other groups.

Is Intending to Have Children Rightist? A Research Note on Political Ideology and Fertility Intentions

Abstract Social scientists have long been interested in how attitudes and values influence fertility intentions and behaviors. The role of political ideology has, on the contrary, been overlooked. Right-wing people tend to be more religious, to hold more traditional views on gender roles and on the importance of the family. Therefore, right-wing people may be more likely to hold positive fertility intentions that individuals with other political orientations. In addition, political ideology may have an effect on fertility intention independent of other attitudes. Using two rounds of the European Social Survey, we show that people that position at the extreme right of the political ideology scale are more likely to intend to have a child during the three years following the interview. This association holds even after accounting for several socio-demographic and economic factors, values and attitudes. Heterogeneity tests show that the association is restricted to younger individuals (aged 20–34), with higher levels of education (at least upper secondary), and individuals in Eastern Europe. In Southern Europe right-wing individuals show significantly higher predicted probabilities of a positive fertility intention compared people that locate themselves in the political center. The statistically significant associations are also sizeable (differences in terms of predicted probabilities vary between 4 and 9 percentage points). These results point to the importance of considering a neglected factor in fertility research and contribute to the growing field of Political Demography.

Youth's political identity and fertility desires

AbstractObjectiveThis study examines the association between political identity and young adults' fertility desires from 1989 to 2019.BackgroundUnderstanding the factors that shape fertility preferences is important because these preferences are the critical bridge between social forces and fertility. Identity is a theorized, but understudied, predictor of fertility desires. The increasing salience of political identity suggests that the association between political identity and fertility desires has strengthened over time.MethodData come from the 1989–2019 waves of Monitoring the Future, a nationally representative study of 12th graders (N = 67,557). Regression models examined how political identity (measured by Republican or Democrat preference) predicts the desired number of children, measured both continuously and categorically.ResultsRegardless of the period, Republicans desired more children than Democrats—a difference that grew over time, from 0.07 in 1989–1993 to 0.29 in 2014–2019. Differences in religiosity and attitudes toward gender and childbearing explained pre‐2004 partisan gaps. From 2004 and onward, these factors attenuated, but did not fully explain, Republican–Democrat gaps. In later periods, relative to Democrats, Republicans still wanted more children on average, had a higher probability of wanting four or more children in 2004–2013 and a lower probability of eschewing parenthood in 2014–2019.ConclusionPolitical identity has become increasingly salient for fertility desires, suggesting that identity might shape fertility intentions and future fertility behavior.

How did the European Marriage Pattern persist? Social versus familial inheritance: England and Quebec, 1650–1850

The European Marriage Pattern (EMP), in place in NW Europe for perhaps 500 years, substantially limited fertility. But how could such limitation persist when some individuals who deviated from the EMP norm had more children? If their children inherited their deviant behaviors, their descendants would quickly become the majority of later generations. This puzzle has two possible solutions. The first is that all those that deviated actually had lower net fertility over multiple generations. We show, however, no fertility penalty to future generations from higher initial fertility. Instead the EMP survived because even though the EMP persisted at the social level, children did not inherit their parents’ individual fertility choices. In the paper we show evidence consistent with lateral, as opposed to vertical, transmission of EMP fertility behaviors.

Maternal High-Risk Fertility Behavior and Its Associated Factors in Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia: A Facility-Based Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: The fertility behavior of women is characterized by maternal age, birth spacing and order, and it impacts the health of women and children. Evidence on the factors associated with maternal high-risk fertility behavior is scant in Ethiopia. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify the factors associated with maternal high-risk fertility behavior in Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Three hundred women of reproductive age admissions to public hospitals in the Hadiya Zone who gave birth in the five years preceding this study were selected using systematic random sampling. Face-to-face interviews were held to gather data using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression models were used to analyze data. Statistical significance was assessed using odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals and declared at a p-value of less than 0.05. RESULTS: The overall proportion of maternal high-risk fertility behavior was 60.3%. Mother, who lived in rural areas (AOR = 4.85; 95%CI: 2.56, 9.19), had early marriage (AOR = 3.39; 95%CI: 1.87, 6.14) and had unplanned last pregnancy (AOR = 2.62; 95%CI: 1.28, 5.39) were more likely engaged in high-risk fertility patterns. CONCLUSIONS: In the study area, there was a high overall proportion of married women engaging in high-risk fertility behavior. Mothers with early marriages, unplanned pregnancies, and rural residence were more likely engaged in high-risk fertility behaviors. Plans for interventions aimed at preventing maternal high-risk fertility behavior should center on expanding access to family planning services and ending the practice of early marriage by giving rural women extra care and attention.

Her class and his class: Does social class matter for fertility?

This work explores the association between fertility behaviour and occupational social classes, over and above educational and income resources. We use European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) data, pooling the longitudinal component for fourteen countries between 2005 and 2017. We compare the effect of the female partner's social class with that of the male partner on the likelihood of having a child, distinguishing between the effect on the first and the second child. We find consistent evidence that, vis-à-vis income and education, occupational social class does play an additional role in fertility behaviour. However, it does so differently depending on the sex of the partner and the different parities considered. Our findings indicate that when her partner is employed, the occupational social class she belongs to becomes a more significant factor and plays a pivotal role in influencing fertility behaviour.

Combining the strengths of Dutch survey and register data in a data challenge to predict fertility (PreFer)

The social sciences have produced an impressive body of research on determinants of fertility outcomes, or whether and when people have children. However, the strength of these determinants and underlying theories are rarely evaluated on their predictive ability on new data. This prevents us from systematically comparing studies, hindering the evaluation and accumulation of knowledge. In this paper, we present two datasets which can be used to study the predictability of fertility outcomes in the Netherlands. One dataset is based on the LISS panel, a longitudinal survey which includes thousands of variables on a wide range of topics, including individual preferences and values. The other is based on the Dutch register data which lacks attitudinal data but includes detailed information about the life courses of millions of Dutch residents. We provide information about the datasets and the samples, and describe the fertility outcome of interest. We also introduce the fertility prediction data challenge PreFer which is based on these datasets and will start in Spring 2024. We outline the ways in which measuring the predictability of fertility outcomes using these datasets and combining their strengths in the data challenge can advance our understanding of fertility behaviour and computational social science. We further provide details for participants on how to take part in the data challenge.

Unintended Perinatal Health Consequences Associated With a Swedish Family Policy

The 1980 and 1986 Swedish so-called speed premium policies aimed at protecting parents' income-based parental leave benefits for birth intervals shorter than 24 and 30 months, respectively, but indirectly encouraged shorter birth spacing and childbearing at older ages, both risk factors for several perinatal health outcomes. Whether those policy changes are associated with perinatal health remains unknown. To evaluate the association between the 1980 and 1986 speed premium policies and perinatal health outcomes. This cross-sectional study investigated data from 1 762 784 singleton births in the Swedish Medical Birth Register from January 1, 1974, through December 31, 1991. Data were analyzed from October 11, 2022, to December 12, 2023. Speed premium policy introduction (January 1, 1980) and extension (January 1, 1986). Total population register data were used in an interrupted time series analysis with segmented logistic regression to calculate the odds of preterm birth, low birth weight, small for gestational age (SGA) at preterm, and stillbirth measured before and after the speed premium policy reforms. Subgroup analyses by maternal origin were conducted to evaluate changes by different policy responses. Among 1 762 784 births analyzed, 4.8% were preterm (of which 12.0% were SGA), 3.2% had low birth weight, and 0.3% were stillbirths. The 1980 speed premium policy was associated with a 0.3% monthly increase in the odds of preterm birth compared with the period before the reform (odds ratio [OR], 1.0029 [95% CI, 1.002-1.004]), equivalent to a 26.4% increase from January 1, 1980, to December 31, 1985. After the 1986 relaxation of the policy, preterm birth odds decreased 0.5% per month (OR, 0.9951 [95% CI, 0.994-0.996]), equivalent to an 11.1% decrease across the next 6 years. Low birth weight displayed a similar pattern for both reform periods, that is, increased 0.2% (OR, 1.0021; 95% CI, 1.001-1.003) per month in 1980 through 1985 compared with baseline, and decreased 0.3% (OR, 0.9975; 95% CI, 0.996-0.998) per month in the following period, but was attenuated when considering low birth weight at term. Odds of SGA at preterm were decreased after 1980 (OR, 0.9965; 95% CI, 0.994-0.999) but not in 1986 (OR, 1.0009; 95% CI, 0.998-1.003), whereas stillbirths did not change following either reform (1980: OR, 1.0020 [95% CI, 0.999-1.005]; 1986: OR, 1.0002 [95% CI, 0.997-1.003]). Subgroup analyses suggested that perinatal health changes were restricted to births to Swedish- and Nordic-born mothers, the primary groups to adjust their fertility behaviors to the reforms. Despite its economic advantages for couples, especially for mothers, the introduction of the speed premium policy was associated with adverse perinatal health consequences, particularly for preterm births. Family policies should be carefully designed with a "Health in All Policies" lens to avoid possible unintended repercussions for fertility behaviors and, in turn, perinatal health.

Hockey babies: National Hockey League outcomes and short-term fertility spikes in Canada

Previous research shows that mood-altering events, such as sports results, elections outcomes and natural disasters, impact fertility, crime rate, and investor behaviour. In this paper, we use recent Canadian Birth Statistics and the National Hockey League (NHL) results to examine the link between sports events and short-term fertility spikes. In addition, using betting odds, we differentiate among unexpected wins, unexpected losses, and expected outcomes, as a test for the relevance of the Prospect Theory to this context. Our dataset is a daily panel, following all the seven Canadian Census Metropolitan Areas with a team in the NHL, from 2008 to 2019. In our panel fixed effects estimations, we account for the day of the week and all statutory federal and provincial holidays of Canada. In the estimations with raw NHL results, the coefficients of interest ultimately lose their statistical significance. In the specifications accounting for expectations, we find a statistically significant association with fertility for unexpected wins, and statistically insignificant coefficients for unexpected losses as well as expected NHL outcomes. In light of the results, we propose the greater likelihood of pre-game social gatherings on sports nights and celebratory sex after the euphoria of an unexpected win, as the possible channels of impact.

Return Migration and Fertility: French Overseas Emigrants, Returnees, and Nonmigrants at Origin and Destination

Although growing research has emphasized the critical importance of studying returns for understanding various aspects of migration processes, knowledge regarding return migrants’ fertility behaviors remains limited. This study addresses this knowledge gap by comparing rates of first births and completed fertility among three groups: nonmigrants (at origin), migrants, and return migrants. Using extensive data collected both in the home regions and at destination, we analyze female migration from Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Réunion Island to metropolitan France (European France). We find intermediate fertility behaviors for return migrants relative to nonmigrants and migrants: on average, completed fertility levels are lower among return migrants than nonmigrants but slightly higher among return migrants than migrants. Some of these differences can be attributed to selection into migration and return, although significant gaps persist among women with similar socioeconomic characteristics. Our findings highlight three key observations. First, when migrants return before beginning childbearing, their transition to motherhood closely resembles that of nonmigrants with similar characteristics. Second, the lower fertility rates among prospective return migrants indicate an anticipation of disruption effects. Finally, reduced fertility while residing in metropolitan France translates into lower completed fertility rates for return migrants.

The impact of the new trend of urban‐to‐urban migration on fertility behaviors

AbstractIn China, urban‐to‐urban migration is an emerging migration trend that may have different impacts on fertility behavior. Based on the China General Social Survey, this study provides an in‐depth examination of the impact of urban‐to‐urban migration on fertility behavior. The findings show that urban‐to‐urban migrants tend to adopt more conservative fertility decisions, including lowering the likelihood of having children, delaying the age of first birth, and lengthening birth intervals. Traditional catch‐up and interference hypotheses fail to account for these results, whereas findings from the selectivity hypothesis suggest that urban‐to‐urban migrants anticipate lower numbers of children and maintain more open attitudes towards sexuality, potentially contributing to the conservative fertility behaviors. In addition, the study also reveals that urban‐to‐urban migration appears to promote a more open and liberal attitude towards childbearing, particularly weakening discriminatory attitudes towards women entrenched in feudal notions. This study has not only enriched the theories of migrant fertility behavior but also offered a new perspective on the recent changes in China's fertility rate.

Fertility Responses to the COVID‐19 Pandemic: A Perspective of Reproductive Process

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic has potential large‐scale impacts on population dynamics. Yet, recent theories and empirical analyses fall short of fully articulating the extent and nature of the pandemic's influence on birth rates at the aggregate level. This study advances the comprehension of fertility dynamics amid the pandemic by focusing on the reproductive process. The effects of the pandemic on conceptions and pregnancy terminations may exhibit considerable variability, which, in turn, could dictate the observed patterns in birth rates during the pandemic. Employing the data from the Performance Monitoring Action survey in Burkina Faso and Kenya, which includes information on conceptions, pregnancy terminations, and births, the research dissects the nuances of fertility behavior in response to the pandemic. Findings indicate an uptick in conception rates around six months following the onset of the pandemic in Kenya, while pregnancy terminations did not significantly shift in either country. Further, the data reveal a pronounced increase in conception rates among disadvantaged groups, whereas a downturn in pregnancy terminations was noted predominantly in urban areas during the early phase of the pandemic. These findings underscore the importance of considering the reproductive process when studying fertility responses to catastrophic events.

A crisis in the life course? Pregnancy loss impacts fertility desires and intentions

BackgroundAn unintended spontaneous termination of a pregnancy can be a traumatic experience affecting the subsequent life course, but has received little attention in socio-demographic studies on fertility intentions or behavior. The theoretical background of our study draws on considerations from life course research, the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Traits-Desires-Intentions-Behavior framework. ObjectiveThis study investigates whether the experience of pregnancy loss changes the fertility desires and intentions of women in their subsequent life course. MethodsWe use 11 waves of the Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam) with 5197 women in total, of which 281 women (5.4%) reported a miscarriage. Data have been collected annually in Germany since 2008. We investigate four dependent variables capturing different indicators of the ideational dimension of fertility: Personal ideal number of children, realistic number of (additional) children, intention to have a(nother) child in the next two years and importance of having a(nother) child. We study the intrapersonal changes in these items among women after a pregnancy loss, applying linear fixed effect regression models. Controls include parity, age, partnership status, pregnancy status and the interaction of pregnancy loss with whether the woman already had children before the pregnancy loss. ResultsWe found that the importance of having a(nother) child and the intention to have a(nother) child in the next two years increase after a pregnancy loss. These patterns can only partially be explained by control variables. By contrast, an effect on the ideal number of children as well as the realistic number of children could not be found. The patterns varied, however, across age and stage in the life course, most importantly between mothers and childless women. ConclusionsOur results demonstrate that the effect of pregnancy loss on the subsequent life course varies across the indicators used and by duration after the pregnancy loss. Overall, they suggest that specifically the younger women in our sample might perceive pregnancy loss as a temporary crisis in their transition to motherhood, or to having another child, and as an impetus to reinforce their fertility goals, while for older respondents this might mark the end of their fertility career. Against the backdrop of rising ages at childbirth, future research on fertility and reproductive health care should pay more attention to reproductive complications and how affected women can be supported in coping with them.

"My Mother Persuaded Me to Have More Children", Understanding the Influence of Social Network on Fertility Behavior in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Introduction: Despite the adoption of an antenatal demographic transition model in sub-Saharan Africa, population growth continues to soar in the region. The reasons for population growth are nebulous and should be approached from different perspectives. Inadequate attention has been paid to how social pressures shape reproductive behavior. Thus, this study examines the association between social networks and fertility behavior in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design that employed a qualitative method to conduct 28 in-depth interviews among married women. Data was collected in 2023. Thematic analyses were utilized to interpret the results. Results: Parental pressure, the desire for more children, the desire for male children, values placed on children, norms, and pronatalist culture were associated with high fertility in sub-Saharan Africa. Conclusions: Thus, there is a need for more awareness of family planning and contraceptive use in order to reduce fertility in sub-Saharan Africa.

Societal Pessimism and the Transition to Parenthood: A Future Too Bleak to Have Children?

AbstractContemporary adults often cite economic uncertainty, global warming, and increasing inequality as reasons for intending not to have children. Despite extensive research on the impact of societal pessimism on attitudes towards out‐group members, political preferences, and voting behaviors, its impact on demographic behaviors, such as fertility, has received little attention. This study examines the relationship between societal pessimism—captured through individuals' negative perception of the future of the next generation—and their likelihood of becoming a parent. Using data from the Dutch Longitudinal Internet studies for the Social Sciences (LISS), we use discrete‐time event history models to estimate the probability of becoming a parent in a given year based on respondents' self‐reported negative assessment of the future of the next generation in six distinct areas. Our results demonstrate that perceiving the future of the coming generation as worse than today is associated with a lower probability of becoming a parent. These findings suggest that surveys aimed at understanding fertility behaviors should incorporate questions about individuals' perceptions of the future, in addition to their own contemporaneous conditions.

Repercussions of the Recent Economic Downturn on Birth Rates in Greece

A comprehensive analysis of historical economic recessions in developed nations confirms the significant impact of social and economic crises on fertility rates. Across different countries, these effects exhibit common characteristics, such as a modest influence on overall fertility rates, delays in the timing of first childbirth linked to later marriages or unions, and a correlation between unemployment and age-specific fertility. Countries with established family policies and robust social security systems tend to experience less pronounced changes in fertility behavior during economic crises. The recent economic downturn in Greece unfolded amidst unique social conditions, including increased female labor force participation, widespread use of reliable contraception allowing for delayed childbearing, and escalating social security and healthcare costs due to an aging population. These factors may influence reproductive decisions and exacerbate the adverse effects of the recession on fertility rates. This study utilizes the latest official data from Greece to examine the impact of the current economic crisis on fertility levels and their evolution over time.