Fertility Intentions Research Articles

Relationship between education and fertility preferences in Mexico: Lessons from Italy

Education is an important determinant of reproductive preferences. However, few studies have explored the evolution of its role in countries with different levels of fertility transition, due to the lack of adequate data. In this paper, we analyze the role of education as a determinant of fertility preferences in Mexico, a country which is rapidly approaching the end of fertility transition, albeit with substantial differences between different areas of the country. Using survey data, we contrast the results with evidence from a very low fertility country, Italy. The results indicate a persistent negative correlation between fertility preferences and educational levels in Mexico. However, a more detailed analysis at the territorial level reveals that in the most developed regions—such as Mexico City—the relationship is going into reverse, with more educated women showing a greater willingness to having another child, similarly to Italy, where higher levels of education have a positive effect on fertility intentions.

Fertility Intention in Hong Kong: Declining Trend and Associated Factors

Hong Kong is characterized by extremely low fertility, with a total fertility rate of 0.701 in 2022. This paper reports significant declines in the intention to have children among non-parents and in the desire to have more children among parents, based on data from the Family Surveys conducted in Hong Kong in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017, which imply more dramatic demographic changes in the future. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this paper explored individuals’ attitudes toward marriage and having children, family functioning variables indicating subjective norms regarding fertility, and housing status and parenting stress relating to individuals’ control over fertility behavior. The results show that among non-parent respondents, being older and possessing a secondary education were associated with a lower level of fertility intention, whereas being a tenant, having positive attitudes toward marriage and having children, and having higher levels of family mutuality and harmony were associated with a higher level of fertility intention. Among parent respondents, parenting stress significantly inhibited the desire to have more children, regardless of financial matters and family environment. The findings suggest that fertility intentions can be remade over the life course. This paper, based on the TPB framework, can help guide the development and adoption of policies and supportive programs to improve fertility intentions in Hong Kong.

Impact of social trust on young adults’ childbearing intention: why does South Korea show ultra-low fertility?

ABSTRACT Existing literature pointed that the economic opportunity cost of having children and gender inequality are the key factors of low fertility. Given the findings, South Korea spent more than 200 billion dollars for the last 17 years and improved gender equality significantly. However, Korea shows the lowest fertility rate in the world. To overcome the limitation of existing literature, this study reinvestigates the factors influencing the intention to have children among young individuals and hypothesizes that young people's childbearing intention is related to how much they trust other people and society, beyond economic factors. This study utilizes the ‘Young Adults Survey’ conducted by the Korean government in 2022, comprising a sample of 14,966 individuals aged from 19 to 34. Employing logit regression analysis and finds that young adults’ perception on social trust and self-actualization possibility have significant impact on their fertility intention. In addition, all the economic factors are not significant for the intention to have two or more children. In contrast to previous studies, income, women’s labour force participation, home ownership, and population density are not significant. It implies that the current economic approaches for the fertility promotion policies would not work as expected. Social approaches should be considered to overcome the ultra-low fertility problem. Highlights Social capital and self-actualization possibility are crucial factors for childbearing intention Babies’ economic impacts on parents are not a statistically significant factor for childbearing intention Economic approaches for the fertility promotion policies would not work as expected; social approaches are required.

Assessing Fertility Behaviours In Manipur: Examining The 'Hills'-'Plains' Dichotomy

The latest data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) indicates that the total fertility rate (TFR) of Manipur is close to replacement level, standing at 2.2 children per woman. However, there's a notable contrast in TFR between the 'hill' and 'plain' regions within the state, which forms the major focus of this paper. Our study has two main objectives: firstly, to discern the determinants of TFR in Manipur and their divergence between the 'hills' and 'plains'; and secondly, to examine whether a preference exists for a specific sex of a child and its impact on a mother's future fertility intentions. Utilizing two econometric models—multiple linear regression and multinomial logistic regression—we reveal that TFR in the 'hill' regions exceeds replacement levels, while the 'plain' regions fall below. Furthermore, socio-demographic factors play a significant role in shaping the total fertility of a mother. Our study identifies that the preference for daughters exists, albeit to a lesser extent than for sons. The presence of at least one son in the family decreases women's future fertility intentions in Manipur.

Affective aspects of parenthood and their intergenerational effects on fertility

This study examines how mothers’ affective experience of motherhood impacts daughters’ fertility intentions; the goal is to understand how adult daughters’ fertility intentions are influenced by their perception of how much their mothers enjoyed mothering and loved their children. A survey of 2000 married women in Japan aged 25–35 with either no children or one child provides data to test hypotheses regarding the impact of daughters’ experience of mothers’ mothering. Regression and structural equation modeling reveal that those who think their mothers enjoyed being a mother and loved children have greater fertility intentions than those who sense strain in their mother’s experience. This article concludes that fertility intentions are long in the making. In addition to being a product of immediate life circumstances, women’s fertility intentions are partly a function of childhood and adolescence experience including affective aspects of the parenting they received.

Exploring the understanding and experience of women with rheumatic diseases regarding fertility intention- a qualitative content analysis

BackgroundPatients with rheumatic diseases (RDs) have a lower desire to have children, fewer children, and a longer interval between their pregnancies, which can be due to the patient’s personal choice, the physician’s advice, changes in sexual activity, changes in fertility, and pregnancy failure. This study aimed to explore the understanding and experience of women with RDs regarding pregnancy intention.MethodIn Mashhad, Northeast Iran, between December 2022 and March 2023, this qualitative inquiry was carried out. Purposive sampling was used to select thirty women with RDs. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Graneheim and Lundman’s conventional content analysis method was used to analyze the data. The data organization was done using MAXQDA 12 software. Credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability have been considered as elements of trustworthiness.ResultsThe participants’ data analysis revealed the following main theme: “duality of desire and fear in childbearing”. Five main categories were identified, including “Individual health concerns following pregnancy”, “motherhood and womanhood perceptions”, “concerns about child harm”, “contradictory beliefs and attitudes of significant family members and clinicians about pregnancy”, and “lack of social support for fertility”.ConclusionIn order to improve the outcomes of pregnancy for women with RDs, the medical professionals who manage them must actively and frequently inquire about their intentions to childbearing and offer them individualized guidance on how to be in the best possible health at the time of conception. Rheumatologists, gynecologists, and reproductive health specialists can better address the sexual and reproductive health needs of this population by enhancing their collaboration in the care of women with RDs.

Reproductive autonomy and the experience of later-than-desired pregnancy: results from a cross-sectional survey of reproductive-aged women in Uganda.

The focus of reproductive autonomy research has historically been on the experience of unintended pregnancy and use of contraceptive methods. However, this has led to the neglect of a different group of women who suffer from constraints on their reproductive autonomy-women who experience pregnancies later than they desire or who are unable to become pregnant. This study examines the extent of later-than-desired pregnancy among women and evaluates the sociodemographic and reproductive factors associated with this experience in Uganda. We use data from the Performance Monitoring for Action Uganda 2022 female survey. We restricted the nationally representative sample of reproductive-aged women to those who were currently pregnant or who had ever given birth (n = 3311). We compared the characteristics of women across fertility intention categories (wanted pregnancy earlier, then, later, or not at all) of their current or most recent birth and used multivariable logistic regression to examine factors independently associated with having a pregnancy later than desired compared to at a desired time. Overall, 28.3% of women had a later-than-desired pregnancy. Nearly all sociodemographic and reproductive characteristics were associated with the desired pregnancy timing of women's current or most recent pregnancy. Having higher education [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13-5.13], having sought care for difficulties getting pregnant (aOR 2.12, 95% CI 1.30-3.46), and having less than very good self-rated health (good health aOR 1.74, 95% CI 1.12-2.71; moderate health aOR 1.77, 95% CI 1.09-2.86; very bad health aOR 4.32, 95% CI 1.15-16.26) were all independently significantly associated with increased odds of having a later-than-desired pregnancy. Being nulliparous (aOR 1.98, 95% CI 0.99-3.95) was also borderline significantly associated with having a later-than-desired pregnancy. Identifying those who have later-than-desired pregnancies is essential if we seek to make progress towards supporting women and couples in achieving their reproductive goals, not just preventing pregnancies. Research on desired pregnancy timing in sub-Saharan Africa should be expanded to capture later-than-desired pregnancies, a population which is invisible in existing data. This work has public health implications due to commonalities in the factors associated with mistimed and unintended pregnancies and their link to poorer health and potentially poorer pregnancy outcomes.

Study on the Fertility Intention of Wenzhou Residents and Its Influencing Factors under the Background of the Three-Child Policy

The continuing decline in fertility and population ageing are major social issues facing the world today. On the one hand, population aging leads to a decrease in the total workforce and a decline in productivity, and with the increase in the proportion of elderly people, the pressure on social security, such as pension insurance and medical resources, will gradually increase. On the other hand, the decline in fertility rate means that the supply of new labor force will be insufficient. Therefore, a large number of countries have implemented various fertility policies to encourage the public to increase the fertility rate, so as to solve the negative impacts of low fertility rate and population aging on social development. This paper stands on the background of the three-child policy and investigates the fertility intention of Wenzhou residents and its influencing factors. Taking Ouhai District of Wenzhou as an example, this paper investigates the fertility situation of Ouhai residents, fertility intention, and the influencing factors of fertility intention from 1980 to 2023, and puts forward the suggestions to promote the fertility intention of residents in Ouhai District. It is expected that this paper can provide reference value for relevant government departments to effectively promote the three-child policy, so that more families are willing to continue to give birth, and effectively solve the problems of population aging and low fertility rate that China is currently facing.

Intimate partner violence and excess fertility among women of reproductive age in Malawi.

Gender inequity and adverse health outcomes continue to be of concern among women in sub-Saharan Africa. We determined prevalence of intimate partner violence and excess fertility (having more children than desired) in reproductive age women in Malawi. We also explored factors associated with these outcomes and with spousal fertility intentions. In a cross-sectional study, a total of 360 women and 410 men were recruited using multi-stage sampling from communities in a peri-urban setting in Blantyre District, Southern Malawi in 2021. Women and men were separately interviewed by trained study workers using a structured questionnaire. In addition to descriptive analyses, we used univariate and multivariate logistic regression models to assess associations of risk factors with the outcomes of intimate partner violence and excess fertility. Among women, lifetime prevalence of intimate partner violence was 23.1%, and excess fertility was experienced by 25.6%. Intimate partner violence was associated with male partners alcohol consumption (adjusted odds ratio 2.13; P = 0.019). Women were more likely to report excess fertility if they were older (adjusted odds ratio 2.0, P<0.001, for a 5-year increase). Alcohol consumption by the male partner (adjusted odds ratio 2.14; P = 0.025) and women being able to refuse sex with their male partner (adjusted odds ratio 0.50; P = 0.036) were associated with discordant fertility preferences. Intimate partner violence, excess fertility, and social and health inequities continue to be prevalent in Malawi. These data suggest the underlying proximal and distal factors associated with these adverse outcomes such as alcohol consumption may be addressed through education, couple interactive communication, and community dialogue. To ensure sustainability and effectiveness, strong leadership involvement, both governmental and non-governmental, is needed.

Fertility Intention for Two or More Children among Childbearing-Age Adults under China’s Changing Fertility Policies and Economic Development from 2010 to 2021

Fertility Intention for Two or More Children among Childbearing-Age Adults under China’s Changing Fertility Policies and Economic Development from 2010 to 2021

Fertility rate, fertility policy, and climate policy: A case study in China

Although population growth plays a vital role in driving anthropogenic climate change, fertility impact on achieving mitigation target is usually overlooked in literature. This paper attempts to narrow the research gap by employing a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model to analyze the interrelations among fertility rate, fertility policy, and climate policy in China. The model results show that fertility rate negatively correlates with GDP and emissions because higher fertility induces more labor for childcare and thus crowds out labor for work. The three-child policy raises fertility intention; it does not unidirectionally influence the effects of the emission trading scheme (ETS) on employment and GDP, but it increases ETS emission abatement. Technological progress increases GDP and decreases emissions; the three-child policy strengthens technological impact on GDP but weakens technological impact on emissions. Hence, technological progress benefits emission mitigation; the three-child policy enhances economic benefits but impairs emission abatement of technological progress.

The impact of income inequality on the fertility intention: A micro perspective based on relative deprivation.

The relative deprivation index can reflect the income inequality faced by different individuals, which is helpful to understand the relationship between income inequality and the variability of fertility intentions. But previous studies have almost focused on the macro indicators of income inequality, ignoring individual heterogeneity in income inequality. In this study, we explore the causal relationship and potential mechanisms between income inequality and fertility intentions from the perspective of relative deprivation in income. The findings are as follows: (1) An increase in income inequality boosts individuals' fertility intentions, and the results are still robust after using the instrumental variables two-stage least squares (2SLS) model to deal with endogeneity. (2) Mechanism analysis reveals that income inequality improves individuals' fertility intentions through the channels of "Build hopes on children", "Allocate more time to families" and "Put less value on children's education". (3) Heterogeneity analysis indicates that income inequality has a more pronounced positive impact on fertility intentions of individuals with poor education, low household assets and without pension insurance. (4) Further analysis reveals that an increase in income inequality at macro level also promote individuals' fertility intentions. Our findings hold significant policy implications for promoting a rebound in fertility rates. When developing policies to adjust income distribution, it is necessary to consider the response of individuals' fertility decisions to income inequality. Policymakers should ensure that efforts to improve income distribution do not inadvertently reduce the willingness of individuals to have more children.

Impact of New Zealand teenagers' fertility intentions on childbearing.

To assess the impact of age 15 fertility intentions on childbearing outcomes three decades later. Evidence is mixed about the implications of teenage fertility intentions on later childbearing. Taking a prospective life course approach to assessing intentions and outcomes may help clarify these mixed findings. A general population birth cohort (born 1972/73) was asked about their fertility intentions at age 15 and 775 of this sample (384 women, 391 men) provided data on their childbearing between ages 15 and 45. At age 15, almost all of the sample indicated they would like to have children in the future (93%). Most (79%) reported having had a biological child by they time they were 45; but those who professed to not wanting children as teenagers were significantly less likely to have had a child three decades later. Fertility intentions during adolescence are probably influenced by social, political and economic norms and may influence later childbearing decisions. This may be particularly true for those whose intentions counter established norms around childbearing. A life course framework is useful for examining the relationship between hypothetical fertility intentions and outcomes.

The Impact of Maternity Benefit Policies on Women’s Willingness to Have a Second Child in Shanghai

In 2016, the two-child policy began to be implemented in China. And a maternity welfare policy was introduced at the same time to encourage women to have a second child. As Shanghai is an important city in China, it is essential to study women’s fertility intentions in Shanghai. The analysis of the impact of the fertility welfare policy can also be used as suggestive evidence of policy development. This dissertation analyses the impact of Shanghai’s fertility welfare policy on women’s fertility intentions to have a second children explores how to improve women’s fertility intentions and help implement the comprehensive two-child policy. The analysis found that each of the maternity benefit policies increased the willingness of some women in Shanghai to have a second child. However, some policies do not cover specific aspects that affect the willingness of some women to have a second child. It is recommended that these policies should be improved to increase the willingness of Shanghai women and geriatric mothers to have a second child so that the comprehensive two-child policy can be implemented more effectively.

Third-child Fertility Intention in Morocco: Analysis of Determinants Using a Gender-intersectional Approach

Abstract: Morocco has witnessed profound socio-economic and cultural transformations as a result of urbanization and industrialization. Although access to education and employment is unequal between men and women, the decline in fertility has triggered social mutations ranging from the lessening of the patriarchal system to the empowering of women. Each woman’s experience of gender inequality is different, depending on how her gender intersects with other factors such as disability, social class, age, place of residence, degree of autonomy and so on. These intersections create a unique experience of exclusion and marginalization, which has an impact on the risks and experiences that shape her fertility intentions. The gender-intersectional approach highlights the relationships between women’s social identities well beyond gender and the multidimensional nature of risk and exclusion concepts. Women who belong to a marginalized group such as those with a low level of education or a low wealth quintile, for example, are subject to increased discrimination and exclusion, particularly in terms of access to employment, education or health services. We used data from the latest National Population and Family Health Survey (NPFHS) held in 2018. The results show that the intention of transition to the third child occurs among women who are illiterate, inactive, victims of violence and have little decision-making power regarding their employment opportunities. In terms of spatial analysis, the transition to a third child occurs among women who live in an unequal relationship with their partners. However, this relationship is stronger in rural areas, where the perception and value of children is still high.

Study on Fertility Intention and Influencing Factors of Female Civil Servants in Tianjin

Study on Fertility Intention and Influencing Factors of Female Civil Servants in Tianjin

Women's empowerment and current contraceptive use in Pakistan: informed by theory of gender and power.

It is evident from the stagnant modern contraceptive rate and the growing population of Pakistan that the family planning (FP) programs in Pakistan have failed to deliver successfully. The study examines the association of domains of women's empowerment, following the Theory of Gender and Power, with the current use of contraceptive methods and how intimate partner violence (IPV) can moderate such associations in Pakistan. Married women of reproductive age from the Pakistan DHS (2017-18) were included in the analysis (n = 14,502). Key independent variables were identified using Connell's Theory of Gender and Power operationalized by Wingood and DiClemente, and constructs were created using principal component analysis. Multinomial logistic regressions were conducted to assess the relationships of the three empowerment divisions (i.e., sexual division of labor, sexual division of power, and cathexis), to the current use of contraceptives. When all empowerment domains were included in the model along with covariates, education (sexual division of labor), sex negotiations (sexual division of power), and husband's fertility intentions (cathexis) remained significant in their associations with modern contraceptive use. This is the first study in Pakistan to examine multi-faceted empowerment, applying Connell's theory of gender and power to identify key domains associated with contraceptive use. A multi-prong approach to FP programs that aims to improve specific domains of women's empowerment and to increase FP service use may be more likely to succeed than stand-alone programs.

A Qualitative Study of the Effect of Individual-Based Mentality on Fertility Intentions

A Qualitative Study of the Effect of Individual-Based Mentality on Fertility Intentions

Intention to have children of young couples in Ho Chi Minh City – the case study in Thu Duc City and Binh Chanh District

The article aims to investigate the intention to have children in the next 3 years of young couples in Ho Chi Minh City along with the factors affecting their intention to have children. The research orientation is the theory of planned behavior applying in the fertility intention by Ajzen I and Klobas J. The sample size includes 120 young couples (60 men and 60 women), who have no children and have one child in Thu Duc City (directly under Ho Chi Minh City) and Binh Chanh District. The information collection tools are structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The analytical methods used in this study are the descriptive statistics, the bivariate correlation analysis, and the binary logistic regression. The research findings show that young couples agree with the norm of having more children in the future, have a positive attitude towards having children, but their ability to control having children is limited. Majority of young couples want to delay childbirth and do not intend to have children in the next 3 years. Attitudes towards having children and professional work are the strongest predictors of childbearing. Based on the research findings, the article proposes the functional agencies need to issue policies to create favorable conditions for young couples to have children.

Education Competition and Fertility Intention: Evidence from China's Private Tutoring Ban

Education Competition and Fertility Intention: Evidence from China's Private Tutoring Ban