Realization, Postponement or Abandonment of Childbearing Intentions in Four European Countries

Realization of fertility intentions by different time frames

“…Results of analyses of fertility behaviour that are based on survey panel data indicate that having a partner and union stability are important factors for childbearing decisions (Kapitá ny & Spé der, 2012;Kuhnt & Trappe, 2013;Mencarini et al, in press). As all respondents in our sample expressed a positive fertility intention, we chose to also include singles in our analysis.…”

“…The consistency between positive fertility intentions ('I intend to have a(nother) child') and subsequent behaviour is less strong, but still important. Positive fertility intentions are persistent predictors of fertility, even after controlling for background and life course variables in different institutional settings (Kapitá ny & Spé der, 2012;Kuhnt & Trappe, 2013;Mencarini et al, in press;Miller & Pasta, 1995b;Noack & Østby, 2000;Ré gnier-Loilier & Vignoli, 2011;Schoen et al, 1999;Spé der & Kapitá ny, 2009Testa & Toulemon, 2006). Barber (2001) includes the TPB factor attitudes and finds that positive attitudes towards children and childbearing increase the rate of marital childbearing in the United States.…”

“…In recent years, several studies have referred to the TPB model in research on fertility intentions or the realization of such intentions and have implemented parts of the framework in their empirical analyses (Billari, Philipov, & Testa, 2009;Buhr & Kuhnt, 2012;Cavalli & Klobas, 2013;Dommermuth, Klobas, & Lappegå rd, 2011;Iacovou & Tavares, 2011;Kapitá ny & Spé der, 2012;Klobas, 2010;Klobas & Ajzen, 2015;Kuhnt & Trappe, 2013;Liefbroer, 2005;Mencarini, Vignoli, & Gottard, in press;Ré gnierLoilier & Vignoli, 2011;Spé der & Kapitá ny, 2009;Testa, Cavalli, & Rosina, 2014;Testa & Toulemon, 2006). TPB is a social-psychological model used for explaining or predicting behaviour (Ajzen, 1991).…”

Fertility Ideals of Women and Men Across the Life Course

“…In particular, we examine how fertility ideals evolve as people age, how patterns differ by gender, and whether other factors-such as changes in an individual's partnership or employment domain-lead to changes in fertility ideals. Our study contributes to the large body of literature that has explored different concepts of fertility desires and intentions in Germany (e.g., Buhr and Kuhnt 2012;Heiland et al 2008;Keim et al 2009;Kuhnt 2013;Kuhnt and Trappe 2013;Lutz et al 2013;Marbach and Tölke 2013;Rost 2005;Ruckdeschel 2007), for other countries (e.g., Bernardi et al 2015;Iacovou and Tavares 2011;Klobas and Ajzen 2015;Liefbroer 2009;Miller 2011;Morgan 1982;Quesnel-Vallée and Morgan 2004;Spéder and Kapitány 2015;Thomson 1997; Thomson and Hoem 1998;Vignoli et al 2013) or across countries (e.g., Balbo and Mills 2011;Kapitány and Spéder 2013;Philipov et al 2006;Puur et al 2008;Régnier-Loilier et al 2011;Testa 2007;Testa and Basten 2014).…”

The health of women of reproductive age and their childbearing intentions

“…'Fertility intentions' has become an increasingly attractive subject for researchers who wish to understand people's childbearing choices. Even though not all pregnancies are carefully planned and not all fertility plans realized, the intention to have a child stands as a good predictor of reproductive behaviour -especially if the intention is formulated within a relatively short time horizon and with a high degree of certainty [1][2][3][4]. Consequently, studies on fertility intentions offer valuable information on the factors and circumstances that encourage or discourage childbearing.…”