Uncertainty in fertility intentions from a life course perspective: Which life course markers matter?

Kuhnt, Anne-Kristin; Minkus, Lara; Buhr, Petra

doi:10.20377/jfr-426

Cited by 21 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Additionally, the surveying of fertility intentions employed in this study also prevents the possibility of examining "uncertainty" in the responses. Nevertheless, the complex nature of contemporary fertility decisions involves a much higher degree of ambivalence than in the past (Rotkirch, 2021), the large share of which changes across an individual's life course (Kuhnt et al, 2020).…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

Narratives of the Future Affect Fertility: Evidence from a Laboratory Experiment

et al. 2022

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In recent years, fertility rates have declined in most wealthy countries. This phenomenon has largely been explained by focusing on the rise of economic uncertainty. We contribute to this debate by arguing that, under uncertain conditions, narratives of the future—i.e., socially conveyed imagined futures—impact individuals’ decision-making about childbearing. To assess this impact, we conducted (for the first time in fertility intention research) a controlled laboratory experiment in two contrasting settings: Florence (Italy, N = 800) and Oslo (Norway, N = 874). Individuals were randomly exposed to a specific positive or negative future economic scenario (treatments) and were compared with individuals who were not exposed to any scenario (control group). Participants were then asked whether they intended to have a child in the next three years. The results showed a clear causal impact of narratives of the future on fertility intentions among the participants. Moreover, when the actual economic condition at the macro- (country context) or micro-level (labor-market status and characteristics) was more favorable, negative narratives of the future played a more crucial role. Conversely, when the actual economic conditions were less favorable, positive narratives of the future proved especially important. We conclude that, in the era of global uncertainty, individuals respond to more than their actual situation and constraints; narratives of the future create a distance experience from the daily routine that plays a potent role by inhibiting or facilitating fertility decision-making.

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Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

Narratives of the Future Affect Fertility: Evidence from a Laboratory Experiment

et al. 2022

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“…Second, the economic uncertainty is "a game-changer for European fertility dynamics" (Vignoli et al 2020, p. 4). Numerous studies have shown that risk of unemployment and an unstable financial situation negatively affect people's fertility intentions as well as their realisation (Fahlén & Oláh, 2015Kuhnt et al, 2020;Pailhé & Solaz, 2012;Schmitt, 2012). And fertility tends to decrease when economic conditions are less certain (Sobotka et al, 2011).…”

Section: Fertility Choices In the Pre-pandemic Eramentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and childbearing intentions in Poland

Malicka

Mynarska

Świderska

2021

JFamRes

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Objective: We aim to investigate how the perceived consequences of COVID-19 affect people's childbearing intentions in Poland. Background: With the pandemic having an impact on virtually all spheres of people's lives, some evidence already exists that it will lead to fertility postponement, as people are reluctant to make their reproductive choices in such uncertain times. Method: We analyse a nationally representative sample of 1000 respondents aged 18-49. In the sample, 234 respondents declared that they had intended to have a child before the outbreak of the pandemic and about 20% of them stated having postponed or foregone their intention because of COVID-19. We perform logistic regression analyses to verify which perceived consequences of the pandemic are most decisive for this choice. We supplement our analyses with insights from qualitative, open-ended question on the effects of the pandemic. Results: We find that people’s decision to postpone childbearing is related to respondents' perceived lower sense of financial security and worse mental well-being in the pandemic. In the model, where both factors are included, only mental well-being remains significant. Qualitative analyses point to several other factors important to fertility decisions in the pandemic, e.g., women’s fear of lonely childbirth. Conclusion: People’s decision to postpone childbearing because of COVID-19 is mostly related to pandemic-induced financial insecurity and this effect seems to be mediated by the psychological reaction to the situation.

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“…Parental investment was indicated by contact frequency, emotional closeness, financial support and childcare help, which have been commonly used variables also in prior studies on parental investment (Rotkirch, 2018). We indicated fertility intentions by a measure demonstrating participant's intentions to have a/another child during the following 2 years; this indicator has been used also in several recent studies considering childbearing plans of younger and middle-age adults (Kuhnt et al, 2021;Wagner et al, 2019;Vidal et al, 2017). Four different parent-adult child dyads that accounted for the sex of the parents and their adult children were detected.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our dependent variable indicated respondent's fertility intentions (see, e.g., Kuhnt et al, 2021;Wagner et al, 2019;Vidal et al, 2017 who have also studied fertility intentions with pairfam data). In the pairfam questionnaires, respondents were asked the following: "Do you intend to become a mother or father (again) over the next 2 years?."…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Parental Investment Shape Adult Children’s Fertility Intentions? Findings From a German Family Panel

Tanskanen

Danielsbacka

2021

Front. Sociol.

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Parents can play an important role in the childbearing plans of adult children. However, studies testing whether changes in parental investment are associated with subsequent changes in fertility intentions over time are lacking. We investigated whether parental investment, measured as contact frequency, emotional closeness, financial support, and childcare, is associated with adult children’s intentions to have a first and a second, or subsequent, child within the next 2 years. These associations were studied in four different parent-adult child dyads based on the sex of parents and adult children (i.e, mother-daughter, mother-son, father-daughter, father-son). The participants are from the German Family Panel, which is a longitudinal survey of younger and middle-aged adults with eight follow-up waves. We exploited within-person (or fixed-effect) regression models, which concentrated an individual’s variation over time (i.e., whether changes in parental investment frequencies are associated with subsequent changes in adult children’s fertility intentions). It was detected that increased emotional closeness between fathers and daughters was associated with increased adult daughter’s intentions to have a first child but father-daughter contact decreased daughter’s intentions to have another child, and maternal financial support decreased son’s intentions to have a first child. Overall, statistically nonsignificant associations outweighed significant ones. Although it is often assumed that parental investment is an important factor influencing the childbearing decisions of adult children, the present findings indicate that parental investment may not increase adult children’s intentions to have a/another child in Germany.

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Uncertainty in fertility intentions from a life course perspective: Which life course markers matter?

Cited by 21 publications

References 34 publications

Narratives of the Future Affect Fertility: Evidence from a Laboratory Experiment

Narratives of the Future Affect Fertility: Evidence from a Laboratory Experiment

Perceived consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and childbearing intentions in Poland

Does Parental Investment Shape Adult Children’s Fertility Intentions? Findings From a German Family Panel

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