Attitudes towards family formation among men attending fertility counselling

Abstract

Men and women are increasingly postponing childbearing until an age where fertility has decreased, meaning that they might have difficulties in achieving their desired family size. This study explored childless men's attitudes towards family formation. Data were collected through semi-structured qualitative interviews with 21 men attending the Fertility Assessment and Counselling Clinic in Copenhagen or Horsens, Denmark. Data were analysed using content analysis. The men envisioned a nuclear family with their own biological children, but they experienced doubts and ambivalence about parenthood and feeling ‘ready’. Their lack of readiness was linked to their awareness of the sacrifices and costs involved with parenthood, and their belief that they could safely delay parenthood. The men did not consider that they may be unable to have their own biological children. This study highlights the importance of considering men's attitudes and preferences towards family formation when understanding couples' decision-making. Contrary to common understanding, the findings show that men are as concerned with the planning and timing of parenthood as women, but their knowledge of the age-related decline in fertility is poor. Men need to gain more awareness of the limitations of fertility and the impact of female and male age on the ability to achieve parenthood aspirations.

A wonderful experience or a frightening commitment? An exploration of men's reasons to (not) have children

“…Although there were some who could or would not motivate why they did (not) want children, a majority gave one or several reasons. The results show that there is variation in men's motivations to have children, and that the decision is often multi-layered; this confirms findings from previous studies on men's reproductive decision-making (Bergnéhr, 2008;Goldberg et al, 2012;Hadley, 2018;Lundqvist and Roman, 2003;Peterson and Jenni, 2003;Sørensen et al, 2016;Sylvest et al, 2018). The reasons to have children often reflected a dream of what procreation could give men (love, personal development), but also what men had to offer as fathers.…”

“…Possibly related to this, many men gave answers both for and against having children, regardless of whether or not they wanted to have children. This ambivalence in the reproductive decisionmaking process has also been noted by Peterson and Jenni (2003) and Sylvest et al (2018), and could, according to Peterson and Jenni, be useful to discuss more openly with men to make them more aware of their feelings as well as their reproductive health and responsibilities.…”

“…Something that distinguishes the present results from studies with men in other countries is the absence of career worries. Although parenthood was considered as timeconsuming, costly and a hindrance to personal development, it was not specifically described as a career barrier (Agrillo and Nelini, 2008;Park, 2005;Sylvest et al, 2018). This could reflect the reassuring effect that the welfare system has in Sweden, where it is illegal to discriminate against parents in the labour market, and all parents have the legal right to several months of paid parental leave, followed by access to high-quality, low-cost childcare.…”

“…Studies from the Nordic context are few, but show similar results. Sylvest et al (2018) interviewed heterosexual men recruited at a Danish clinic for fertility counselling, and found that men wanted children to gain a greater sense of meaning in life, to make their relationship more complete and to have someone to guide into the future. Similarly, Sørensen et al (2016) found that Danish college students expected that parenthood would develop them as people, strengthen the relationship with their partner and create new interests in life.…”

Development and Psychometric Properties of The Delayed Childbearing Questionnaire (DCBQ-55)

“…In terms of psychological issues, those women who are childless after delaying childbearing experience similar feelings to those women that are childless after infertility [13]. Therefore, couples’ understandings of the planning and timing of parenthood, as well as the impact of female and male age on the ability to achieve parenthood, should be improved [14].…”