Reproductive motivation in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic: Is there evidence for accelerated life history dynamics?

Abstract

One of the key life history assumptions is that mortality rates are positively associated with fast life history dynamics. Since the COVID-19 pandemic has elevated mortality rates throughout the world, we tested this assumption using reproductive motivation (desired number of children and desired age of first reproduction) as a key output measure using a repeated cross-sectional design. We assessed reproductive motivation in Serbian young adults before the pandemic started (N = 362), during the pandemic-caused state of emergency (the peak of the epidemic's first wave: N = 389) and after the state of emergency (i.e., after the first wave: N = 430). Furthermore, in the third time-point we measured experiences during the state of emergency and additional measures of reproductive motivation (reasons for and against parenthood). Subsamples were matched by sex, education, and the sampling procedure. We found the between-group differences which are congruent with life history theory: the desired age of first reproduction was lowest after the state of emergency compared to the 2 previous time-points. However, there were no differences in the desired number of children. Furthermore, the analysis of the links between experiences during the epidemic and reproductive motivation yielded the results which are incongruent with life history theory - adverse experiences during the state of emergency were negatively related to the reproductive motivation. Since the findings were only partially in accordance with life history theory, we discuss possible reasons which may explain the heterogeneity of results.

When intelligence hurts and ignorance is bliss: Global pandemic as an evolutionarily novel threat to happiness

“…For example, life history theory posits that increased mortality in the environment alters reproductive strategies such that individuals tend to adopt faster life history strategies, start reproducing earlier, and desire to have more children in the face of increased mortality (Ellis et al., 2009 ; Figueredo et al., 2006 ). However, a recent study shows that young, nulliparous Serbians mostly did not alter their life history strategies after the start of the COVID‐19 pandemic and national lockdown in Serbia (Međedović, in press ). Further consistent with the prediction of the savanna theory of happiness, the extent to which they did respond to the pandemic was correlated with intelligence; young Serbians with higher levels of education (as a proxy for general intelligence) changed their reproductive plans more acutely in response to COVID‐19 than their less educated counterparts did.…”