The Importance of Motherhood and Fertility Intentions among U.S. Women

McQuillan, Julia; Greil, Arthur L.; Shreffler, Karina M.; Bedrous, Andrew V.

doi:10.1177/0731121414534393

Cited by 48 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Research supporting the importance of prior reproductive experiences/contexts for subsequent reproductive behaviors and attitudes [17] led to the inclusion of age at first pregnancy (in years) and outcome of the first pregnancy (live birth, pregnancy loss, and abortion), which were included as dichotomous variables. In addition to measures of reproductive context, we included measures economic/social status and values/ideologies, both of which have been linked to pregnancy intentions in prior studies utilizing the NSFB [11,18]. The economic/social characteristics we included were union status, economic hardship, race/ethnicity, and work status.…”

Section: Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in Pregnancy Intendedness Across U.S. Women’s Pregnancies

Shreffler

Greil

Mitchell

et al. 2014

Matern Child Health J

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How stable are women's pregnancy intentions across their reproductive lifespans? Are there demographic, social, or attitudinal characteristics that are associated with differing pregnancy intentions patterns? Patterns of intendedness across pregnancies were examined using a sample of 3,110 women ages 25-45 who have been pregnant at least twice from the National Survey of Fertility Barriers. Multinomial logistic regression analyses assessed associations between patterns of intentions and respondents' economic/social status, values and ideologies to determine if intentions are a stable characteristic or pregnancy-specific. The majority of women (60 %) reported varying intendedness across individual pregnancies, indicating that intendedness tends to be pregnancy-specific. Sociodemographic status as well as values and ideologies were significantly associated with pregnancy intendedness patterns. Compared to women who intended each pregnancy, women who were ambivalent, did not intend each pregnancy, or had intermittent intendedness were more likely to be single, younger, Black, report lower importance of motherhood and religiosity and were less likely to be Hispanic. A substantial proportion of women report the intendedness of their pregnancies varied between pregnancies. Research and policy addressing unintended pregnancies should consider that pregnancy intentions are not a static characteristic of most women.

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Section: Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in Pregnancy Intendedness Across U.S. Women’s Pregnancies

Shreffler

Greil

Mitchell

et al. 2014

Matern Child Health J

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“…Fertility intentions can tell us the extent to which this double negative effect of education on fertility is intentional, or is instead the outcome of fertility plans that are not realised. The prediction made in the literature on the second demographic transition that ideational change lowers people's fertility intentions by emphasising individuals' self-realisation needs and values (Van de Kaa 2002;Caltabiano et al 2009;Lesthaeghe 2010;McQuillan et al 2014) has not come true. Post-materialist attitudes do not seem to be negatively correlated with ideal family size, and a considerable number of studies have found that fertility intentions are indeed higher among highly educated than among less educated women (De Wachter and Neels 2011;Mills et al 2008;Roukolainen and Notkola 2002); and that these intentions are often closely clustered around the level of two children (Testa 2014).…”

Section: The Role Of Education In Fertility and Reproductive Decisionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the link between education and fertility intentions may also turn from negative to positive over the life course when specific birth order intentions come into play. Intentions decline with the birth of each additional child (McQuillan 2014;Liefbroer 2009), but they may decrease less among highly educated women and men who can afford to have a larger family than among less educated women and men who cannot.…”

Section: The Role Of Education In Fertility and Reproductive Decisionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The educational gradient of fertility intentions: a meta-analysis of European studies

Testa¹,

Stephany²

2018

Populationyearbook

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Unlike achieved fertility, fertility intentions are often positively correlated with education. However, the conditions under which such a positive relationship exists are not yet well known. Using 86 pieces of research covering 13 European countries that were published between 1990 and 2011, we assess in a quantitative manner the temporal and cross-country variation in the relationship between educational attainment and reproductive intentions. Because of the sequential nature of reproductive decisions and the gendered nature of each individual's life course, we look separately at childless women and women with one child, and compare women with men. Our findings show that both first and second birth intentions and educational attainment are positively correlated, but that this relationshipwhich is stronger for men than for women -tends to disappear when the normative value of a two-child family is reached. Structural labour market characteristics explain a good portion of the cross-country variance: the educational slope of first and second birth intentions is steeper in countries with large shares of women in vulnerable employment situations or in part-time employment, and is flatter in countries with gender-equal labour force participation and large shares of women in highly qualified employment.

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“…This figure has remained relatively stable for two decades and has inspired researchers to study topics such as the determinants of fertility intentions (McQuilan, Greil, Shreffler et al ., 2015; Reed and Mcbroom, 1995; Gatny, Kusunoki, and Barber, 2014), which groups of women are more likely to experience an unintended pregnancy (Finer and Zolna, 2014; Finer and Henshaw, 2006), to what extent individuals fulfill their desired family size (Berrington and Pattaro, 2014; Hartnett, 2014; Morgan and Rackin, 2010; Miller, Rodgers, and Pasta, 2010), and how well their intentions to have children within a specified time period are met (Miller, Rodgers, and Pasta, 2010; Heaton, Jacobson, and Holland, 1999; White and McQuilan, 2006). However, only a handful of studies have used longitudinal data to examine other fertility and family planning behaviors (Jones, Tapales, Lindberg et al , 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using panel data to examine pregnancy attitudes over time

Väisänen¹,

Jones²

2015

IJPS

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There is a lack of research examining changes in women's fertility attitudes over relatively short periods of time. The aim of this study was to determine whether and how women's attempts to get pregnant and their desire to avoid pregnancy changed over six months' time as well as which characteristics and circumstances were associated with these changes. Using multinomial regression, we analyzed two panels of data from a sample of approximately 3,000 U.S. adult women gathered within six months apart. Only 4% of the women were trying to get pregnant at both time points, but six percent went from trying to not or vice versa. Two-thirds reported a strong desire to avoid pregnancy at both points, but 9% transitioned from strong to not strong and an additional 7% transitioned from not strong to strong. Women who transitioned to a more serious romantic relationship were at increased risk of transitioning to trying to become pregnant and, not surprisingly, to a weaker pregnancy avoidance. Some of the variables we tested, including changes in employment status and race/ethnicity, were associated with one outcome but not the other. The results highlight the importance of taking a holistic perspective of women's lives when studying pregnancy intentions and in reproductive health care services such as contraceptive counseling. Context matters and it may change rapidly.

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The Importance of Motherhood and Fertility Intentions among U.S. Women

Cited by 48 publications

References 54 publications

Variation in Pregnancy Intendedness Across U.S. Women’s Pregnancies

Variation in Pregnancy Intendedness Across U.S. Women’s Pregnancies

The educational gradient of fertility intentions: a meta-analysis of European studies

Using panel data to examine pregnancy attitudes over time

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