Turkish University seniors’ knowledge of and opinions on fertility and expectations of having children

Abstract

BackgroundIn recent years the trend of postponement of child bearing has been increasing.AimTo assess knowledge on fertility and expectations of having children in seniors at a Turkish University.MethodsThe cross-sectional study sample (n=485) comprised senior students of the University in the branches of medicine, social sciences, and life sciences. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire in 2015.ResultsThe mean age of the students was 23.03±1.93 and 98.1% were unmarried. 88.45% of these students wanted to have children in the future. A higher percentage of females planned parenthood in the future than males. Males desired more children than females. Most students wanted to have their first child at age 25–29. Males wanted to have their first and last child later than did females. In case of infertility, 74.4% of females and 54.2% of males stated that they can benefit from assisted reproduction techniques. Students overestimated the success rate of assisted reproduction techniques. The percentage of students who were aware of the age at which fertility begins to decline was low.ConclusionThe expectations of seniors at a Turkish university to have children in the future are high, with insufficient knowledge on fertility.

The Mediating Effects of Social Self-Concept on Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Parenting Intentions

“…Some of this research has revealed gender differences related to these parenting intentions. For example, studies of university students in Sweden (Lampic et al, 2006), Denmark (Sørensen et al, 2016), and Turkey ( Özerdogan & Yilmaz, 2018) found that women assigned a significantly higher importance to becoming a parent than men. In both studies, significantly more female students indicated that it was important to become a parent before being "too old."…”

“…In addition, there are gender differences in parenting intentions due to different cultural norms and role expectations for women and men. Özerdogan and Yilmaz (2018) suggested that some cultural norms regard fertility as a way for women to boost their approval, acceptance, and social status. Even though gender egalitarian beliefs have become more common in recent decades, cultural expectations about the importance of family persist for young women (Burge, 2013).…”

“…In contrast with previous centuries when parenting decisions were largely driven by the desire for economic support and labor to support parents, parenting decisions are now viewed as those that require careful planning, due to the effect on the lifestyle, partnership, and financial well-being of the parents (Mills, Rindfuss, McDonald, & te Velde, 2011). Given that the desire to start a family is often considered in early adulthood, college students’ parenting intentions have received increased attention by scholars in recent years (Lampic, Svanberg, Karlström, & Tydén, 2006; Mogilevkina, Stern, Melnik, Getsko, & Tydén, 2016; Özerdoğan & Yilmaz, 2018). The topic is particularly timely, as the birthrate in the United States peaked in 2015 and has fallen every year since (Davidson, 2020).…”

“…Numerous surveys of college students around the world have found that most students intend to become a parent someday (Lampic et al, 2006; Mogilevkina et al, 2016; Özerdoğan & Yilmaz, 2018). Some of this research has revealed gender differences related to these parenting intentions.…”

Health issues of concern to Africa and beyond: infections, NCDs and health systems inertia

“… 20 Continuing with the teaching theme in SRH, Turkish researchers report on their experience with fertility and expectations of having children. 21 …”